New-York tribune., 1920-11-15

the street through the adjoining door,
which was open.
Assistant District Attorney Dineen
raid he had no direct evidence to show
that one exit door of the theatey was
locked at the time Of the panic. The
parlcck was found through two staples,
enc Of which had been wrenched from
the door.
1t is still undetermined whether the
staple was pulled loose by the press
Of the panic-stricken crowd or was
already on the door The Assistant
District Attorney said he had man
named Solowitz, who said he entered
the theater Just as the panic began
and kicked open the door.
Just outside the door from the bal
cony are double trapdoors of iron iead
ing into the basement. Even whe,'
closed they project so that it would b.
almost impossible to open the door
from the balcony if it were unlocked
It was through these doors leading
into the basement that the furnace
tender went to build the ire.
If he had left the doors open Il
would have been impossible to have
opened the door from the balcony had
1t been unlocked, according to an ex.
animation made last night. Evident
was seldom. if ever, used. the balcony
crowds turning to the left after reach
ing the bottom and going out through
the main doors with those from the
lower floor.
The combined testimony of many who
were in the theater at the time Of the
panic was to the effect that the rush
was instantaneous and frightful.
Mrs. Joseph De Rossa, of lie Cherry
said she rescued at least forty persons
from the theater, said that she noticed
smoke several minutes before the
panic began, at 4:45 o'clock.
Il kept noticing smoke" said Mrs.
DR.. Rossa. 81 was there with my little
seven-year-old boy and neighbor.
Finally l asked one Of the theater peo-
pie about it. He said it was just smoke
from fire that was being built in the
furnace in the basement. I remained a
few minutes longer, and then, when the
had better go.
"As we stood up some one shouted
'Fire!' and the rush began. Men,
women and children Joined the rush
for the doors. l saw big children and
little children falling on all sides of
me. They were trampled on by others
from the rear of the theater. / man
aged to get my little boy between my
knees and we worked toward the door
some way.
"I put my little boy outside and went
back into the theater. ] must have
picked up forty persons, all children.
from the floor, and handed them to
others or carried them out myself.
Then | saw the police had arrived, and
l tainted"
Law Violations Alleged
The presence of SO many children in
the theater has led to police inquiry
into that phase of the tragedy, as the
admittance OF minors unless accom-
panied by adults, is violation of the
law.
Teresa lombard fourteen years old.
OF 140 Cherry Street, sa d she bought
tickets for herself and her two-year-old
brother, who was killed.
The mother of Pasquale Comise. ten
years old, of 80 Oak Street, one of the
victims, told the police that she did not
know her son was in the theater. She
said no member Of the family had taken
him, and that the money he used to
pa, way in was part of a quarter
his f-th0~ had even I'm t. bay CANDY.
1t is said to have been the custom Of
the management of the theater to sd
~IoNran ed By parent
or : p r n into the shows after o. m,
and on Saturdays and Sundays.
IL IS Gained by the police that vio-
iatlons OF the law against the admit
tance of children without escorts is
general Throughout the city, but that
motion picture proprietors in many
cases are not to blame, as adult patrons
buy tickets for children that throng the
lobbies.
The emergency exit Of the balcony
leads to a fire escape, the stairs Of
which lead to an alley opening into
OAK Street. number of children who
used the exit found themselves trapped
by fence fifteen feet high built
across the foot of the stairs. Running
diagonal'y to the theater building is
another lower fence with a wide board
on top passing near to the stairway.
and to this the children were pulled by
firemen, patrolmen and volunteers.
From the top of the fence, which
was armed with barbed wire, the chill
dren were assisted across to the lower
windows of the building at So Oak
Street by Peter Jairffo, driver, who
lives on the first floor. Jairffo had
harbed wire while assisting in the res
cues, but continued at his work until
the last child had been lifted across.
Most of the children rescued in this
manner were found to be suffering