The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-10-16

CfoWd OF Eight Thousand to the
scene-Disaster Recalls a More
Fearful One in 1876 in the Same
Building.
Cincinnati, Oct 15.-Three persons
were killed and over 80 others were
more or less seriously injured by the
falling of the dome Of Robinson's
Opera House this evening. At about
S:45 o'clock. soon after the raising OF
the curtain on the performance of
Dangers of a Great City," plastering
began to fan from the dome ceiling, 40
or 80 feet above the heads of the peo-
pie seated in the Darquet. The house
was fairly well filed but not crowded.
The plaStering fell in small particles
at first. but enough to alarm some Of
the timid, Who retired a little later
the pIastering began to shower down
in great chunks. There was a rush
from the gallery, Which was not very
we'll filled, The balcony was soon
emptied. Those in the dress circle re-
tired as promptly as possible, and
strange to say, without an apparent
panic. The crowding Of these to the
door INSTRUCTED the passage of the
people from the Darquet. which ac-
courts in q measure for the number Of
casualties. Nobody expected at the
moment any other danger than from
the falling plastering- Suddenly and
with
a GREAT CRASH
the great central truss Of the ceiling.
81.
plunging down. The ends Of it struck
on the two gallery wings and doubled
It up in the center sending it down
into the parQuet with a great scattering
of joists and timbers. Nothing on the
stage was harmed. OF course there
were means from the injured, and, as
often happens. loude5t from those least
hurt.
The news spread raptdly and there
was a rush CT patrol wagons and Of
hrenen to the scene. The salvage
corps with it's wagon, was first on the
ground, and it was followed by all the
police patrol wagons, who carried the
injured to the Cincinnati hospital. The
list thus far shows three dead. five
dangerously if not fatally wounded,
and 26 more or less seriously injured.
IN addition to these q large number,
probably % or so. we're slightly injured
seriously injured at the hospital sew
eraI will require anputatiOn of limbs.
yet every one is refusing to submit to
the operation 4 score of surgeons
volunteer their assistance to the
hospital corps. a sufficient number
was aCcepted.
Hundreds of people gathered in front
Of the hospital, clamoTing for the
names of the injured. An attendant
stood at the doorway with a list of
those brought to the hospital. and an
swered the anxious inquiries Many
NAMES were inquired for that were not
on the hospital list.
At the orera house ropes were
stretched across all approaching
streets and the police had all they
could do to keep the crowd Of 1000 or
900 people from crushing through. All
sorts of
WILD RUMORS
we're aAoat and public curiosity was
on tip toe, all the more ardent because
of these ruTnOrs.
There was a story ahoat that one
man was missing II was q wild
story, for he could net be in the opera,
house, where the debris was So scat
tered that it did not form a piled up
mass anywhere. Anyone standing at
the door of the hospital in front of
thai pitiful, sOTrOwful, anxious, crowd
could understand how not one man.
but that many men. women and chill
dren we're missed by friends at home
DEAD AND INJURED.
Following is a list Of the dead and
injured:
The dead: An unknown man, Miss
Lucy Cohen, Mrs. George Eleoman-
Dangerously injured: Mr.. Goldman,
Sf11Ice1- Nar-yr Gf11dIAr-
Halves, unknown woman
Seriously or slightly injured: Pearl
Han, Grace Common, W. ]. Weiss, Jacob
" eyIe,- Mary Hess. John White, Amelia
Write. Mary Howe. Ella Norman, Della
Algier and her children. Stanley, JO-
seph and John; Daisy Fairhaad, u. 2.
Long, 2. J. FairIaid. T. I. Wiley. Fred
Jenks. William M0ten. W. ]. McCabe.
Clint Dean. Kate White, Maggie Stud
der, Samuel Eosenbaum, Clint Steele.
DAMAGE SLIGHT.
The damage to the theatre building
was nothing at ALL TO the stage, COM
parauiVely little; 10 the gallery, almost
nothing; to the dress circle, much less
than one would think from the debris
scattered around through the parquet,
where the main truss landed The truss
rested in the parquet very much in the
shape Of a capital letter V. The won
der Is that SO few We're hurt, and of the
few hurt that 50 many escaped with
Slight injuries.
a "REMINISCENCES
Tonight's disaster recalls forcibly a
more fearful one which took place in
the same building in February. 1876.
Tonight there was a real cause for the
panic and loss of life, then there was
no cause whatever except the wickedIy
foolish cry of fire, started when lit
tie sputtering hiss came from the light
in the upper gallery. The house was
packed mostly With women and chill
dren to witness an allegory of Amer
lea given by hundreds of school chill
dren. With the single cry of fire the
mischief was done. Plunging into the
atsIes and rushing down the stairways
and toward the wide doOrways leading
to the street the inevitable blockade of
fallen human bodies occurred and the
wild and savage struggle for escape by
those behind caused the dreadful mis-
chief. Only when all passage was alb
solutely blocked and time WAS given to
the living to use. their senses to dis
cover that there was no fire or cause
for alarm did the insane panic cease.
Then followed the sickening rescue OF