Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-08-07
Car and Driver May Be-
Buried in Debris OF Five
Floors OF Structure.
WITNESSES ACCOUNTS
LEND AIR OF MYSTERY
Watchman Says Series of Thuds
Preceded Collapse-Two Men
Seen Running From Alley.

The northeast corner Of the five
story building at 339 Pennsylvania ave-
nue., occupied by the Fellowship
Forum. weekly anti-Catholic publica-
ton, collapsed shortly before midnight
last night after blast which repre-
sentatives Of the District Building in
spector's Office declared to have been
caused by an explosion.
Keyed up by reports OF bomb out.
RACES in other cities hundreds of per.
sons rushed to the scene in Jackson
alley when a portion of the five floors
fell. as a fire alarm brought out all
downtown apparatus and the rescue
squad
Accounts Of those in the vicinity at
the time veiled the collapse in mys.
terry and led TO the belief OF many
that the collapse was the result of
design, aided by a detonator of some
kind that started the walls and five
floors of the building to tumble to
the ground in Jackson Hall alley.
Two Persons Sought.
Police are looking for two indi-
side the building arguing with a
third in an automobile just before
the crash. The two were seen TO
run away hurriedly a moment be-
fore the wall fell. The automobile
has been unaccounted for. Members
of the rescue squad and of two truck
companies were digging into the de-
bris early this morning in an effort
to determine whether the automobile
and its driver had been caught under
the mass Of bricks, heavy joists,
desks and furniture of all descrip-
tions.
II. Davis, the night watchman In the
building, said that ne was sitting in
the front Office when the crash came.
II had made a round Of the build
ing about 10:30, he said, when / was
in that particular part of the structure.
/ saw nothing unusual Shortly after
/ took my seat in the front once, an
automobile drove into the alley and
stopped about midway. Two men
went in the alley behind 1t, and I
heard voices of the three men in
cluding the driver arguing. but
could not understand what they said.
The two men standing on the ground
We're white. but do not know
whether the other man was white or
not. / believe that 1 could identify
one OF the men who was standing
outside Of the car.
Heard Series of Thuds.
"They had been there but a few
minutes. when / saw the two men
who had been standing by the car run
away. / then heard the automobile
orf he oil in he
ton of c. street. I heard a series OF
thuds, sounding like the automobile
was being driven against the wall OF
the building and I ran out to look up
the alley, when I was blinded by
great cloud of dust and everything
was darkness in the alley. 1t hap.
pened so quickly after the two men
ran out, that do not believe that the
automobile had time TO get past the
point of the building that collapsed.
These thuds which sounded like
the automobile ramniing against the
building, happened but a second before
the loud era sh came. After the crash
looked around in an effort to see
the men who ran from the alley but
/ have not seen them in the crowd.
Explosion Is Blamed.
Herbert Boogart. assistant building
inspector of the District of Columbia,
made a preliminary inspection shortly
before o'clock this morning with the
aid of a f1ashlight. and reached the
conclusion that the wall was forced
out by an explosive Of some kind d.
rected from within. Mr.. Boogart was
accompanied by +. Dowling, a COM
puter in the building inspectors Of
flee, who also came TO the same con-
clusion.
The clear cut of the remaining walls,
Mr.. Boogart said, indicated clearly
that the collapse was the result of
some interior force, which forced the
walls outward. He said that the re.
walls are plumb and in no
danger of falling. No structural
changes were being made in the build
ing, and he said he could not believe
that excavation going on in the build
ing would have weakened the walls,
as then the tendency would have been
for them to fall within. He said he
was thoroughly familiar with the
building, and while il was old II was
in excellent structural condition. hav-
ing much steel reinforcement in It's
ma sonry.
Belief that the crash was the re-
suit Of previous detonation directed
at the building was given further
weight by Albert Willis. who lives et
IT Jackson Hall alley, which Is I'M
opposite the section Of the
building which collapsed.
Heard Loud Report.
Mr. Willis said that he was lying on
his bed, when he first heard a tirkling
Of glass. Some boys We're playing in
he alley. he continued. and he thought
they were breaking glass with stones.
when he started up to investigate.
About this time. he went on, there
was loud report like a charge OF
dynamite going off, and then the noise
Of falling bricks and stone, which
shook the building he was in percep-
.ibly. 80.
"I have. heard and seen buildings
collapse before" he said, "but I never
heard anything like that, preceded by
such a loud report. as though o gun
vas going off,"
Hundreds OF persons were drawn to
he scene by the fire apparatus, and
he crowds swelled as the report
spread that a building had been
bombed. All that could be seen was
he great mass of debris piled many
eet high IN the Pennsylvania avenue
TO jackson Hall alley. Fire
nen stood around with graphing
looks, undetermined just what to do,
Is the roof Of the building over the
ection that collapsed dangled peril
,usly in the air: and even the police
lept a respectful distance.
Large streams OF water poured from
he water supply lines on each floor
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