Evening star., 1948-01-07
Collapse
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1t as an agency Of the city heads
as q group.
+. Attorney Papanicolas told the
hearing he did not know whether
the building inspectors ONCE had
been inefficient in this case, but
It certainly has been inefficient In
the past"
. Referring to Mr.. Browns testi-
mony, Attorney Papanioolas de-
clared ut was all fallacious."
"He Mr. Brown meant no wal
or abutment," Attorney Papanicolas
said, "but wooden partition
Purpose Declared Sidestepped.
Attorney Papanicolas did all the
talking when he Withdrew from the
hearing.
IT understand the board has a
three e-fold purpose" he declared, ito
find out what caused the collapse
who caused it and to prevent recur-
renee of such events.
With all due respect to the board,
I feel that some members Of the
board, much to the detriment of my
client, have sidestepped the pur-
pose and are turning 1t into
judicial board"
AS the Papanicolas brothers
picked up their coats, Board Chair
man Stewart Beall began an answer
to Attorney Papanicolas' statement.
They left the room, however, with
out pausing to listen to it.
Mr.. Bell said that the purpose
Of the inquiry, as outlined by the
Commissioners. were to determine
the cause or causes of failure in the
Empire structure, to determine
whether the actions of any individ-
ual were. responsible and to MAKE
constructive recommendations as to
the prevention of similar tragedies
In the future.
4 No Opinions Formed Yet. as
So far, he said, the board has
been involved in the first step Of
this program. So far as he knew.
no board member has yet formed
an opinion as to responsibility for
the collapse, Mr.. Bean added.
This isn't judicial board to my
knowledge" Mr.. Beau said, "but it
is endeavoring to find facts and will
continue to do so until otherwise
instructed by the Commissioners"
Earlier, the Papanicolas brothers
at their request had received per-
mission to delay their own official
appearance before the board until
construction men involved in recent
remodeling of the building had been
heard.
Mr.. Brown admitted repeating his
conversation with Nick Papanicolas
or New Years eve to earlier wit
nesses who first reported 1t to the
board. David A. Stoner and Arthur
Storke, both former residents OF
the apartment house, told the board
Monday that Mr.. Brown said that
Nick Papanicolas had told him to
keep his mouth shut" about re-
moval of an "abutment.'
On the witness stand today, Mr..
Brown declared he could not recall
the exact language Mr.. Papanicolas
used, but added that 1t was his
impression he, was advised not to
say anything about removal OF the
partition until the cause of the col
lapse was determined
Asked to point out the partition
he referred to on a drawing OF the
first floor plan, Mr.. Brown indicated
a line running at right angles to a
section of wall on which the board
has focused its main attention since
the investigation began.
The partition, Mr. Brown declared,
was removed early last year when a
restaurant was moved out and the
City Finance Co. took over the space.
Photographs taken when City
Finance occupied the first floor last
September, reveal that the section
of wall In the center Of the room,
the one on which the board has
centered its attention, was standing
then.
Ben Fields, City Finance manager,
said at the hearing last Monday
that 2-foot-long crack developed
in the section of wall on Decem-
Der IS, SO hours before the col
lapse. Water seeped through the
ceiling over the wall at that time,
he said.
Mr.. Brown today confirmed the
leakage. declaring that he had gone
to an apartment above where water
was running into stopped-up sink
and shut off the water.
Crack Appearance Substantiated.
Mrs. Anna May Grof1nger, 1875
Spring place NV. an employe Of
the City Finance Co., corroborated
the earlier testimony Of Mr.. Fields
regarding the appearance OF crack
In the ground floor the day before
the collapse.
On Monday. she said, the assures
were about half an inch wide, but on
Tuesday, the day of the collapse,
they widened to an inch and half.
Mrs. Groffinger also said that Nick
Papanicolas saw the crack on Mon
day.
Nick Papanicolas said he inspected
the section of wall, after the crack
was reported. but denied that he
saw such crack. Mr.. Fields had
testified the crack extended diagon-
ally around two ends and one side
of the wall and was as wide as 2
inches in one place.
Asked II he knew anything that