Evening star., 1922-04-03

also 10 tne House ana senate commit
tees on the District of Columbia.
Finding of Jury.
| The indictment set forth that Regi-
nald w. Geare undertook and as
| sumed to design and draw the plans
and specifications and to exercise the
general direction and supervision of
| the work, and to superintend the con-
struction of the theater; that John H
Ford undertook and assumed TO de-
sign. fabricate and furnish and to ex-
ercise control and charge of the de-
signing, fabricating and furnishing OF
the structural steel and iron for the
erection and construction of the the
ater. part Of such structural steel
consisting of the trusses, columns,
beams and connections thereof and
the rivets. bolts and plates for as
Sembling the same.
That Richard G. Fletcher under
took to assume and furnish and to
exercise control and charge of
furnishing the cement and concrete
and brick, stone and hollow tile for
the erection, building and construc-
ton OF the theater, and undertook
and assumed to construct and erect
and build and to exercise control and
charge of the construction, erection
! and building of the walls, floors and
roof slab of the theater; that Donald
NJ. Wallace undertook and assumed to
wise the construction and erection
and building of the theater; that
Julian r bowman undertook and
assumed to examine and inspect the
theater in the course of its construc-
ton, erection and building. especially
| undertook and assumed to inspect
and examine the structural steel and
iron and concrete work of the theater.
Joined In Obligation.
The five men mentioned so under
taking and assuming, the indictment
says, did thereby then and there unite
and join themselves with one another
in an obligation to adopt the necessary
means to perform and carry into exc
cution the undertakings and assump-
tionS aforesaid of each and all of them
with the skill and care and caution and
circumspection necessary to make the
building safe for the purposes for
which it was desired, and that
1t would not be dangerous to the
lives of person who would and
should be in and about the building
during its erection after its completion
, and continuously until the 2sth day of
| January, 1922, and so that the roof
slab and roof and any and every part
| of such theater as should be above and
over the patrons arr: other persons in
and about the theater would not col
| lapse or fall.
/ The indictment then goes on to
claim that the burden assumed by the
| five men was Jointly binding on them
and that the failure SO TO construct
and erect, supervise and inspect the
building so that the roof thereof did
collapse on the 2Sth day of January,
! causing the death of Miss Atkinson
and the other patrons of the theater.
makes the five persons responsible
| for the death Of Miss Atkinson and
| the others.
Closes Another Chapter.
| Handing down by the grand jury OF
| indictments of men who participated
! in the construction of the knicker-
| booker Theater closed another chap
ter in the aftermath of this catas-
| trophe, which resulted in the death
| Of ninety-eight persons and at death
| juring and manning Of scores of others.
| The roof of this theater, at 18th and
Of January 2S last, during the height
| Of the most severe snowstorm which
had visited Washington in years, and
| pinned scores of people under tons
| of concrete and steel.
Rescuers worked for hours cutting
! the big steel girders and breaking
| the heavy concrete in the work of
digging out the dead and injured.
For two days and nights the res
cuers worked until there was abso-
! more bodies in the debris. Then at
! tention was focused on the investiga.
| ton to determine the cause of the
| collapse of the roof.
Nine Held to Grand Jury.
| Army and Navy and civilian eu-
gineers Immediately started to work,
examined the iron work, the concrete
| and the general construction of the
| building to determine the cause of
| collapse, all preparatory to the cor
| oner's inquest The inspection
! forces worked quickly and on Feb
| ruary Z, Coroner hewitt started the
! e,cniinued on Twentieth ra-.~