The times., 1899-02-14
THEATRICAL STARS
BLIZZARD bound
Three Amusement Houses
Close Their Doors.
Depleted Companies Appear Before
Small Audiences.
Patrons and Players Shiver in Fros-
ty suditoriums. and Many Per-
formers Fail to Arrive.

cellent opportunity yesterday for telling
| about frozen gaslights in his room and for
remarking that there were few enough peo-
pie in the house for them to be sociable
| Professional critics were also given a
much-needed rest after the line of first
productions the town has been having. OF
the seven theatres of which Washington
| may boast ordinarily only four remained
| open, and there was generally very little
reason for running even those.
Until late in the day Manager Painter.
of the Lafayette. was not sure whether or
not he would be able to give his promised
performance. John Drew, who was to have
begun a weeks engagement there in The
Liars" had delayed in coming here from
Baltimore. and as a result when he ar
rived at the station with the idea of be-
ginning his trip he was informed that sey-
eral miles OF impossible track lay between
him aad the two hundred and odd dollars
said to have represented his advance sale.
Mr.. Drew's supporting company had reach
ed this city on Sunday. but were unable
of course, to proceed without their star,
and so it was finally announced that the
Lafayette would remain closed until to-
night or possibly tomorrow
The society actors unfortunate expert
ence fell TO the lot of many other players
who had been sufficiently pleased with
their surroundings to put of starting for
Washington. No one who left for the Cap
ital later than Sunday night reached mis-
destination. Relatives and friends in Rich
mond made things so pleasant for Happy
Ward and the principal members of his Or
ganization that they postponed their jour
ney here until TOO late and were snow
bound in the Virginia three-night stand.
Besides Mr.. Ward, this party included
Harry Vokes, Lizzie DAILY, Johnny Page,
Margaret DAILY Nokes and white bull
dog. So important delinquency made the
opening here impossible and consequently
The Governors will not begin its season
at the Columbia until passage has been
plowed between here and Richmond.
The Bijou was closed yesterday after
noon and "vanIPs. Difficulty in moving he
entertainers baggage from the railway sta
tions, together with the fact that il seemed
bad business 10 give a performance in sIch
weather was the cause assigned. AS a mat
ter of fact, neither the Drew combination
nor that over which Ward and Vokes pre-
side were any more fortunate in securing
their trunks. In addition to this, consid-
cradle trouble was experienced by all con-
cerned in getting coal. Three tons day
are required 10 keep the average theatre
warm, and few had more than half tnat
laid by. The men who control the supply
positively refused TO deliver any of their
commodity excepting TO hotels and dwell
ling, so that managers were forced either
TO haul their own coal or do without.
Several other obstacles interposed between
the houses named and open doors.
The four places of amusement that con-
tinUed TO carry on business had only the
expected luck The National scored big
advance sale, the money from which Man
ager Rapley positively refused 10 refund
but the audience was so small that only
at the eleventh hour was it finally de-
cided to give the show" II was impos
sible TO keep either the auditorium or the
stage warm so that patrons sat in their
coats while the players shivered fine trills
to their long speeches and jerked out their
shorter ones with unusual force.
The thermometer was quite as low at
the Grand and gentlemen in the orchestra
were given permission to wear their hats.
Two entertainments were presented dur
ing the day. though in neither case was
the full bill offered. Kittie Mitchell the
headliner Of the programme. was blocked
between here and Baltimore, while
o'Kabe's Imperial Japanese Troupe were
in the same condition near Wilmington.
In Old Kentucky" was done at the
Academy, and Fred Riders Moulin
Rouge" company performed at Kernan's s.
each organization being just one person
short.
AS has been said. none OF these places
was lucky enough to have any house. \
great portion OF the audiences assembled
was made up OF the people who were not
working with their own attractions. and
OF those who had been showed in en- route
for some other stand. Most Of the actors
not otherwise occupied found it prefsrab e
to sit in one auditorium or another in
stead of remaining in their rooms at differ
/ ent hotels.
I Several organizations or parts of or
/ ganizations were snowbound here. John
/ Dunne's Milk White Flag combination
/ which closed on Saturday evening at the
/ Auditorium in Baltimore, was due in Nor
/ folk last night but got no farther than
] this city. Beside Manager Dunno this
party included John Marble and Mary Mar
( bic. the former of whom acknowledged
that in thirty five years experience that
was the most realistic frost he had eveI
seen. Four members of The Westerner
! company were also forced TO remain in
town, as were many from the support oi
/ Maude Adams. and one or two people with
/ The Last Chapter"
At least three of the players who left
here after finishing their engagements or
Saturday night are known to b. b.ocked
in the snow outside of Washington. Maud(
Adams is on a train near Wilmington
Adelaide Roattino IS supposed TO be some
| where between here and Baltimore, anC
Letta Meridith, who did not leave unit
yesterday morning could not have reached
/ New York Several other individuals are
probably in the same plight, and in one ol
two cases whole troupes may b. held by
/ the storm.
Most of the temporary attractions Still
here were not open to the public yester-
| day. 'Trilby' was not on exhibition aftei
5 O'Clock. and the "Mutoscope Parlors'
were closed even earlier. The Halls OF tn,
is hardly probable that Pol Pancon vii
attempt TO give his advertised concert thi!
| afternoon at the Lafayette.
The incidents of the day, from theat
| riCal point of view, were many. Perhap!
the most pleasant of them was in the fac
that A. f. Cheeny. the millionaire husband
| of Julia Arthur. sent a check for 81 900 ear
Iy in the afternoon for distribution among
the poor. Mr.. Cheeny is not d Washing
tonian, which makes his act all the mor'
| commendable. Many other players in tow
! INDUCED in unostentatiOus charity on
smaller scale. and several managers pro
| vided for their labor people literally. Al
together the amusement end of the storm
has been unpleasant only financially an
has afforded all concerned much needed
| rest.
All the local theatres will probably be il
operation tonight
| Country Roads OBiiternteG.
Falls Church. Fort Myer, Glen Echo
and the country in the surrounding coun
ties of Virginia and Maryland are tied III
by the storm king, and there. seems TO b