Evening star., 1922-02-05

his mortar ITdInG as OUT
Of LIFE Thou give:
MARIETTA
one, because, he frankly said, he has
no idea where the blame belongs.
That he Is convinced that there
must have bee some defect or weak
ness is because the accident hap
pened. If it was due to the weight
buildings some Of fimsy construc-
ton in the near neighborhood, would
have fallen. he contends. If it was
due to vibration caused by street
cars, similarly other buildings would
have been shaken. So he Is led to
known weakness in the building and
no one is more anxious than himself.
he says, to find what and where that
weakness was.
1t is utterly absurd, Mr. Crandall
been purposely- weakened to save
cost Any cheapening would have
to be done on the finishing and fitting,
because the building regulations took
the walls and roof out q the owners
option. They specified what he had
to do. He pointed out that ne had
marble stairways to the boxes and
balcony, which he certainly was not
called upon to do and would not have
done II he expected the building to col
lapse at any time. Similarly. he had
just approved an expenditure of
81, 900 for a. new stage setting. which
he says he would not have done IT he
knew there was danger of the roof
falling.
$50, aside from any humanitarian
motives-if I was absolutely hard
hearted and bloodthirsty avar1cious'
II I knew Of any weakness. would
have had 1t tfixed, and not laid my
self liable to serious damage to the
theater and equipment, and the loss
of everything put into it,, said MI.
Crandall.
Says Experts Fail to Find Cause.
He calls attention to the fact that
there have been fifteen or more expert
engineers who have examined the
building since the collapse. not one
of whom has yet been able to show
where the weakness lay, land II those
expert engineers cannot say, how was
I, without the technical and scien-
tific knowledge to know?" Mr.. Gran
dali asks.
Talking only yesterday with an en-
eineer, Mr.. CrandalPs attention was
brought to the fact that the walls.
which it has been said were too weak
and not of sufficient thickness to
stand tthe strain. must have been ex-
ceptionally strong to stand the con-
cussion when the roof fell. This en-
gineer told him that it would have
been no wonder at all If the con-
cussion and suction, which actually
blew people out of the theater, had
blown down the walls.
Replying to ME suggestion that the
g.
caused the break, Mr.. Crandal said
that was absurd, because the fan had
been in ever since the building was
opened and was certainly not as
heavy as the two cement blocks that
had to be left out to install the ran.
Mr.. Crandall has seen statements
in the newspapers of people who said
they heard a cracking sound and
knew it to be "the shearing of steel
and the settling of masonry" hours
before the roof fell. He insists that
such a person was criminally neg
him but to the police or other au-
thorities. He also feels that a con-
tractor claiming to have worked on
the Knickerbocker Theater, and who
says he knew it was of insecure con-
struction, was also criminally neg
ligent in not reporting what he knew
to the proper authorities. ANY one
contractor, builder, workman or any
individual who knew OF dfshonest
construction was morally bound 10
report it. Those are the sort OF peo-
ple who should be brought before an
Investigation and made to tell what
they knew" said Mr.. Crandall. He
repeatedly stated his desire TO 90
everything possible to aid in clear
ing up where the fault lay.
Many Express Sympathy.
So far as financial loss is concerned.
Mr.. Crandall has not given 1t any
thought. His deep concern, since the
calamity, has been over the human
lives wiped out and those MANNED
and injured. His greatest solace in
the days since the disaster has been
in the fact that the relatives of many
of thooe who lost their lives nave
come personally to see him and in
letters expressed their sympathy for
what he has had to suffer as part
was such a frightful loss Of life. His
desk is stacked high with letters Of
sympathy and comfort from indivi-
duals, churches, clubs and organiZa-
tions, He has received hundreds of
kilograms similarly expressing SYM
pathy from screen actors and &C.
tresses.
Mr.. Crandall yesterday expressed
appreciation of the consideration
shown him and of the aid given by
many persons and agencies while the
work of rescue at the theater ruins
was in progress. He said:
II also want to thank the news
papers for the way they have handled
the entire situation-being fearless,
but yet frank and fair in their views.
81 also wish to extend my thanks
to the police and flremen, soldiers,
sailors, marines, doctors, nurses, civ
ilians, and all others who did such
wonderful rescue work during this ter
rible disaster. I wish to specially thank
the First Church of Christ, Scientist.
the Town and Country Club, and all
others who opened their homes for
first-aid stations-also the Red Cross,
the Salvation Army. Goodwin 3udd.
Sam Steinberger, all the hotels al d
every one else who furnished coffee
and sandwiches to those who were
working SO hard"
Geare Denies Reports.
Responsibility for the Knicker-
booker Theater disaster has not as
yet been officially placed by Reginald
w. Geare, the architect who planned
the moving picture house at Columbia
road and 18th street, according to an
authoritative statement given out by
him yesterday to The Star-his first
authoritative statement since the
tragedy.
Certain articles which have ap-
peared in the Washington papers Of
recent date give the impression, I
believe, that I have expressed a con-
clusion as to the cause of the col
-