The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1901-08-26

became distorted to tine lions are loose.
Hundreds of the curious starnpeded
Through the storm they rushed to shelter,
screaming, terror stricken.
The upper portion of the rear wall that
fell into First street filed the street
and sidewalk in front of St Boniface's
| Church, which is directly behind the thea
tre, and did some damage to the iron
| railing and stoop in front.
A portion of the ceiling of the lobby
of the theatre was knocked down, but
there was very slight damage to the
building in front of the stage.
Everything considered the damage to
the theatre will reach about $4,000. 1t
will be some days before the damage will
be repaired, though men work day and
night.
Mr.. Charles Milton, of Jersey avenue,
was in the Bijou Theatre when the tor
nado struck He was seated in the prf-
vate office of Treasurer Harry Hogan.
He said
'"The wind and rain llowled for some
time before the building was struck. l
went downstairs to the lobby and saw
Assistant Treasurer Henry Melmens try
ing to close the door of the partition in
the lobby. The partition swayed and I
started forward to help Melmens. Sud-
denly he ran as if the building was about
to fall about his head. He cried to me
to run for my life and I dashed upstairs
after him. The partition fell with a
crash.
MRS. Hogan and Mrs. Holmes were
greatly frightened. The falling of the
partition filled them with dread. Then
when the walls of the rear portion of the
building fell they were beside themselves.
Both fell to their knees and began pray
ing. Suddenly Mrs. Hogan ran into an
ante-room and Mrs. Holmes went to the
lobby of the house. When the walls fell
some one yelled that the lions were loose
and Mrs. Holmes dashed out into the
storm. The wind came through the house
with terrific force.
IF the curtain of the stage had been
down I think the walls would not have
fallen. 1t would seem that the wind en-
| from all sides, rear, front and from be-
meath the stage.
"When I rushed into the street, think
ing it would be safer there, saw pieces
of roofing flying about, wagons tossed
and the cars stalled. 1t wasthe grandest
and most terrific picture imagination
could paint
Manager Hall of the ''Man Who Dared"
Company, said:-'I never saw anything
like it in my life. believe though that
if we had had the curtain down, the
theatre would have escaped damage The
queer sensation caused by the building
filling with wind until it burst I shall
never forget The foyer of the theatre
is only 26 feet wide and the entrance not
very high. We had the doors open and
were in the last act when suddenly we
were almost blown off the stage and then
came the cracking noise.
1.-THE women shrieked with terror and
negro stage had jumped out of win
dow, but didn't hurt himself. From my
dressing room L watched the wall and it
seemed to break about thirty feet up and
all above that fell either inside or out
side the building. The noise was tre-
mendous and the rain poured in in a
flod'' -------5----
The Mother Superior of the Dominican
Convent, in the rear of the Bijou, was at
a front window facing the wall that fell
when the crash came. She said
"Just as the storm got over the theatre
it suddenly assumed a perfect funnel for
nation. This funnel came right down in
the street behind the back wall of the
theatre. In it seemed to whfrl every
thing 1t had picked up. AS 1t went around
it seemed to suck the immense wall with
it until it toppled into the street. I
heard a ripping noise and ran to the back
of the convent. That probably saved me
from harm, as the window at which 1 was
standing had all the glass broken in it,