The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-10-19
ESCAPE

xho Failing u Plaseering In ~ Opera
House Causes . Stampede Followed BY
the Failing in Of che DomseOnIy Three
PeEssns Killed
Cincinnati. October 15.-Abought $50
O'Clock tonight as the performance at
Robinson's opera house began. the
plastering began to fall from the centre
Of the dome ceiling forty and fifty feet
above the pople in the parQuette. This
continued three minutes, causing q rush
out of the house. The house and gal
leries were partially emptied when the
dome in the centre OF the roof with its
supporting timbers and trusses came
numbering down. This extended clear
across the opera house and was about
thirty feet wide. When it fell the ends
of it struck either side OF the gallery.
crushing 1t and scattering timbers in
every direction and landing in the GEN.
ter OF the parQuette. Scarcely anybody
was hurt in the gallery. nobody was
hurt in the balcony or dress circles.
There were very few in the gallery at
the time. The injured are those who
had not escaped from the ~parquette.
The theatre tonight presents the APP
pearance Of a d%isorderly pile OF old
lumber. Chairs in the parQuette are
badly demolished.
There are three dead and thirty-three
more OIL less seriously injured, who are
at the Cincinnati hospital, while many
suffered slight injuries. but were able
to go to heir homes.
Cincinnati, October 15.-"The dangers
Of a great city" on h stage OF Rob-
inson's opera house tonight was cut
short in its performance by q tragic
realization Of the actual dangers Of q
great city. The Ous was fairly well
filled. but not crowded. A little be-
fore $50 O'Clock tonight, a lady in the
audience says she heard a creeping
noice which continued for v minutes
before the catastrophe. Presently the
plastering began to fall. in small par
ticles at first. After a while h pias-
tering began to shower down In great
chunks. It came from the ceiling
which supported the dome. There was
a rush from the gallery which was not
very we'll filled. The balcony was o
emptied. Those in the dress circle re-
tired as promptly as possible and.
strange to say without panic. The
crowding OF these to the doors OBJ
structed the passage OF people from
the paraquette, which accounts in a
cas- for the number of casualties.
Suddenly the great central truss Of the
NCAAAAA6S SA6AAy ACC( AOAA6 oAAu ~ ASOS
wide, came plunging down. The ends
Of it struck on the two gallery wings,
sending them down into the paraquette.
Nothing on the stage was harmed.
The list at the hospital showed three
dead, five dangerously, if not fatally
wounded, n t~wenty-six more or less
seriously injured. In addition to these
a large number, probably twenty-five
or thirty, were so slightly injured as to
be able to walk home. OF the danger
ously injured at the hospital amputa-
ton will be necessary in several cases.
A score of surgeons volunteered their
assistance to the hospital corps. A suf-
ficient number was accepted. The scene
in front of the hospital door was a sad
one. Hundreds of people gathered
there clamOring for the names of the
injured. 5i#@
At the opera house ropes were
stretched across all approaching streets
and the police had all they could do to
keep the crowd of seven or eight thou
sand people from crushing through.
The damage to the theatre is compar-
atively small.
Tonight's disaster recalls the one
which happened in the same house in
1876, hen a score or more were killed
and many injured during a panic which
ensued from a needless call Of fire.
The cause of the disaster was the
rOtting away of the roof trusses.