Part 608: The Wonderland Disaster Investigation in Detroit, 1898, fourth section
While researching the Temple Theatre in Detroit, I encountered an interesting article about the theater roof collapse. It was published in the “Detroit Free Press” on Dec. 2, 1898. This fourth section of the article focuses on the testimony of theater architect Col. J. M. Wood.
Wood was born in New York City during 1841. Early in his career, he moved to Chicago and started working as an architect. He completed many designs for theaters, opera houses and concert halls throughout the United States. By 1905, the “Indianapolis News” reported that Col. J. M. Wood, had built ninety-eight theaters, some of them the finest in the country” (24 Oct., 1905, page 2).
Back to the 1898 “Detroit Free Press” article:
Col Wood Takes The Stand.
Col. J. M. Wood followed Mr. Scott. He stated that he was 59 years of age, resided in Chicago, had been an architect since 1879, having been a builder and contractor previous to that time. He disclaimed being an engineer and said that his specialty was theaters and hotels, and had such buildings as come in connection with theaters. He had built over 80 theaters, and Mr. Frazer asked him if any of them had ever tumbled down, which he answered with a very polite “no.” Asked to enumerate some of the theaters he had built in different parts of the country, he mentioned Lafayette Square theater, Washington; Lyceum, Memphis’ Lake theater, Racine; California hotel and Theater, San Francisco, and others at Los Angeles, Denver, Cedar Rapids, Minneapolis, etc. Col. Wood was then asked to give the spans of some of the trusses in these theaters. He said that in all the theaters he had built he had buttresses in the walls two feet thick. He gave the span of the trusses in the Lyceum, at Memphis, which he said was the first fireproof building he had erected since he began the construction of that form of building, five years ago, as 70 feet. The Lafayette theater in Washington has a width of 67 feet, 6 inches. He stated that the trusses in this theater were of skeleton steel construction, with a clear span and carrys [sic.] a roof garden and restaurant above them. The Detroit Opera House he gave as 96 feet 8 inches between walls, and that the span of the Denver Auditorium, which is now being planned, will be 80 feet. “You use the same type of truss always?”
“Yes, sir; one has just been finished at a theater in Kansas City.”
“How does your truss differ from the Wonderland truss?”
“It is inverted. You would probably call it a suspension truss. It differs in many ways.”
Mr. Frazer made a diagram of the truss on the blackboard. He added that he received his knowledge form the strain sheets of two engineers to whom the truss was submitted.
Always Ask an Engineer.
“Do you always submit your trusses to engineers?”
“Where the truss differs in span from those I already have, I submit a sketch to engineers and ask them to furnish a strain sheet and also to designate the members they believe are necessary to carry the load. For the theater at Memphis I submitted the matter – not even a sketch, mind you – to Youngstown Bridge Co., and their chief engineer, Charles E. Fowler, returned to me the type of truss he believed best suited for the theater, together with the strain sheets and necessary members to carry the load. For the Lafayette theater in Washington, I submitted a sketch giving the type of truss I wanted, together with the columns, and gave the load on the chords, leaving the engineers to work out the strains and the members necessary to carry the load.
Col. Wood then started that he was the architect of the Detroit Opera House. With him were associates Mason & Rice and A. W. Chittenden. Asked why they were called associate architects, Col. Wood said that when the Clark estate decided to rebuild they wished to identify the building with local architects. For that reason sketches were asked from different firms for the front elevation and office portion of the building. They were not required to do anything regarding the theater. Continuing the witness said:
“Mr. Wells, the agent of the estate, clearly defined what he expected of each one. Mason & Rice were to design the front elevation and everything as far as the division wall. He left us to determine how we would divide the compensation. The construction of the theater proper was left in my hands.”
“Col. Wood then narrated how he became connected with the Wonderland work, stating that early in April Mr. Wiggins called on him at the Russell House and referred to building a new theater. Mr. Wiggins told him that he had contracted for the upper floors of the Barbour building for the museum, which made it necessary to employ the same architect.
“He asked me,” said Col. Wood, “to act in conjunction with John Scott & Co., and I said that I would, providing it was perfectly satisfactory to them, and Mr. Wiggins told me that they had already agreed. In talking to John Scott, he said that the Scotts would expect to control the construction of the building and act with me as designer of the theatrical arrangements of the building.
Col. Wood’s Duties.
In detailing conversation which took place at John Scott & Co.’s office, when he was introduced to the firm. Col. Wood said that he remembered distinctly Mr. Wiggins saying that he was determined to know the correct lines of vision and be up-to-date in building his theater. As to his part of the work, Col. Wood said that he was employed to design the interior arrangements, boxes, stage, seating, determine the lines of vision and secure proper acoustic conditions.
“What did you have to do with the truss and roof?”
“Nothing at all, sir.”
“Did you undertake to handle the steel work?”
“The only things I undertook to indicate were the lines in which the steel work must be kept to insure my lines of vision. In the rigging loft it was necessary that I should lay the beams, as they controlled the machinery of the stage.”
The witness also said that he laid out the pitch of the first floor, in order to get the proper line of vision for the seats, so that each one would give an equal view of the stage.
“What estimate did you give him a close approximate estimate of the cost of a building of that size – something that I have done for a great many and never charged anything. I told him $67,000. Mr. Wiggins did not try to scale down the price, but said that he would like the cost to be kept down to $65,000, if it could be done without detriment to the building. Mr. Wiggins put no limit on the cost, as far as I know. On the contrary, he wanted a modern theater, perfect in every particular.”
Col. Wood then stated that the first work on Wonderland he did was to lay out the floor plan.
Didn’t Furnish Truss Drawing.
“Did you furnish John Scott & Co. with drawings of the truss?”
“I never furnished them with anything except a sketch of the balcony and gallery, showing lines within which they had to keep.”
“Who made the drawings of the roof?”
“I do not know who made them. I am inclined to think that Arthur Scott made all the drawings.”
“Did you furnish Arthur Scott with the sizes of steel for the truss or roof beams?”
“I did not.”
“Did you give him the load the truss ought to carry?”
“No, sir.”
When asked to figure what the truss of the Detroit opera house would carry, Col. Wood started to figure, but said that he might forget some of the items and offered to bring a book which contained a record of every truss he had ever built in a fire proof theater, and he added:
“You will find that I have always been away below the factor of safety.” He said that for the Detroit opera house he allowed twenty-five pounds for snow and at Memphis fifteen pounds though the latter place was much further south. The Scotts allowed only ten pounds for Wonderland.
Asked to explain regarding the inspection of steel, he said that some architects allowed the company furnishing it to do the inspecting and furnish strain sheets, while others had the inspecting done by outside parties. The steel in the Detroit opera house was inspected by the Pittsburgh Testing Laboratory, at the mill, in Cleveland, in the shop and during the process of the work on the theater.
“Hear of any inspection of steel in the Wonderland building?”
“No. There was no reason I should, as I had nothing to do with it. Mason & Rice consulted me about the inspection of steel on the Detroit opera house, because it was part of my duty to design and construct the theater and control everything about it.”
“Who controlled the construction of the Wonderland building?”
“John Scott & Co.”
Col. Wood said that he never inspected the roof or steel work, but that once he saw that the had one of the trusses together in the back of the building and heard afterwards that in the raising the truss the gin pole broke.
“You furnished John Scott & Co. with the plans of the Detroit Opera House?”
“Only as a matter of friendship. It was a set of plans given me by Mason & Rice. I did not instruct Arthur Scott to use them, for I had no authority to do so, and they did not ask for them.”
“Did you get any plans from John Scott & Co.’s office?”
“I got a set of plans from there November 12, a week after the accident, and that was the first time I ever had a set of plans out of that office. I receipted for them on that date, November 12.”
To be continued…
