The Washington herald., 1922-02-23
Second Report of Army
Engineers Will Be
Submitted.
NEW WITNESSES
WILL BE CALLED
Indictments Can Charge
Manslaughter Only,
Says Gordon.

The second official investigation
of the Knickerbocker Theater dis
aster will get under way this aft
ernoon when the grand jury will
hear testimony against the nine
men held responsible by the coro-
ner's jury week ago.
District Attorney Gordon complet-
ed plans last night for opening of
the investigation before the grand
jury.
More than a score of witnesses,
including many not called before
the coroner's jury during its six-day
Inquest, will be brought before the
EI and jury, District Attorney Cor
don said. The investigation will be
most thorough in respect to con-
struction of the ruined building. It
will be before the grand jury al
most a week, Maj. Gordon es-
timated.
New Evidence Obtained.
Ohicials of the District attorneys
office and members of the Joint
board of army and navy engineers
have been busy since the close of
the coroner's inquest collecting ad-
ditional evidence from the ruins of
the collapsed wall and from plans
of the structure submitted at the
time the theater was built.
While nothing of a startling na-
ture has been uncovered during the
week, District Attorney Gordon said
he had received a supplementary
report from the army and navy en-
Eineers, more detailed than their
first report, which outlined a theory
for the collapse. and which was
placed before the coroner's jury
This second report includes a num-
Der of pictures to support the theo-
ries advanced by the engineers.
Not to Call Nine.
Col. William Kelly. u. S. A. En-
gineer Corps. who testified for the
joint board before the coroner's
jury, advanced the. theory that the
roof Of the Knickerbocker crashed
because of lack of sufficient wall
bearing of the steel beams on the
curved Columbia road wall. The
testimony of the engineers con-
sumed a large part of the inquest
hearing. and it is believed District
Attorney Gordon will base his evil
dence before the grand jury largely
on their report in view of the sec
ond report submitted by the engi-
neers.
by the corOner's jury for connection
with the collapse of the ponderous
steel theater roof which killed
ninety-seven persons and injured 4
score more will be called before the
grand jury.
Connected with Designing.
The nine men now held. charged
with responsibility for the crash,
tect; John H. Ford. engineer; Frank
L. Wagner, contractor; John, L. Nc
Donald, subcontractor; Richard G.
Fletcher, subcontractor; Donald NJ.
Wallace, construction superintend-
ent; Julian Downman. field building
inspector; Morris Hacker, former
building inspector. and Thomas l..
Costigan. former engineer and COM
putor in the building inspectors
Office.
Most OF the new witnesses who
did not testify before the coroner's
Jury. and who will be called before
The grand jury, were connected with
construction or designing of the
ruined theater. District Attorney
Gordon said. Every effort will be
made to determine each mans duties
and connections with the construc-
ton OF the theatcr.
Manslaughter Only Charge.
Members from the building in
spector's office. including Building
Inspector Healy and his assistants,
who were called before the coro-
ner's jury. also will be heard by
the grand jury. Three members
connected with this office during
the construction Of the theater
were held by the coroner's jury
Morris Hacker. building inspector
at the time. now superintendent of
city refuse: Thomas L. Costigan. en-
Eineer and computer in the build
ing inspectors office, who passed on
the steel structure plans for the
Hnickerbocker roof. now superin-
tendent of the street cleaning de-
partment. and Julian " Downman
field inspector during the course of
construction of the theater. now en-
gineer and computer in the build
ing inspectors office.
II any OF the nine men now held
are indicted by the grand jury, the
only charge which may be placed
against them will be involuntary
manslaughteE. District Attorney
Gordon said. This charge carries a
maximum penalty in the District of
Repair Work Rushed.
Members of the grand Jury are
Martin McQuade. foreman: Herbert
Herchberger, w. Z. McReynolds,
Edward W. Mintee. Snowden Keys,
Paul B. Lum. George c. Duvall, !.
Henry Henderson. Sol Minister. John
Millard. James II. Conroy, r. w.
Ballard. Henry e. Stringer. J. z.
Ferguson, George T Harper. L. s.
Lopscomb. John Donnelly, Philip ].
Medley. William d. Leetch, Fred W.
Kneesi. c. z. Langley, W. B. Miller
and John T. Jones.
Owners and managers of the
seven theaters ordered closed last
[ Saturday night by the District Com
fnissioners in the interest of pub
lie safety rushed plans yesterday
for repairing OF their buildings to
meet with the demands Of the Com
missioners.
NationaI Opens Tonight.
The Cosmos management an
nounced the theater would be per-
m,tted to reopen its doors Monday
afternoon The National will reopen
D1lf.s