The Washington herald., 1922-02-10
EXPERTS DISPUTE
ARCHITECT AS To
THEATER CRASH
Col. Kelly Insists Break
Came at Junction of
Stage Wall.

Collapse of the Knickerbocker The
ater Aarted almost in the center. be-
tween the Columbia road and Eight
eenth street walls, about thirty feet
from the stage, according to the the
ory presented before the coroner
jury yesterday afternoon by Regi-
nald w. Geare. architect.
The Joint board Of army and navy
engineers declare the starting point
Of the wreck was near the juncture
OF the Columbia road and stage walls
Three men in the building at the
time of the crash testified before
the jury on the first day that they
first noticed he ceiling cracking just
to the left of the stage near the CO.
lumbia road wall.
Architect Geare's Theory.
Reginald Geare's theory places the
cause of the collapse on the splitting
of a three -eighths-inch steel strip. six
inches wide. comprising half OF the
top chord of a six-foot truss. known
on the plans as TIE. at point
where a beam connecting the truss
and stage walls. known as B-22, con-
meets.
This steel strip, which ran the
length of the truss. comprised only
half of the top chord. The chord
included two strips of steel. six inches
wide and three-elghths inches thick.
separated an inch in the center. The
truss ran from the Eighteenth street
wall to the main truss. which ran
north and south from the Columbia
road wall. near the west side of the
building. TO a column supporting the
front of the balcony and extending
to the roof.
Reveals Discrepancy.
From the truss which buckled
and collapsed, running east and
west, five beams were attached.
three to the stage wall and two 10
the Columbia road wall. The CEN
trail panel point of the truss is de-
scribed as the point Of first failure.
where the steel split At this point
beam B-22 connected. This beam
was the third beam of the five con-
nected to the truss and connected
with the stage wall close TO thA
juncture of the curved Columbia
road wall.
Slow splitting of this steel piece
of the chord, caused by the alleged
abrasion. finally resulted in draw
ing the 6-foot truss in. resulting I'm
buckling Of the truss at this point.
Geare claims. However. pictures
show the steel piece split only about
inches through and not entirely,
while this ] = Inch strip comprised
only half of the top chord OF the
truss. The other strip shows
buckling at this point as is shown
in the truss at other points where
beams connected
Pictures Final Clash.
Buckling of this truss, running
east from the main truss to the
Eighteenth street wall. according to
Geare, pulled the main truss of the
roof structure. running north and
south. from its seat in the Columbia
road wall. about 40 feet from the
juncture with the stage wall. showed
the beams running to the stage ana
Columbia road walls forward and
then finally collapsing pulled the
main truss and beams and entire
roof structure from its seating on
to the victims below.
Geare offered in support OF this
theory evidence that the beams
TuHIlins lTOH1 lnS Truss lC lne SldB 2
and Columbia road walls had been
showed forward first. pushing holes
in the wall, before being dragged
back down again by the buckling
truss as IL bent forward and then
under. He argues that the holes
in the wall could not have been
pushed by these beams IL they had
slipped from their places as de-
scribed in the theory OF Col. Kelly.
Gives Engineers View.
Col Kelly. presenting the conclu-
sions of the government engineers.
said:
.The failure OF bolts caused by
the slow settling of beams running
from the truss T-l2" (the one named
by Geare as that which buckled)
permitted the top chord OF the
truss to buckle. through the release
of bolts, toward the stage, this
being accelerated by
shock and movement of the falling
roof"
Both statements agree that the
HoafiuaRf oS paos Ts,c