Evening star., 1934-08-05
Fifty Years Ago
In The Star

On Sunday evening. August 8. 1884,
an old building used as a hotel on
Pennsylvania avenue
Vld Hotel between Third and
Collanses -Four and : = half
streets, collapsed
without warning, burying eight per-
sons in the ruins. two of whom died.
The Star of August 4, 1884, says:
THE immediate effect of the fright
full accident last night at the United
States Hotel will be a burst of Rctiv-
ity on the part of the officials and
few death traps will be reported, and
then the whole thing will remain as
before, until there is another calamity
which, let us pray, will also happen.
II in a hotel, after the dining room
has been closed and most Of the oc-
cupants Of the barn have gone out
of doors. The building in question
was not only an old building. but it
was notoriously dilapidated. 1t is
true that the oldest part of the build
ing did not fall but, according TO the
statements of the employees, the part
that did fall has for a long time
betrayed, by cracked walls, doors that
would not shut and gas pipes spread
open at the joints, that the founda-
tions were settling and settling un-
equally. The owners of the building
seem to have given no thought to the
matter, and the proprietor of the
hotel trusted his own life and that
of his wife in the building. There
seems to have been nowhere any dis
position to prevent casualty. Every
body went on using the building so
long as 1t would hold together. and II
is probably useless to hope that the
calamity Of last night will long be
remembered to any practical purpose.
The American disposition to take
hazardous risks with human life is
still uppermost."
An inquest was held and the Jury
returned a verdict to the effect that
the building had been unsafe for a
long time, that its condition was well
known to both the owners and the
lessee and that they, particularly the
owners, should be held responsible
the jury calling the attention of the
district attorney to the matter for
legal proceedings.
Use of electric lights in replacement
of gas lamps for the Illumination Of
the streets Of Washing
ElecLrlc ton was proposed, but that
Tiob+s there was some public
dissent TO such plan is
evidenced by the following in The
Star of August 5, 1884:
should the present efforts in that
direction result In some of the streets
of washington being lighted with
electric lights instead Of gas, IL is to
be hoped that the authorities will
prohibit the permanent use of the
powerful refiectors now employed at
several points for the illumination Of
Pennsylvania avenue. The electric
light under the very best conditions
is unpleasant in its effects upon the
eye, but when its natural brightness
is increased and concentrated by the
use of reflectors-producing much
such an effect as calcium light on
the theatrical stage-it Is not only
uncomfortable and disagreeable but
positively injurious to the sight. So
far as its Illuminating properties no.
the electric light is all right, bat. It
is Of quality that needs TO be toned
down rather than intensified to make
IL generally available. As between
the old-fashioned street gas lamp and
the binding glare of the electric light
as thrown upon refiectors, the forrl,er
is infinitely preferable"