The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1922-01-30

under the mass nearly 36 hours.
The Capital City was bowed in grief
to learn the full extent of the trag-
edy. President Harding in a state.
ment last night said the tragedy had
left him with the same inexpressible
sorrow which has come to all of
Washington and which will be sym
phathetically felt throughout the
land"
Investigation Started.
A three-fold investigation was in
prospect today. In addition to an ex-
haus5ive inquiry ordered by the board
Of commissioners OF the district and
another to be started Immediately by
the grand jury, Senator Capper, Kan
sas, a member Of the, senate District
of Columbia committee, announced
that as soon as the senate convened
he would introduce a resolution call
ing for an investigation OF the trag-
edy The senator said he had receiv-
ed reports that the building code Of
the district had been violated in more
than a few instances during the war;
time rush OF constructions
Edward II. Shaughnessy second as
sistant acknowledgement, was still
making a fight for life today at the
Walter Reid hospital. Among those
prominent on the list Of dead was
former Representative A. II. Barch-
field, formerly of Pittsburgh, and Mrs.
Farrand, sister of Minister Dianchi,
of Guatemala.
Victims Rushed to Hospitals
All was confusion for hours after
the, crash while police, firemen, ma
rines from the nearby barracks and
soldiers from Walter Reed military
hospital strove to burrow beneath the
mass of debris and bring forth those
buried there under.
Scores had been removed from the
edges of the debris and hurried to
hospitals, but police, engaged for "a
hours in battling the worst snow
storm to visit Washington in decade,
were unable to check up on the mum.
ber of those, taken to the hospitals or
whether any orr how many had died
after reaching the hospitals.
Every fire station in the city was
called upon to send its crew to the
scene and the collection OF fire fight
ing apparatus only added to the con-
fusion. (
With the arrival Of the marines.
however, order began to be restored.
Apply AcetyIene Torches
Emergency hospitals were set up in
the neighborhood, some of the homes
of high officials of the government
being used.
Finding the tons of concrete and
steel Of the roof was almost immOv-
able and unseparable, the street rail-
way companies of the city and the
Washington navy yard was called
upon to supply acetylene torches. With
these more rapid progress was made
and it was hoped that within a few
hours it might be possible to reach
those buried beneath the debris.
Representative Smithwick of Flor
ida, was painfully cut about the head
and chest but not seriously hurt. An
other of those injured was Mobile
Tomasso Assereto, third secretary Of
the Italian embassy.
Attaches of the British embassy
reported at midnight that a check had
bs,en made of the staff Of that embas-
sy ana none found to have been in at
tendance at the theater. Belief was
expressed in some quarters that the
final list Of injured and possibly that
of the dead, would contain names Of
we'll known persons inasmuch as the
theater was situated in portion Of
the city in which many government
officials lived.
The management of the theater,
which was owned and operated by the
a number Df theaters in the city, de-
clared that the building only recently
had been inspected and approved and
that the collapse of the roof only
could have, been caused by the tre-
, mendous weight imposed by the heav-
lest snow fall that has visited Wash.
ington since 1899.
Work Needless of Danger
| The roof fell with such force as
lit,o drive three, concrete pillars through
the orchestra floor. Up near the stage,
however, It's force was arrested, so
that the platform successfully acted
as buffer For this reason, it was
said, several Of the musicians escap-
led.
| Every expedient was resorted to in
the work of rescue, volunteers assist
ing the firemen, police and marine.
without regard to the possible col
lapse of the walls. prospect which
twas regarded as all too imminent.
One case was observed. of a small
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