The Worcester spy., 1898-11-06
Lives
Sacrificed.
THEATRE IN RUINS.
Roof Falls Without Warm
ing, Carrying Workmen.

Detroit, Mich, Nov 5.JThe new five
story Wonderland Theatre building is
tonight practically in ruins, and Is or
more lives have been sacrificed, by an
appalling accident which occurred to-
day.
Shortly before 2 o'clock, while some
35 men We're at work in various parts
of the unfinished theatre, the roof fell
in, without a seconds warning. The
top gallery was crushed down upon the
lower gallery, forming a slope, down
which slid broken steel girders, planlzs.
timbers, bricks and a great quantity of
cement from the roof, carrying along
into the pit below nearly all the work
men, very few of whom escaped in
jury. The front wall of the building re-
manned intact. but the east side wall
bulged and threatened to fall.
Notwithstanding the latter danger,
the work of rescuing the injured and
taking the dead out was rushed and
good progress was made until 5.l5
O'clock when the upper portion of the
east wall fell, a. shower of bricks strik-
ing around the crowd of laborers, Off
GERS and newspaper men, extinguishing
the temporary electric lights and caus-
ing stampede for the street. Fortu-
nately none of those who were struck
by the second downfall were seriously
injured. Although several were preei-
plated into the basement.
Mayor Maybury and other city Off
Gals who were on the scene decided
not to further imperil life in order to
extricate dead bodies, and work was
suspended until tomorrow. The dead
whose bodies have been recovered are:
Augustus Sallach
George Mertins.
Thomas White.
Martin Shafter.
Belts.
Cornelius McCarren.
| o. o. Mullen.
James Geggerschke.
| August JanuschokskL
| John Crescelski.
The other bodies had been diseov-
! cred in the debris at the time of the
second crash.
The injured are: Charles Cross, Os-
car Robinson, John Mcbride, Johr
Duenschensky, Jacob Pollke, Joseph
Ferguson Edward Foster, and William
| Grossfield.
The missing are: Paul Skoskozkowi-
ski, j. W. Wilson, Louis B. Schmidt,
ter Pfeiffer, Louis Schmidt, Oscar My
er and -- Grossfield.
OF those injured, only Fisher and
Wilson are considered as unlikely to
recover.
The cause of the catastrophe has not
been definitely settled. 1t seems to rest
however, between too much weight in
the roof and faulty steel used in the
construction. The top of the roof was
of cement, about eight inches thick, and
many builders think that was too much
weight for the supporting steel work.
Others claim that the fault lies in the
steel work, which, they alfege, waS OF
poor quality. Several of the beams
snapped off sharp.
The lower balcony held firm, which
doubtless saved the lives or a number
of workmen who were under it. The
instant the crash occurred the fire de-
partment was called, and the firemen
rescued q number of those who had
fallen on top of the wreckage. The
board of public works soon had its
available employees at work. AS fast
as a mangled workman was extricat-
ed he was carried to an ambulance.
The usual sad scenes were witnessed
at the nnorgue and hospital.
1t is impossible that any living per
sons is still in the debris. The walls,
steel work and roof were the only COM
pleted portions of the Wonderland,
which was without floors or interior
finish The property is owned by Pat
rick Virgins, partner OF James II.
Moore in his combined theater and mu-
scum enterprises. The property loss is
Vet unknown. The architect, John
scott. and Alexander Chapatan, the
contractor, aver that the accident is
unaccountable.