Inquest Still Moves

Whiimore Lake, .lamiary 13. - Great interest is boiiig manifested in the aier's inqucst which began at this place yöfcterday, to determine the cause of the collapse of tiie Toledo Ice company's now ice-houses at this j;c .ut last ïhursday at'ternoon. Nearly , imle country side is 011 band to v..;,,-.i the proceedings, wMeli bave ihus far been insufferably slow. Among the attorneys present In the interest of those Injured aro .M. ,r. Lchtnau and F. A. Stivers for the relati ves oí Oscar Oonmors, deceased; Thos. 1). Kearney for Bauniga.rtn.er; .1. W. Babbitt for Robert Martin, aud Sciden A. Miuor, of OwoSso, for the sereral injured men residiag at th.it place. l'rosecuting Artoraey Kirk represente the people aad A. ,T. Saw, . i1 the company ereetlng the building. TI-os. D. OSloss, the local ju3Üce, presides as coroner. Dr. Lemen, of Whitmore Lake, was the first wltness sworn at the toqi and by üiin waá proven, the tact of the death of Oscar 'Oonoocs and Albert Moivy. Johu Todd, also of Whitmore Lake, foTema-n of a gang of laborera at the ice-hcuee, was next sworu. He was employed fose that work by W. II. Bennett, general passender agent of the Affln Arbor road. Building was ■2) feet loug, 138 Peet wtde and 48 feet high. Ai the time of accident the rooms had all been i'aised to the full height except tbc east iHKm. The trusses for the roof were Ueing placed iu positio.i. Ilis ;n.".i i 'iloadcd luinber, gravel, sawduat, etc, and perfonned all work aboiit the building except earperrter work. Tin partltloas were bracecl as the vork progressed. These bruces mataed uutil th? Cth day of January. (mi tli.tí. da the bracea were removed iií the west room. Had 44 aborors upon his time book. Half houT after ■the bracea were removed oef ore the building collapsed. Oüllapse began ït northwest corner of tUt room where the bracos had been removed. James 'l'urubull, oí Toledo, had rlie v.mk in chaige. All of the roo as ni in gravelled but the west ïoo'ii; waated to icnivi-i tJie west room; asked if the braces eould be removed. i'i'is ivas the tlrst that had in-in said abont removing braces. John McI.ridc, foreman of taipenters. ordei'ttd witneaa to hare his men reanove the braces. l-'ouml the of Connors undor tlic timtoers outside of the building. There was no lumber upon Mi Witnees was in west room at time ni che coilapse. Kan out of south door of weert room and turned v t. VVhen witness got out thi building it p-as diiwn. ':is nol ever 10 or 15 ,.-. unís in going down. The nonh aad soutli wiills both Cell out whlle the partition walls all feil to the east. The braces were fastened at the bot. t( n to stakes drlven in the gromi.l. Tliey wi'ii' fnmi 14 to .".(i feet lang. Xo braces exeept thoso iu the west coii'.part.nt'iit had been rennoved. Wist vrall had ï'iusi biaces. The stnddiug eonslsted of twoMtiigths of 24feet, :ïx12 bimbers spHced bogether 'y nailing a piece of 2x12 oa eacb sdde of tlie joiut. Pet(i (iiviuy. Cuy Maguire, 'Milton I and others hcard the order glT m o remove the braces. Braces ware not all removed wheii the building collapsed. Did iiot know where Tn:-:ibull was wlu'ii the accideal occurred. Wltness looked to Mr. Bennett for instru -üons. Was mxrtoing by the day. ■.'.ii' D Tuniliull was in Whitinoi-e ■ he did uot stay at the work eontinuoualy. gome of the walls liad i" a beight of 10 to 15 feet wnh sawdttst. Whuess anderstands that Toled i Ice company was building. .Mr. Benuett paid hini and the men. Begau gradiag for the U-e-honxe aboul X.iyembei 1. 1S'.)7. Mr. Bennett dlrecced the work ai ihis time. .Men weiv reuiovlng rubiiiish froni the west roon lira the building feil. Turnbull ilid fti ; order witness bo take om bra íes. Wind was blowing quite hard Cuoni Khe wist at the t that the building l'dl. Did nut think in was einployed foy i-aui.ul company but cauW not ai that Mr. Bemnetl employed Min for bis own personal beneñt. Building feil tnside of au hom fmi the time the rder was givei: to remore the hraces. rhere were men worfclng on the caffoldings of the west. wali at tlie time the braces w-ïre lemoved. MBrlde called trom Khe sc-afEold to kuow if the braees wre down. Wütness repMed that they were. MoBride Uien ordwed tnem pot babk In again. Ttoere v(?re Cwo othex nejw builölngs to proceda of erection a1 that time but nc-ither were blown. Had started to poit them back svlien the building feil. Had received orders from MoBride. Xever gave MeBrlde any ordrrs. The injured are all gettiug aioDg as well as could be expected witli Lhe excapttons of Foltz, fxr Wlnose recovery tüere is liftlc hope. John Horpesr, wito feil from the tcp of strueture and esoaped wtth apparently sligiit [wals s :'J)out the head, is ramored t'; be actHg "queer" and it is feared tliai liis miad has been affected by tl;' shock.