The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-01-08
tree.. both leGo broken. to Now York Hos

HAHS, CArHERINE, 2o7 81. Nicholas avenue,
coutusions ofleft hip. to Roosevelt Hospital.
LASdA0ANi. Arr1LIo. 20 years DID, S2e
Wost Fortieth street. dislocated right shoulder;
10 Sew York Hospital.
NAHINo. GIoYANNr. Al years old. oeo Eighth
avenue. broken ribs; 20 New York Hospital.
pGzErI. DEsIpRRIo. $50 West Fortieth
STREET. broken leg; to Bellevue Hospital.
RoBEvsTErS. 1DA BOs west Forty-seoond
ttrect. shock taken home In cab.
Rossr. Giovanni. ~ West For;ieth street,
fractured rib to New York Hospital.
RrccApoNSI. VINcENro, 0oj Eighth avenue.
broken arm 10 Bollcl He Hospital
Wanda Adamsky was the most seriously
injured In the New YORK Hospital at
midnight it was said that she might not
live through the night.
While the injured were being attended,
Nh Conried seemed 10 be everywhere at
once. directing his subordinntes. calming
the chorus women and experimenting the
removal Of tho wreckage, When the cur
tain was rlng up again the bridge had dis
appeared entirely. Regular operagoers
said they recognized Il as one that had been
used in many -Carmens- II was made of
wood entirely. light beams bolted and
clainped together and was supposed TO
t,o perfectly safe II was about feet
high. Is feet long aud feet wide.
There having been an afternoon per-
Torrance of -Lohengrin.' which wns not
over till nearly o'clock. the Carmen
scenery had naturally been set up In more
haste than would have been tho case on an
ordinary night After the matinee the
ushers prnotced the usual weekly fire drill
Of throwing open tho safety exits
Mr. Conrieci, after examining the wrecked
bridge, mnde this statement:
The bridge rests on two supports. The
iron bolt that attaches tho span Of the bridge
10 one Of these supports was defective
and broke | saw with my own eyes tho
twisted and severed iron. When this bolt
broke the bridge sagged frst on one side
and then fell slowly.
THE bridge. like tho other carpenter
work, had been thoroughly tested before
the performance At least a dozen stage
hands ran over 81 10 try as they always do,
the strength OF thc structure.
when the iron bolt broke only eight per-
sons were on the bridge. Those injured were
under IT, The scenery Is entirely new this
year and was built especially for these per-
fornances Of Carmen
Mime Ackte's toe was slightly hurt, but
Nbe was quite composed. have bad the
bridge taken out of the theatre and the
broken bolt Will DO kept for inspection 1
ahall make every other possible investiga-
ton TO decide where the fault lies IL seems
To me attributable only TO a defect In the
iron which could not have been foreseen-'
Charles II. Aleit2er Mr. Conried's press
agent gave out statement In which he
said: "a weakness DEVELOPED in the con-
struction OF the, bridge about ton min
utes after the curtain had gone up on the
first sot, while tho troopers were crossing
IL. the bridge gave way in the middle and
the two pieces fell in With merciful gentle
mesa. Many people we're frightened and
some we're hysterical. After the dus.
had cleared away we found, happily only
two casualties One poor fellow. unfort-
unntely. had his leg damaged"
Mime Aolde. though her foot was hurt
slightly in the accident, went on the stage
and sang moro beautifully than ever
sad Mir. Meltzer. It was his opinion that
IN five minutes all the ragrnente were swept
away and the performance was taken up
again where it Ind stopped.
Harry Palmer. the stage carpenter Of the
Opera House. was placed under arrest by
Roundsman Fogarty of the theatre squad.
He was allowed 10 remain In his Office I'LL
the performance was over.
When arraigned in the Tenderloin station
nfter the performance he described him
neir rs the master nachinist Of the Opera
House and said he lived at 25s West Thirty
eighth street A charge of criminal negli-
gence was entered against him. Frederick
Deyerberg. a violinist, of sal East 10th
street accompanied Palmer to the station
house and bailed him out
Palmer told the police that he couldn't
account for the accident. The bridge
was built on the cantilever principle
and had three trusses. He thought
the soldier supers might have broken
the rule Of rho Opera House, which COM
mands everybody 10 break step in cross
ing over such structures as the bridge, and
marched over in tune to the music thereby
starting the structure swaying TIL 1t gave
way
The bridge had been built before his day,
Palmer said