1956 — Oct 3, under construction Consumers Power Co. building collapse, Jackson, MI–10

— 10 Concrete Construction. “Construction Failure at Jackson, Michigan.” Dec 1956.
— 10 Daily Times-News, Burlington, NC. “Death Toll Believed 10 in Collapse.” 10-4-1856, p. 1.
— 10 Ironwood Daily Globe, MI. “Recover Bodies: Jackson…Collapse Probed.” 10-5-1956, 7.
— 10 Smith, Leanne. “Peek through time…tragedy of Consumers…” Michigan Live. 10-1-2010.
— 10 Traverse City Record-Eagle, MI. “Engineers to Probe Cave-In.” 10-6-1956, p. 1.

Narrative Information

Concrete Construction, Dec 1956: “At least ten men were killed and 15 others injured in the sudden collapse of a wing of a four-story office building on October 3, 1956. The failure occurred without warning shortly after concrete had been placed for the top floor of the structure. Speculation at the moment is that the failure may have occurred as the result of punching shear of the flat-plate 10-inch-thick concrete floors at the columns. Although the slabs were integral with columns, the section available for punching shear was reduced substantially by duct and piping openings along some interior columns. The floors were supported on square columns spaced on 24-foot centers. There were no drop panels or column capitals.” (Concrete Construction. “Construction Failure at Jackson, Michigan.” Dec 1956.)

Smith: “The sound of wailing sirens began in the northwest part of the city, but it wasn’t long before the news of Jackson’s biggest industrial catastrophe and its most heroic rescue effort spread worldwide. It was 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 3, 1956, when a reinforced steel wall buckled without warning at the site of a $2.8 million building being constructed for Consumers Power Co., now Consumers Energy, on Parnall Road.

“Ten men died and 15 others were injured in the tragedy that occurred 54 years ago Sunday…. Claude Binschus was found dead early on Friday morning, buried in the rubble where he was working. Besides his sons, he left three children under the age of 4 and a wife pregnant with their fourth child. Also killed were Gerald W. Eley, 50, Ray Claucherty, 52, Roy J. Gardner, 25, and Charles Amann, 72, all of Jackson; George Berry, 68, of Michigan Center; F. Russell Baker, 39, of Spring Arbor; William Rose, 37, of Rives Junction; William R. Bingham, 37, of Hillsdale; and Gale Marble, 49, of Flint….

“With a growing customer base, Consumers needed a new building to house its engineering staff and general office departments and relieve overcrowding at its headquarters at 212 W. Michigan Ave.

“Architects from Black & Black of Lansing designed the Parnall Road building. Chicago’s Herlihy Mid-Continent Construction Co., the same firm that had built Jackson’s McCulloch and Wilson schools, was hired to build it. The site was a former cornfield on a partially paved road conveniently located close to where I-94 also was under construction.

“The east end of the building collapsed while workers were pouring concrete on the fourth floor, spewing 6,000 tons of wet concrete, steel rods and lumber down into the basement.

“Workers on the top floors plunged down amid the debris. Those working below were buried….

“More than 300 people, 100 of whom were inmates at Southern Michigan Prison, worked on the rescue and recovery efforts in the “hole,” as the building’s basement came to be called.

“Workers throughout the area rushed in to help, bringing in their own heavy equipment. Firefighters and police officers on duty and off from the city, county and townships worked through the night, as did military reserve units and National Guardsmen.

“Foote and Mercy hospitals called in all student and registered nurses. Dr. Don F. Kudner and nurse Ilah Gutekunst were lowered into the hole to give morphine shots to ease the pain of men waiting to be rescued. The American Red Cross, Salvation Army and area restaurants provided food and rest areas for the rescuers.

“Rescue efforts were temporarily stopped at 3 a.m. Thursday because of the danger of another collapse. They ceased completely at 1:25 p.m. Friday when the body of Rose, the final missing worker, was found.

“After several investigations, it was determined there was no criminal negligence involved. The team of engineers found the collapse was probably caused by poor design, inadequate shoring between the floors and weak concrete.

“The Herlihy Mid-Continent Construction Co. cleaned up the last of the disaster and began reconstruction in August 1957, using part of the collapsed building’s foundation and the western wing that had survived. Office workers moved into the building in June 1959….” (Smith, Leanne. “Peek through time: The tragedy of Consumers Power Co. building collapse of 1956 brought out a city’s heroism.” Michigan Live. 10-1-2010.)

Contemporary Newspapers:

Oct 4: “Jackson, Mich. (AP) – Workers broke off rescue operations early today in the shattered ruins of a collapsed building, leaving at least six men presumed dead in wreckage that already has yielded four bodies. The task of uncovering tangled tons of concrete and steel which buried the victims will resume later today. Walls that threaten to fall will be knocked down. The halt in the digging that had continued throughout the night canceled the last faint hope that some of the trapped workmen would be found alive.

“John Schweitzer, a construction superintendent directing the rescue work, said at least six men are still in the wreckage and all are presumed dead.

“Fifteen others were injured yesterday with he half-completed office building of the Consumers Power Co. collapsed with a roar.

“The four-story structure had been designed to withstand the shock of an A-bomb blast.

“The workmen fell to their deaths amid steel girders and concrete that crashed through all four floors of the structure…..” (Daily Times-News, Burlington, NC. “Death Toll Believed 10 in Collapse.” 10-4-1856, p. 1.)

Oct 5: “Jackson (AP) — Rescuers today found the bodies of three more workmen in the steel-and-concrete tomb where 10 men died following the sudden collapse of a partially completed office building. Only one body has still not been recovered from the rubble.

“One of the bodies found today was not immediately identified but is believed to be that of either
William Rose of Rives Junction or Charles Amann of Jackson. The other bodies were those of Floyd R. Baker, 39, of Spring Arbor, and Claude Binchus, 36, of Jackson.

“The 10 were killed when, without warning, the three-million dollar, four-story Consumers Power Co. building near here crumbled Wednesday afternoon cascading 6,000 tons of concrete and steel into the basement. It was one of Michigan’s worst industrial disasters.

“Thirty-five construction workers were injured in the landslide. Thirteen still are in hospitals.

“The fifth and sixth bodies were pulled from the wreckage Thursday night, more than 30 hours after the modern-designed structure caved in. Workmen continued digging for the missing four.

“At least three official investigations are underway to determine the cause of the tragedy.

“A spokesman for Herlihy Mid-Continent Construction Co., of Chicago, the general contractors, said there was no indication the concrete was not being properly poured or of any structural defects. He could offer no reason for the disaster.

“One of the investigations was ordered by Herlihy. Another was called by the architects, Black & Black of Lansing, Mich. In addition, Consumers Power Co., which had planned the building about 70 miles west of Detroit to stand against an A-bomb blast, called in two University of Michigan structural engineering experts to determine the cause of the collapse.

“The fifth body recovered from the debris Thursday night was identified as that of George Berry sr., 67, of Michigan Center. The sixth body was identified as that of Gale Marble of Flint.” (Ironwood Daily Globe, MI. Recover Bodies: Jackson Building Collapse Probed.” 10-5-1956, 7.)

Oct 6: “Jackson, Mich., Oct. 6 – (UP) – Gov G. Mennen Williams has named three university engineering experts to investigate the collapse of the Consumers Power Co. building in which 10 men died. The four story, partially-completed building caved-in Wednesday. Construction crews dug in the steel and concrete debris until late yesterday before removing the last body.

“Named by the governor were George G. Brown, dean of the University of Michigan college of engineering, Charles E. Cutts, head of Michigan State University’s department of civil engineering, and Elihn [unclear] Geer, chairman of the University of Detroit civil engineering department. The governor said the task of the educators was to evaluate the reasons for the disaster and to make recommendations aimed at preventing similar tragedies from happening in the future. The governor’s study is one of several separate investigations being made into the disaster and its causes.

“The last body to be removed from the steel and concrete tomb was that of William Rose, 40, Rives Junction. Also killed were Charles Amann, 72, Claude Binschus, 36, George Berry, Sr., 68, Gerald W. Eley, 50, Ray Claucherty, 52, and Roy J. Gardner, 25, all of Jackson, and F. R. Baker, 39, Spring Arbor, William Bingham, 37, Hillsdale, and Gale Marble, 43, Flint.

“The dead men left nine widows and 35 orphaned children. All but Marble were married and had families.

“Aid to the families of the victims, in the form of emergency loans, is being given by the John George, Fr., Foundation of Jackson.

“In addition to the dead, 15 other men were hurt when the $2,800,000 building collapsed. Thirteen were hurt seriously.” (Traverse City Record-Eagle, MI. “Engineers to Probe Cave-In.” 10-6-1956, p. 1.)
Sources

Concrete Construction staff. “Construction Failure at Jackson, Michigan.” Concrete Construction, December 1956. Accessed 11-5-2012 at: http://www.concreteconstruction.net/construction/construction-failure-at-jackson-michigan.aspx

Daily Times-News, Burlington, NC. “Death Toll Believed 10 in Collapse.” 10-4-1956, p. 1. Accessed 11-5-2012 at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=37780609

Ironwood Daily Globe, MI. “Recover Bodies: Jackson Building Collapse Probed.” 10-5-1956, p. 7. Accessed 11-5-2012 at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=10917962

Smith, Leanne. “Peek through time: The tragedy of Consumers Power Co. building collapse of 1956 brought out a city’s heroism.” Michigan Live. 10-1-2010. Accessed 11-5-2012 at: http://www.mlive.com/living/jackson/index.ssf/2010/10/peek_through_time_the_tragedy.html

Traverse City Record-Eagle, MI. “Engineers to Probe Cave-In.” 10-6-1956, p. 1. Accessed 11-5-2012 at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=64135489