The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-10-16

were missing by friends at home. The
damage to the structure was nothing at all,
to the stage comparatively little; to the
gallery almost nothing, to the dress circle
much less than one would think from the
debris scattered around through the par
quette, where the main truss landed. The
truss rested very much in the shape of a
capital letter V. The wonder is that so few
were hurt and of the few hurt that so many
escaped with slight injuries.
To-nights disaster recalls forcibly a more
fearful one which took place in the same
building in February, 1876 Tonight there
was real cause for the panic and loss Of
life then there was no cause whatever ex-
cept the wickedly foolish cry of fire"
started when little sputtering hiss came
from the calcium light in the upper gall
lery. The house was packed mostly with
women and children to witness an aIlegory
of America given by hundreds of school
children. With the single cry of fire in such
an assembly the mischief was done. Plung-
ing into the aisles and rushing down the
stairways and toward the wide doorway
leading to the street, the inevitable block
ade of fallen human bodies occurred. and
the wild and savage struggle for escape by
those behind completed the dreadful mis-
PROGRESS
absolutely blocked and time was given to
the living to use their senses to discover
that there was no fire, ana no cause for
alarm, did the insane panic cease. Then fol-
lowed the sickening rescue OF the score or
more of the dead and the many Others who
Were injured. To-nights catastrophe. how
ever, had a real cause for panic and if the
conditions tonight had been the same as
those nf fha
have been fearful beyond calculation.
CAUSE OF THE ACCIDENT.
The cause of the accident tonight seems
to be easily discovered. Among the first
who entered the building after the dome
had fallen was President George w. Rapp
of the Cincinnati Chapter American Insti-
tute of Architects. ut was not that dome )"
said he, pointing to the huge heap in the
center of the floor, that caused the trouble
The fault lies with the roof trusses. The
house has been built more than TWENTY-FIVE
years, and the wood has shrunk until the
bolts and nails afforded the smallest pos
sible security. One of these trusses had
rotted away from it's fastenings: it has
parted and thrown the two sections down
and they, in their descent. pulled the dome
with them. These wood trusses are Of
pine, and they shrink very perceptbly in
the course of years. They should be ex-
amined every five or six years. Modern
structures are put up with steel trusses
The roof of this theater is liable to come
down any minute"
Building Inspector Tooker also made an
examination of the trusses. He conceded
with Mr.. Rapp that the fault was with
them. Said he: ''You see that the wood has
shrunk and just let loose in the center and
pulled the dome with it The comparatively
slow descent caused by d slow breaking
away from its fastenings accounts for the
few immediate deaths. 1t gave those be-
meath a chance to get out.
Inspector Toolzer said that tomorrow the
broken trusses would be removed and the
roof would be made secure AS it is now
there is danger at any time.
A singular coincidence is that the play
announced for next week was entitled
Under the Dome'