The Saint Paul globe., 1900-05-01


People have asked me whether any
thing happened to the play or players
during Sir Henry Irving's present tour
of this country. To such inquiries 1 have
been obliged to reply in the negative.
When am asked whether anything
could have happened there Is different
story to tell Many things might have
happened and the possible results might
have been fatal" said Manager Bran
Stoker yesterday, "as thus:
I'm Kansas City we all stood in the
mammoth convention hall speculating
upon the proceedings of the party sched-
uled to meet there. We wondered how
their business would be transacted as
We have nothing analogous to 1t on the
other side, you know. AS we were walk
ing about adniring the huge structure
we were startled by the cry of fire We
rushed toward the entrance way The
smoke blinded US and blocked US in our
fight. voice called: This way. This
way. We hurried in the direction from
which it sounded. There was a knocking
on side door, which was shortly opened
but not until we were nearly suffocated
with the fierce heat and smoke. As we
crowded our way from the building we
were followed by volume of fame and
the smoke rolled about US in great clouds.
Within the next few minutes the massive
iron beams and braces at which we had
been looking began to come down with
mighty crash as they fell section by sec
ton. curling and twisting like cork
screws. The walls fell, and the building
was a wreck.
Had we been there at the time of the
fire and had we been delayed in getting
out something even worse than I have
described might have happened, you see.
1--WE were crossing the Missouri river
one night. 1t was during flood time.
The structure shook as does a tram car
as 1t passes over rough crossing You
have doubtless experienced that jarring
feeling which occurs at such a time.
''We went ahead. The bridge began to
sway and sink toward the river. The
engineer threw on all steam. Ours was
the last carriage. We fell the rear por-
ton of 1t drop and dip into the water
One more pull and a tug by the Iocomo-
tive ahead OF us and we were finally
landed on terra firn1a.
Now, really something serious might
have happened had we crossed the river
under such circumstances and had our
carriage broken away from the balance
of the train and been precipitated into the
river.
"At another point on our journey we
crossed a low trestle work over a stream
much swollen by recent storms. The wa
ter was pouring over it four feet above
the rails. Nobody knew if all the bridge
work was standing or not. The engineer
went ahead however, slowly and
cautiously at first and then at greater
speed. Suddenly we felt a strain and
then a shock. The engine had dropped
into the river, dragging with 1t the first
carriage, which was a baggage wagon.
The engineer and fremen were drowned.
The peculiar predtcament in which we
were placed was rapidly becoming fraught
with new dangers when a scow came
along down the river. We boarded it and
were saved. We had just left the car
riages when the trestlework collapsed and
the train disappeared in the river.
'We might have all been lost IL things
had happened just that way and the scow
had not happened by just in time.
while We were In Indianapolis the SOL
dters' monument was visited. Two mem
bers thought they could get better view
Of the surroundings by climbing out on a
horizontal Flagstaff. This they did. A
sudden puff OF wind. aided by the added
weight of the pole, caused Il to break
with swapping sound. They were cart
ed away. in wheeIbarrows-what was left
of them.
Now. If things had been just that way
when we visited the soldiers monument
might have happened to us.
"In the Washington monument we went
up In the lift to height of almost 509
feet. We gained charming view Of the
beautiful capital city and the green fields
of Virginia, not SO very far away. In
leaving we all got into the lift together.
The car man started US on our downward
trip. We descended slowly at first for a
distance of about forty feet, when the
great rope broke and down we went in
fash, to strike upon the hard concrete
floor at the bottom Of the shaft. When
We were taken out there was not a whole
bone left in any of our bodies.
THAT might have happened on our trip
to the top of Washington monument had
the elevator collapsed. and it might have
done so, you know.
when we landed in New York cur COM
pany of seventy people was Obliged to
walk UP town. because all the vehicles
usually available were in service In the