New-York tribune., 1910-04-28
MANY HURT AS FLOOR
FALLS IN THEATRE
Terrified Crowds at Moving
Picture Show Jam Exits
in Panic.
CONCRETE ENTRANCE DROPS
With Struggling Mass Behind
More than Fifty Persons
Are Hurled Into
Yawning Hole.

When the flooring OF the vestibule gave
way and fell TO the cellar with a re-
sounding crash. more than fifty persons
entering moving picture theatre at No.
134 Rivington street, last night. were
pitched into the bottom of the excava-
ton. more tlts1 a dozen Of them being
injured. A panic followed the collapse
of the floor, the excited people fighting
To get out Of the building The police
reserves Of three precincts were rushed
10 the scene. and. with the members of
Hook and Ladder rs. descended into the
cellar and helped rescue those below.
The picture theatre was opened only
last Saturday, IT having been orig
inally occupied as a tenement When
the doors were thrown open last night
there was crowd Of more than three
hundred in the place. while At the en-
trance several hundred more strove
vainly 10 gain admittance II was lust
80 o'clock. when the crowd at the en-
trance was greatest. that the accident
occurred.
The vestibule entrance. which is on a
level with the street, was covered with
To the left Of the entrance was the box
office. while i'm the middle were two en-
trance and exit doors. In the box office
at the time were Eva and Samuel Tan
ger. children of Michael Tanner. alleged
proprietor of the place. That they were
not cast into the depths of the cellar IS
wonderful, but the support on which the
hny oil hol =,
injured.
1t is supposed that the weight Of the
crowd constantly pressing to get inside
the theatre. caused the vestibIile floor
ing to give way under the strain. al
though it was also said that il might be
due 10 the fact that some excavating
had been going on i'm the cellar, thereby
rendering the foundations weak
When the grinding Of the overbur-
dened timbers beneath the floor gave
warning that something was wrong
those nearest the entrance doors tried
to press back against those in the street.
and the lighting, struggling mob cursed
and cried for help as the timbers began
to sag. Seeing that the floor had given
way. Samuel Tanner dashed from the
box office. telling his sister To remain
where she was. and then rushed To the
entrance doors of the theatre. which he
threw open and rushed inside. Tanner
called to those i'm the audience to keep
their seats. as there was no danger. but
his voice was drowned in the shrieks Of
men. women and children.
Those i'm the orchestra and gallery
seats thought the place was on FIRE. and
the height Of the excitement an unknown
woman. with baby in her arms. leapcd
from the gallery down into the pit of the
orchestra Both mother and child were
injured only slightly by the fall but the
womaE's act was the signal for a reign
of panic among those in the orchestra
Those who could reach them made for
the side exits which open into two va
cant yards Oh either side of the theatre
Finding the side exits jammed with
men and women. the ma jOrity OF those i'm
the orchestra tried to escape by way of
the front exits, and II was because OF this
that most OF the injuries were received.
Although young Tanner and two or three
ushers in the place tried To prevent the
crowd from using this exit. and braced
themselves against the doors. they we're
powerless before the rush of the half
crazed people They were swept aside
in a moment. and the doors were almost
torn from their hinges by the rush.
The tile flooring of the vestibule had
fallen To a point within six inches of the
flooring of the theatre proper, hence
there VAS yawning pit directly below
the front exits. into which the crowd of
men and women were plunged 10y those
Continued on third pace.