New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-08-24
From TIE ACCIDENTS DOME.
WILLIAM HANL.ON. THE ACROBAT FALLS
SIXTY-FIvE FEET
HE cRUsnEs An ORCHESTRA sEAT-BADLf
WOUNDED. But CONSCIOUS ALL IiH
TrME-AsKING If TIE PEEFoRM-
ANCE wFST on.


The Academy of Music crowded from the TOP
gallery 10 the orchestra rail last night Ihc haioh
yoIers had been hcrldod the most daring acropa's
that lad ever held an audience speilbound IN any
country. Men and women fockcd 10 the N''lc"' u"
coo ,h.ir nerformauce II was 10 o'clock when
three muscular men appeared on the stage Iho
people In the lower part of the mouse c"PPo'
their hands and stamped their feet "he INC p''' D"
the gallery shrclcd. whstlei and yelled ms was
tbc uopuor tribute t. tie whose fcats had been
much talked about but had not lccn seen before IN
America.
4 net eight feet wide was stretched from the balcony
to The stage, beneath three tfapczcs su'pchdI H'"
the dome The muscular llanlons a''cnden l" INC
NET by means of a laddc. and were then raised 10y
i,d ro,cs IN tncr trapczc bars one was Just clear
~ thc pr,,ccnium arch another swung few Inches
fran thc gallery and The third balanced himself on MS
lar away up near the dome itcf sixty five feet above
the dome Of the auditorium. There Wa distance :"
sixty five feet also between the pr'sc'muh anu ~"
caller, irapczc The men on thee swung IN the ar
living from one trapcze the other giving wonder
mi eyhndon of skin. Both swung al once ana turn
ing in thc air. exchanged trapezes. The audience ap
paIdcd wildly.
rbc orchc.t, CEASED playing II doe always when
some particularly daring feat is about e be attempted
The spectator, calcd upward and saw a man IcV"N
INC RAPIDLY on his trapcse bar close t. the Vaulbu
aome. around and around he went, and there "a'
., ,,rror from a thpu, and tlroats went up.
Hos f,llipg.n some shrlckcd, the man wa'
seen 70 leave the ha and descend rapidly. but with
rp!aHIing legs and arms IL was all over ID an III
slant There Wa "A crash, IA moan, ana The imp D'dy
of William Hanlon lay among the orchestra chairs.
Women shrelec and tainted, men turned pale ana
,rouId moi look at the place where the athlete lay
Trluuc reporter and two three others rushed To
the ,pot and raising The wounded man In thcr arms
carried him to the ladies dressing room In the lobby
The poor mans head had struck against the iron BACK
of a chair tearing his scalp away between thr eye
brows and back 10 the crown HIS right fo't ha"
| st7rlx another chair. making fearful wound Tie
strangc,t part Of II all that The injured man
| never LOST consciousness for IA moment some one
ring for an ambulance, and while he lay waiting Tor
il 10 come he asked II the boys had gone on WIN
their act and was told that they had NJ
that instant Manager Gilmore apptaTi
ON the stage and told the audience
that Mr. Hanl0n badly hurt, but probably would
not die There was a burst of cheering at this an
uouncement and the stricken man. hearing it, snllngy
| remarked "I'm glad of that; the boys must nave
made a big hit" When the ambulance arrived the
surgeon made Il hasty examination Of the wounds. re
marked Oh, you're all right" and then took The In
iurcd man away to the New York Hospital, where II
was said that his wounds serious, but not neces
sarily fatal.
| No one VIII, saw william Hanlons fall viii even
forget the thrilling sight. lie revolving on his
'
bar with tremendous velocity when one OF the sls
pendinr wires gave way. throwing him to one side o.
| the net A. he descended the people beneath scat
tered like frightened sheep. The falling mans icc'
struck the net, swinging him headfoIemost INTO the PIT
lie fell against the back Of vacant chair. next Ia
,chich SAT Mrs william Fearing Gill. The chair wa
crushed nat t. the floor mass of splinter Thcr
was small panic until the wounded athlete was cirrc'
ont. when the performance went on as If n"thh'
had happened Had the net been two feet wider Mr
/ II,nlon would have been unmrt. As IL was ti'
/ wander 4, that he was not instantly killed. At th'
boepital he said that hc was born In England, wa
thirty years old and lived temporarily at No. l"'
East Twelfth st. -, -, ,,, ~, ponr
,,d iauucs IlanlOu lie has been acrobat since ~
,Tal eirht wear, old. aud has been with the IIanol
Tr,tT for fifteen years. His fall Of sixty five feet
Striking an iron chair with his head IS his first acci
dr,p End If is one Of the most fearful that c0ul(
itr honucn 10 A trapczc performer. Iii, brother
ga HE vie visited him at the hospital after thci
performance over ana remained WIN MN uhih
l.N. I..