United States Congress Joint Committee on the Ford's Theater Disaster

The Committee on the Ford's Theater Disaster was a joint committee of the United States Congress that existed from August 18, 1894 to February 25, 1897. (It was preceded by the Senate Select Committee on the Ford Theater Disaster.) The committee investigated injury claims from victims of the 1893 collapse of Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C.

History

On June 9, 1893, while 490 clerks of the Record and Pension Division of the War Department were working at their offices in the Ford's Theater building, workmen in the basement were removing portions of the building's foundation. The building collapsed. Eighteen employees were killed immediately and several more died later. Many more were injured.

On December 14, 1893, the United States Senate established a select committee

Later, on August 18, 1894, Congress approved the sundry civil appropriations bill, which created a joint committee of the existing Senate select committee and five members of the U.S. House of Representatives. The committee was directed to investigate the disaster and report to the two Houses "whether in equity and justice the government should compensate the sufferers of that disaster for the injuries sustained...
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