The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1905-01-09
STAGE BRIDGE FELL
Ten Opera Singers Injured al
New York.
PINNED UNDER WRECKED STRUCTURE
Members of Metropolitan Chorus and
Audience In Panic At Saturday
Night Pcrformnnce-A Wom-
ans Brave Conduct.


ans Brave Conduct.
NEW YORK, jan 0.-By the col.
lapse Of a bridge on the stage os the
Metropolitan Opera House on Saturday
night during the first act of Carmen"
ten persons were badly injured and the
entire company Of more than hun
dred and the audience were thrown in
to Il state of panic. Through the
prompt action of Mr.. Conried and those
in charge of the stage and exits order
was quickly restored in the audience,
and after lapse of n quarter of an
hour the curtain was lifted. and the
opera went on.
The injured are: Nine. Alma Ackte,
Wanda Adamsky, whose condition is
critical; Natalie Corneglio. Catherine
Iaha, AtteliO Langagani. Giovanni
Marino. Desidero Pezetti, Vincenzlo
Reggadoni Ida R0benstein and Giovan-
nj Rossi.
Within five minutes after the crash
on the stage report was spread along
Broadway that the ceiling had fallen.
and excited crowds rushed to the opera
house. The sudden rush or ambulances
from Bellevue and Roosevelt hospitals
strengthened this rumor, and hundreds
who had friends in the place frantica-
ly insisted upon being admitted.
The stage setting in the first act Of
Carmen represented square in Sc
vile. To the left is n high bridge with
slipping approaches, over which the
principals cross to their entry to the
stage and over which also passes the
guard and the chorus. Andreas Dip
pei. who sings Don Jose, and Nine.
Ackta, who takes the part Of Mlcaela,
We're standing near the front of the
stage. about TO begin duet
The guard had been relieved and was
just returning TO the wings over the
stage Nine. Ackte was standing only
a few feet from it, She had just start
ed to advance toward Mr.. Dipple when
there was sudden splitting sound.
scream from half dozen women in the
wings, and then came crash, the
heavy bridge collapsing in the middle,
carrying with 1t the fourteen men and
women who were crossing at the in
slant. First the center collapsed, and
then the buttresses caved in upon the
debris.
Screams came from all parts Of the
stage. Those In the audience plainly
saw the confused mass of timbers and
bodies crashing to the floor and many
thought IL was novel incident that
had been added TO the scene. The
singing continued, but II was sporadic
and punctuated with hysterical out
cries. A bolt had given away in the
structure. The beams sagged, the
bridge swayed and then fell with
crash, crushing to the floor the unfor-
tunate ones who happened to be stand
ing under IT, Those on the bridge were
not injured
Scarcely had the bridge crashed down
on the stage floor when young wo-
man in evening dress left the side of
her escort in one Of the boxes and
| darted through door on the left side
of the stage. Throwing aside her opera
cloak, she quickly passed from one to
another OF the injured. giving nstruc-
tons to those about her what TO do
When it Vas learned that she was n
nurse and a graduate of the New York
Postgraduate hospital shout went
mp from those who had witnessed her
brave conduct
To all who asked she declined to give
her name. but from those who knew
her it was learned that she was Miss
Edith Brownwell of this city -Four
physicians who CHANGED to be in the
audience quickly ran to the stage, and
before the surgeons arrived they had
/ set the broken legs of two of the men.
using for splintS such pieces of wood
as they could find on the stage and in
the property room Frank Palmer,
/ stage manager, was arrested and taken
! to the Thirtieth street police station