The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-10-16
Weary of the Attacks Of the
Baltimore Sun.
He Offers to Turn Over the
Democratic Leadership
TO THE SUMS EDITOR.
May Take the Whole Machine
and Run 1t
If He VIII Only Fight Republi-
cans Instead of Democrats.


Cincinnati, O., Oct. 16.-Three persons
were killed and many injured last night
by the falling of the dome of Robin
sons Opera House.
About S:45 O'Clock, soon after the rails
ing of the curtain for the performance
of Dangers of a Great City" the
pIastering began to fall from the cen
ter of the dome ceiling, 40 or 90 feet
above the heads of the people in the
parquette. 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 or
cautious, who retired. A little later the
plastering began to shower down in
great chunks.
There was a rush from the gallery,
which was not very well filled. The bal
cOny was soon emptied- Those in the
dress circle retired as promptly as pos
sible and without panic. The crOWding
of these to the door INSTRUCTED the
passage of people from the parquette,
which accounts in a measure for the
number of casualties. Nobody expected
at the moment any other danger than
from the falling plastering.
Suddenly and with great crash the
great central truss of the ceiling, so
feet long and 30 feet wide came plung-
ing down. The ends of it struck on the
two gallery wings and doubled it up in
the center, sending it down into the
parquette with a great Settlement of
jOiSts and timberS. Nothing on the
stage was harmed. The news spread
rapidly, and there was a rush of patrol
wagons and of firemen to the scene.
The salvage corps, with its 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 at the hospital shows three
dead, five dangerously if not fatally
wounded, and 26 more or less seriously
In addition to these a large number
were slightly injured. OF the danger
ously injured several will require am
putatiOn of limbs. A score of surgeons
volunteered their assistance to the
hospital corps.
The scene in front of the hospital
door was a sad one. Hundreds were
clamOring for the names of the injured
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 thousands from crushing
through. All sorts of wild rurnors were
af1Oat.
The dead:
AN UNKNOWN MAN.
MISS LUCH CHEN.
MRS. GEO. GLEMAN.
Dangerously injured:
Mr.. Goldman.
Mrs. Studder.
Mary Studder.
Mary Haas.
An unknown woman.
Seriously or slightly injured:
Pearl Hall.
Grace Conner.
G. / Weiss.
Jacob Well
Mary Hess.
John White.
Amelia We'll.
Ella Norman.
Della AIgeir and her three children.
Joseph Stanley.
John Stanley.
Daisy Fairhead.
S. E. Long.
S. J. Falkland.
T. E. Wiley.
Fred jerks
w. G. McCabe.
Maggie Studder.
Clint Steele.
The damage to the theater building
and the stage was light
The truss rested on the parQuette
very much in the shape of a capital let
ter V. The wonder is that so few were
hurt, and of the few hurt that SO many
escaped with slight injuries.
The disaster recalls fOrcibly a more
fearful one which took place in the
same building in February, 1886. Last
night there was a real cause for panic
and loss of life; then there was no cause
whatever, except the wickedly foolish
cry of fire, started when a little sput-
tering hiss came from the calcium light
in the upper gallery.
The house was packed mostly with
women and children to witness an al
legory of America given by hundreds
of school children. With the single cry
of fire in such an assembly the mischief
was done. P1unging into the aisles and
rushing down the stairways and to-
ward the wide doorway leading to the
street, the inevitable blockade of fallen
human bodies occurred and the wild
and savage struggle for escape by
those behind completed the dreadful
mischief.
Only when all progress was blocked
and time given the living to use their
senses, to discover that there was no
fire did the insane panic cease. Then
followed the sickening rescue of the
score or more of the dead and the many
others who were injured.
The accident seems to be easily ex-
planned. Among the first who entered
the building after the dome had fallen,
was President Rapp of the Cincinnati
Chapter, American Institute of Archi-
tects.