The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1890-09-03
ACROBAT HANLON PLUNGES HEAD
FOREMOST SXTY-FlvE FEET.

An Exciting Scene I'D INC <ACfoeHS VI
Music, Every One Thought the Man Was
Killed, But it Turned Out that His
Injuries Were Slight.
NEW YORK, August 22-Half the au-
dience were driven out Of the Acadamy
of Music by an accident to Gymnast
William Hanlon that missed being fatal
BY hairs breadth. 1t was the open
ing night of the season and the Hanlon-
Volter and Martlnetti pantomime and
specially company had drawn crowd
ed house People were standing every
where. The three IIanlon's appeared
in the last half of the first part Of the
programme. Robert and James I1anlon
were doing leaps and somersaults from
two fiying trapeZes in the ceiling Of the
vast theatre. William Hanlon was on
horizontal bar in the center OF the
vaulted ceiling. The trapezlsts had
just finished their part and William
Hanlon was doing the forward giant
swing" on the bar-that is, his body
swung rapidly in circle, just as a
spoke does in IA revolving wheel. His
hands and the bar were the hub and axle
of the wheel. The bar was suspended
from four stiff wire guys.
Hanion's body had swung around
four times and had just begun the fifth
revolution when the bar fell at one end.
The guys had given way that held up
the North end and dropped that end OF
the bar three feet. Then something
10
the shock. His body doubled up as he
flew through the air. His legs struck
the edge of the safety net forty feet be-
low, and plunged head foremost into the
audience with the velocity of cannon
ball. The crash of his fall could be
heard outside of the theatre.
Hanlon struck the chair, IN {" ",in the
orchestra with the left side of mis- head
The iron chair-back was smashed OIL
and into fragments by the fall. The
next seat, IN 5" was also broken. Will
liam Fearing Gill and his wife had oc'
cupied them, but had barely beer able
to leap out of danger as the ";robat
came lunging down. PreSlGenv John
B. Day, had occupied IN s. earlier IN
the evening.
The groan that went up from the
spectators was awful. Everybody
thought Hanlon was dead. \ little boy
was the first to help him.
Lift up my head" said the gymnaSt
He was cut and bleeding. The boy
lifted his head and uanlonimmediately
tainted. Two uSherS carried him to the
ladies'" reception room in the lobby
The spectators stood up and shouted
and for moment there was every in
dication of panic, as the bleeding
man was carried out. Men yelled like
wild animals, and many women tainted
In few moments Manager Harris ap'
peared before the footlights and an
nounced that Hanlon had received only
a scalp wound. Everybody cheered
fIantically. The injured man heard
them where he lay and said: He's
made a hit, hasn't he!'
\ New York Hospital ambulance
arrived within five minutes. Drs
| Gray and Hallock dressed Hanlon's
head. They found only scalp wound
and some bodily contusions. He had
struck the chair-back a glancing below
That saved his life. Had the contact
| UGeu dill lllCil llCNlCl VIC tlllouAS w iA~
skull the chair back would have cleaved
it like an axe The edge of the safety
net had broken the gymnast's fall very
little.
The utmost confusion overSpread
the audience. Everybody was talking
at once, The orchestra tried to play
but the people Kissed them down
When Manager Harris announced that
Hanlon wasn't much hurt, he said the
other brothers were willing to go or
with the aerial act.
NO" roared the audience. After {
wait OF ten minutes the Martinetti'S S
came on with their comedy pantomime
"a Terrible Night" a great many
people had left the theatre.
One of the three Hanlon's while wait
ing for chance to see his brother at the
New York hospital. said to a World re-
porter: This is the first accident we
have had IN career of twenty-five
years. Wehave always been extremely
careful. The safety net was as big a:
the law demands, but the fact that only
one end of the bar fell caused William
to he swung far outside of the net, hroal
as it was. Williams accident is the
first we havehad since l broke my little
finger a dozen years ago.