The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1897-10-21
THEATER DOME
In Robinson's Opera House, Cincinnati,
Falls During Performance.
Three Persons Instantly Killed and Many
Wounded, Some Fatally, I'm Panic That
FOllowed-The Play Billed for Next
Week Was "Under the Dome"

of the first act of Dang, rs of Great
City" at Robinson's opera house, Fri
day evening, there was a sharp crack
in the ceiling of the theater, and a
piece of plastering foot long and
three inches wide fell into the orches-
ira from the east side. Many of the
audience started to their feet, but
there was no further intimation of
trouble.
At the end of the second act the
stage hands were setting the scenes,
and little Alice Opie, child specialist,
was in front of the curtain doing her
act as yellow Kid" Suddenly and
without further warning, the huge
dome of the theater fell with dead
crash onto the chairs, distance of
hundred feet.
A panic ensued. Women screamed,
men groaned and the most frightful
scenes were enacted. The little child
actress ran behind the curtain, and all
lights were extinguished by the break
ing of the main electric wire. In five
minutes ten patrol wagons and as many
fire engines and ladder companies were
surrounding the opera house, and
bowling mob was rushing about inter-
fering with the work of rescue.
Capt. Conway and his salvage corps,
who were first on the scene, seized
half dozen bodies, and not stopping
to see whether they were dead or alive,
galloped off with them to the hospital.
As fast as the patrol wagons arrived
they were filed with limp bodies and
rushed to the hospital.
While the excitement was at its
height another crash came 1t was
the entire ceiling tearing away from
the rafters and tumbling down upon
the mass of struggling humanity be-
low. 1t sounded like whirlwind and
the noise was heard for square
around. Hundreds rushed to the front
of the building on the outside, but
were met by the streams of people
rushing from the inside and driven
back across the street. Many were
crushed under foot.
A man named Goldberg, living at 642
Barr street, was carried into the drug
store Of AL Boehmer at Eighth street
and Central avenue. He had frac-
tured skull and was taken to the city
hospital; will die.
Mrs. George Kleeman died at the hos
pital at 10 p. m. She was the daughter
ln-law of Nick Kleeman.
Pearl Hall, Of SIT Sycamore street.
daughter of carriage-maker on East
Ninth street, was badly hurt and taken
to the hospital.
Henry Fleck, 6O2 Broadway in bal
cony, and two children have not been
heard from. They are not at the hos
pital.
A daughter of George Otte, of the
water works department, is at the hos
pital, seriously injured.
Samuel Rosenblaum, agent Is, of the
Working Boys home, on Sycamore
street, was in the gallery. He is at the
hospital in dangerous condition.
The following are in the hospital
more or less seriously injured Della
Algeier and her three children; Mrs.
j. and Daisy Fairhead, 5. Il. Long,
Mary Scudder. of Newport, Ky; Grace
Conners, G. j. Weiss, viii Morton, aged
H. Sixth and Broadway, jumped into
a pit. Fred jerks. aged 26, l2l6 Rich
mond street; Il. c. Wiley, Dayton, Ky;
w. j. McCabe, Clint Deal, Jacob We'll,
Mary Hess, John White, Amelia We'll,
Mary Howe, Mary Norman, Twelfth
and Clay streets.
The dead are: An unknown man,
Miss Lucy Cohen and Mrs. Geo. Klee.
man.
The show being played was Dan.
gers of Great City" The show under.
lined for next week was Under the
Dome"
The cause of the accident Friday
night seems to be easily discovered.
Among the first who entered the build
ing after the dome had fallen was
President George w. Rapp, of the Gin
cinnati Chapter American Institute OF
architects.
"It was not that dome," said he
pointing to the huge heap in the cen
ter of the floor, "that caused the
trouble. The fault lies with the root
trusses. The house has been built
more than 25 years, and the wood has
shrunk until the bolts and nails afford
ed the smallest possible 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 per
ceptibly in the course of years. They
should be examined every five or sis
years. Modern structures are put ul
with steel trusses. The roof of thi.
theater is liable to come down any
minute"
Friday nights disaster recalls fofci
bly, more fearful one which tool
place in the same building in February
1876. Friday night there was rea
cause for the panic and loss of life
then there was no cause whatever eX
cept the wickedly foolish cry of fir
started when a little suffering his
came from the calcium light il
the upper gallery. The hous'
was packed mostly with womel
and children to witness an allegory o