The Kemper herald. (Scooba, Miss.) 1875-1908, 1905-01-12
CRUSH CHORUS
OF GRAND OPERA
TWENTY MEMBERS OF GRAND
OPEAR COMPANY INJURED
SCENIC BRIDGE GAVE WAY
And Mass of Heavy Beams Crashed
to Stage While Opera Was Being
Sung-Cool Heads Stop Panic.

New York-More than twenty mem
bers of the chorus of the Metropoli-
tan Grand Opera Company were Sc
'riously injured by the collapse of the
bridge in the street scene in the open
act of Carmen. None of the princi-
pals was on the stage at the time of
the accident and the uninjured mem
bers of the chorus heroically massed
at the front of the stage and sang on
in an attempt to prevent the public
from learning what had happened.
The curtain was rung down as soon
as possible and Heinrich Conreid, the
impressario, prevented a panic by urg-
ing the great audience to remain seat
ed and not be frightened. The in
jured were removed to the hospital.
In addition to the twenty seriously
injured three more members Of the
chorus were painfully hurt.
All of the exits of the theatre were
opened Immediately after the accident
bupt scarcely half dozen Of the hand
somely dressed audience left their
seats. Withing fifteen minutes after
the crash the performance was resumed
and few persons in the big theatre
realized how serious the accident had
been.
Vigna was conducting. The opera
had openly promptly. The chorus was
on the stage. The scene represented
a street in Veville with bridge
stretching from the guard house and
the cigarette makers house at the
right Of the stage over to the stair
leading up to the castle at the left.
This structure had done service many
times. It was a massive affair, built
of heavy timbers, reinforced with steel
beams. Most of the one hundred and
twenty members of the chorus were
off the bridge at the time it collapsed,
but there were twenty or thirty men
and women dancing up and down the
structure awaiting the entrance OF
"Carmen. Without the slightest
warning the bridge at the center OF
the arch, gave way, and the grinding
and crunching of timbers being torn
asunder, with the shrieks of the wo-
men drowned out the glad song of the
chorus and the accompaniment of the
chorus.
Women in the audience jumped to
their feet screaming and endeavorlng
to make their way out of their seats
The members of the chorus not on
the bridge at the time of the accident
did not lose their heads and immedi-
ately came closer together to screen
the scene from the frightened audi
ence. Yet the cries Of the stricken
women and the groans of the men bur-
led in the debris of the bridge and
almost smothered by the bodies OF
their fellows who had been thrown
on top of them were heard throughout
the house.
Then Mr.. Conreid and his stage di-
rectors ordered a quick curtain. While
it was descending the men and women
of the chorus turned their backs on
the audience and plunged into the
wreckage to rescue their friends. Some
had sung together for years and many
of them were relatives. For the ten.
or fifteen seconds necessary for the
descent Of the curtain the audience
had an opportunity to see something
of what had happened. The entire
house was in an uproar. Ushers made
every effort to reassure the people II
floor and balcony seats. Scarcely hao
the curtain reached the stage thar
Mr.. Conreid went to the front of the
stage and raising his hand begged the
audience to keep their seats.
At the close of the performance
Frank P. Palmer, master mechanic Of
the Metropolitan, was arrested ane
locked up at the police station charged
with criminal negligence.
Reauiems at st. Petersburg.