Evening star., 1947-12-24
Wreckers Plan
Final Search in
Empire Ruins
Womon's Body Found
ChiIdren's s Lawyer
Asks Congress Probe

ASKS congress rrobe
All missing persons in the Empir.
Apartments collapse were accounted
for today with the recovery OF 8
fourth body and workmen prepared
to remove the wreckage of the upper
floors of the building after one more
survey of the hazardous ruins.
Present plans call for removal Of
the wreckage from the topmost
three floors of the seven STORY build.
ine-those which collapsed. What
will happen to the first four f1oor'
has not been determined.
The body of Mrs. K. B. Van Sick.
Ter, 78, was taken from the building
at Ninth street and New York ave.
nue. NV, at 1910 last night, NOR.
than three hours after it was dis
covered by Murray Shipp, president
OF the Pines Wrecking Co.
Shortly before her body was re.
moved, Harold S. Harrison, an at.
torney for two of her children, sem
letters to the chairmen of the Senat.
and House District Committee re-
questing q Congressional Board oi
inquiry to determine why rescue
work was delayed and II there was
official negligence.
May Suspend Work for Holiday.
Engineer Commissioner Gordon
r. Young said he had approved q
request by the wrecking company
to suspend work over Christmas
provided there was assurance no
more bodies remain in the wreck
age.
Work will be resumed Friday and
continued at full speed until such
time as the building is declared
safe for resumption or traffic along
New York avenue and Ninth street
Gen. Young said he hoped this
condition Of safety would be at
tanned by Saturday night. Even
though the cranes used in clearance
work still are on the scene it may
be possible to permit q trickle OF
traffic past the building, the Com
missioner said.
Mr.. Shipp said he was satisfied no
bodies remained in the ruins, but
that his men would make a final
check Of one unexplored mass of
debris this morning and that he
would make personal survey there
after.
Requires Dangerous Mission.
This required q dangerous mission
into the shattered building, with
only . rope around his waist as
security against a possible slip or
shifting OF the rubble.
It was such an operation that
resulted last night in the recovery
Of Mrs. Van Sickler's body.
Secured with rope held by two
men at the fifth floor level, Mr.
Shipp was lowered to what was the
fifth floor, now piled up at about
the fourth floor level Peering into
the debris. he saw fingers of one
hand protruding. About the same
time. as he was standing on a
precariously hanging section of the
building, a small slide started. He
slipped 4 or 5 feet, but was jerked
to safety by the rope.
Body Freed After Z Hours.
Later. spotlight aimed from
underneath, Illuminated = foot in
the debris. A fireman's net was
slung about 10 feet beneath the
body and a crane was used to shake
the wreckage Two hours of this
freed the body, which had been
tangled in bedclothing and mat
tress.
Mrs. Van Sickler was identified
at the morgue by a son, Giles, Of
Fitzgerald. Ga.
Autopsy reports on two others re-
covered from the ruins Monday,
Ernest Dorsey, A, and Joseph NJ
Smith, TO. were expected from
Coroner A. Magruder Macdonald
late today. The fourth victim, George
Patterson, 10, was found shortly
after the building collapsed at II 80
pm. December Is.
Praising firemen who had entered
the building before it was con-
demned as unsafe, Mr.. Shipp said
the tragedy pointed up the need for
District disaster squad, main
tanned as an independent agency.
Trained Rescue Squad Urged.
This kind Of thing needs squad
Of trained men who know buildings
and can start rescue work before q
wrecking company Is called" he said
The men should know how to shore
up building under emergency con-
ditiors and all the other short cuts
to rescue work.
He said firemen are not trained
for such work and that 1t was re-
marksble that they accomplished
what they did during the night OF
the tragedy without injury.
The request for congressional in
vestigation was made by Mr.. Harri-
son as the attorney OF William M.
Van Sickler of Accokeek. Md, and
Mrs. L. B. Phillips of Round Hill,
Va, son and daughter Of Mrs. Van
Sickler
Mr.. Harrison's letter pointed to
the "incongruity" Of having Build
ing Inspector Robert H. Davis-"the
man ofi1cially responsible for proper
building inspection"-as chairman OF
= citizens board appointed by the
Commissioners to investigate the
structural failure.
Mr.. Harrison said thorough in
vestigation under the direction of q
construction engineer having no Of
ficial position in the District gov
eminent was indicated by the AL
legged admission" of Gen Young that
bootleg" building operations-build-
ing without official permit - have
been practiced.
The attorney said he hoped a
Joint committee inquiry would be
set UP to determine official negli-
gence, II any. in the making of
building inspections, the approving
OF building remodeling plans and in
the filing Of reports and records,
some of which were reported missing
from the Empire Apartments file.
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