New-York tribune., 1922-01-30
House and Senate Both to
Take Action, Leaders In.
dicaie, While Authorities
of District Investigate
Building Perfect.
Owners DccIare
Assert II Was Put Up Tn"
der Best Prc-War Condi-
tiOns and asscdAHTcsts

From TA- T'ibusc's Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON. Jan. 20. Searchin
inquiries will be started tomorrow i,
four departments of the government
ascertain who was responsible for tn
Knickc rbockcr Theater disaster.
The board Of District Commissioners,
was summoned Tonight to meet
morrow morning to formulate plar
lor complete inquiry, which Char
man James +. Oyster will instituii
nc engineer commissioner, Coloue
Charles +. Keller. will select spoci
commit'ec of engineers and builders t
90 into the matter Of possible struc
tural defects of the theatcr
a coroner's jury viii meet at the
call of Coroner James Ramsey hewitt
lat the District Morgue aud conduct an
inouost in blanket form.
District Attorney Payton Gordon has
announced that the Federal grand
jury Will be given all available details
of the disaster tomorrow morning and
endeavor to ascertain if criminal
negligence Of the thcater owners was
not responsible for the horror.
Talk of Congressional inquiry
Majority Leader Frank ". Mondell,
Of the House, declared tonight Aha,
the disaster may be made the SUBJECT
OF Congressional inquiry to de-
termine what precautions, if any, are
taken in other theaters for avoiding
such disaster. Senator Cappcr made
similar statement
Additional precautions we're taken by
Washington hotel owners, who had
crews of men removing snow from the
roofs OF their structures, ana swung
u1-cnrI oil
ropes to keep pedestrians from walking
near the bullding lines in fear that
falling snow might injurc them.
Services in many Washington
churches were interrupted at the
slightest sound Of falling snow The
congregation at st. Matthew's Catholic
Church, one Of the largest cdifces Of
the city, was thrown into d wild panic
at one OF the morning masses, when q
large quantity Of snow fell on the
massive entrance way with a mighty
thud.
81 have no doubt there VIII be a
Congressional investigation Of the
theater disaster if one should be
needed" said Senator James A. Reed
of Missouri. ''unless the cause Of the
collapse is not perfectly plain. In my
opinion there is no doubt that the col
lapse of the roof was due to some
structural weakness. Tho architect, f
there was one, or the contractor, made
some terrible blundcr. The district
building inspection department also
would appear 20 have been dcrelict
was at tho scene shortly aftc. The
crash. 1t was appalling"
To Be Brought Up To-day
"The question Of an investigation
OF this disaster undoubtedly will be
brought up when the House meets to-
morrow" Representative Mondell said
"It is probable. however, that Congress
will wait to see what progress is made
by the District authorities before de-
Gliding as to whether it will act"
Harry NJ. Crandall. president Of the
corporation owning the theatcr, dc
clared that the building was thor
oughly inspected and was structurally
perfect.
The Knickcrbocker was the prize OF
our circuit he said ICONS tructed at
no limit Of cost before the war, when
the best material and engineering
brains were secured to make this house
a model of theater architecture and
construction, the structure was subject
to and passed every municipal govern
ment inspection and test
1--WE cannot find words to EXPIRE s.
the depth Of sympathy VIC feel for those
bercaved by this appalling catastrophe
We would infinitely rather have aban-
doncd all our enterprises than that a
single life should have been lost or any
/