The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-10-16
DISASTER AT CINCINNATI.

DISASTER AT CINCINNATI
"The Danger OfH Great city" Playing al
the Robinson Opera IIoHse Removes tho
Theme From the stage TO the Auditor
ium-RooT Falls la Resulting In the
killing OF Thres Persons aud Danger
ouSiy nJurlnE Many Others.
CINCINNATI, Oct, i5.-"Fhe Dangers
OF a Great City" on the stage OF Rob-
inson's opera house tonight, was cut
short in its performance by a tragic
realization of the actral dangers OF a
great city, The house was fairly well
filled, although not crowded. A little
before $3.50 O'Clock tonight a lady In the
audience says she heard a creeping
noise, which continued for five minutes
before the catastrophe. She gave It lit
tie attention, thinking II was a part OF
the performance. Presently the plas-
terlng began 90 fall In small particles
at first, but enough to alarm some OF
the timld or cautious, who retired. A
little later the plasterlng began to
shower down in great chunks. 1t came
from the ceiling above, which supported
the dome. There was q rush from the
gallery, which was not very well filled,
The balcony was soon emptied. Those
In the dress circle retired as promptly
as possible, and, strange to say, with
out an apparent panic. The crowdlng
Of these to the doors obstructed the
passage of the people from the par
quette, which accounts In n measure
for the number OF casualties Nobody
expected at that moment any other
danger than from the falling plaster.
Suddenly and with n great crash the
great central truss of the ceiling, so
feet long and 30 feet wide, came plung-
ing down. The ends of II struck on
the two gallery wings and doubled II
up In the center, sending II down into
the parquette with great scatterment
Of joists and timbers. Nothing on the
stage was harmed. OF course there
were means of the injured, and as often
happens, loudest from those least hurt.
The news spread rapidly. There was
n rush Of patrol wagons and Of firemen
to the scene. The salvage corps, with
It's wagon, was first on the ground, aud
Il was followed by all the police patrol
wagons carrying the injured to the Gin
clnnati hospital.
The list at the hospital showed three
dead. FIVE dangerously II not fatally
wounded and twenty-slS more or less
seriously injured. In addition to these,
large number, probably twenty-five
or thirty. were so slightly Injured as TO
be able to walk home, or the danger
ously injured at the hospital several
will require amputatlon, yet everyone
Is refusing. to submit to the operation.
A score Of surgeons volunteered their
assistance to the hospital corps. A sufii-
Client number was accepted. The scene
in front OF the hospital door was sad
one. Hundreds of people gathered there
clamoring for the names OF the injured
An attendant stood at the door with
list Of those brought to the hospital
and answered these anxious inquiries.
Many names were inquired for that
were not In the hospital.
The dead: Miss Lucy Cohen, Mrs
George Kleeman and an unknown man.
Dangerously injured: Mr. Goldman,
Mrs. Sudder, Mary Studder. Mary
Haas and an unknown woman.
Seriously or slightly injured: Pearl
Hall. Grace Connor, c. j. Weiss, Jacob
Weyle, Mary Hess, John White. Amelia
Weyle, Mary Howe, Ella Moorman,
Della Algier and her three children,
Stanley. Joseph and John; Daisy Fair
head. S. Il. Long, s. ]. Falrland, T, y.
Wiley. Fred jerks, William Moten, W.
j. McCabe. Clint Deal Kate White,
Maggie Studder, Amelia Well, Samuel
Rosenbaum and Clint Steele.
At the opera house ropes were stretch
ed across all approaching streets, and
the police had all they could do TO keep
the crowd Of 1000 or 5000 people from
crushing through. All sorts of wild ru-
mors were anoat ana public curiosity
was on the tip toe all the more ardent
because Of these rtimors. There was
story anoat that one man was missing,
II was wild story for he could not be In
the opera house where the debris was co
scattered that Il did not form a piled up
mass anywhere. Any one standing at
the door of the hospital in front NJ that
pitlful, sorrowful, anxious inqulsltive
crowd. could understand how not one
man, but many men, women and chill
dren were missing by friends at home.
The damage 10 the structure was moth
ing at all to the stage, comparatively
little TO the gallery, which suffered most.
almost nothing 10 the dress circle and
much less than one would think from the
debris scattered around through the par
quette. very much In the shape OF letter
V. The wonder Is that go few were hurt
and OF the few hurt 80 many escaped
with injuries.
To-nlght's disaster recalls forcIbly n
more fearful one which took place In the
came building In February, 1876. To-
night there was n real cause for the
panic and loss of lie: then there was no
cause whatever except the wlckedly
foolish cry of fire started, when a little
spluttering hiss came from the calcium
light in the upper gallery. The house
was packed mostly with women and
children to witness an allegory OF Amerl-
ca, given by hundreds VI school children.
with the single cry OF fire In such an as
sembly the mischief was done. Plung-
Ing into the nlsles and rushing down the
stalrwaya and toward the wide doorway
leading to the street. the inevitable
blockade OF fallen human bodies occur
red and the wild and savage struggle for
escape by those behind completed the
dreadful mischief. only when all out
ward progress was absolutely blocked
and time was given TO the living 10 use
their senses TO discover that there wag
no fire and no cause for alarm did the
insane panic cease. Then followed the
Rlckenlng rescue Of the score or more OF
the dead and the many others who were
injured. To-nighrs catastrophe, how
ever, had n real cause for panic and n
the conditions had been the same as
those Of the 1876 horror the result would
have been fearful beyond calculation.