The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1921-11-28
700 Trampled in Panic as
Crowd Rushes for
Doorways.
FLA M E S Blu RST
THROUGH SCREEN
Hospitals and Hotel Taft
Filled With Injured.
Many May Die.

NEW HAVEN. Conn. Monday,
Nov. 2s.-Twensy persons perished
tonight in terrific fire and result
ant panic in the Rialto motion pic
ture theater. one block from Yale
University, according to conserva-
tive estimates this morning.
Three bodies have been recov-
cred, those of two women and one
man Only one has been identified,
that of Mabel Moran, of Derby,
Conn. The other two. those of a
young woman and the man. are
badly charred and Identification will
be difficult.
TO Is Bodies in Ruins.
Timothy Halon who was not in
the theater, but rushed in from the
street to help in the rescue work
died of heart failure in an ambu-
lance while being taken to a hos
pital
From five to fifteen bodies are
believed to be in the ruins of the
theater
At the New Haven General Hos
pital. three persons were reported
~ be uylnB-
Theater Manager Arrested.
Lawrence w. Carroll. manager OF
the theater. was arrested late to-
night on the order of Coroner Mix,
who said he was prepared to lodge
charge of manslaughter against
him.
Frank Kildea. member of the
New Haven fire department. is
among the badly injured at the Cen
eral Hospital. He was caught be-
meath section of a side wall of
the old building while searching for
bodies within the theater.
Every one able to tell a con-
nected stOsy of the disaster insists
that other bodies are in the ruins.
some estimating that over a score
were unable to get out.
Panic Follows Fire.
James Keith, a member of the
Yale varsity football team, who
was one of the rescuing party. is
in a critical condition at the New
Haven hospital. Keith was among
the last to leave the blazing theater.
He waited until the last of the
women and children who could be
reached had been led to safety.
NEW HAVEN, Conn. Nov. IA
terrible fire in which possibly
twenty persons are believed to have
last their lives destroyed the
crowded Rialto Theater here to-
night.
Two bodies have been recovered
and hospitals and the Taft Hotel
opposite the theater. are filled
with injured, many of whom are in
holding from 500 to 1000 persons
was old church. a tinder-bo
structure.
Possibly fifty persons out OF the
400 reported injured are so badly
burned that their lives are de-
SPARED Of Several of the injured
were found with their hair and
clothing completely burned off.
Panic Follows Explosion
4 motion picture with Oriental
scenes were being shown for the
first time in New Haven. Incense
was being burned on the stage as
the prologue was being shown.
Suddsrly from somewhere behind
the screen there came a burst of
flame. and according to some re-
ports. an explosion
\ frightful panic ensued, many
persons being trampled or over
come either by extreme heat or
suffocation. Human forms dropped
from the balcony. which had a seat
ing capacity Of 300. into the strug-
Cling IS in the pit, as balcony
patrons were forced over the rail
or leaped to make a short cut to
the exits.
Mad struggle for Exits.
As the fire burst through the
screen, every light in the house
was extinguished. The panic
stricken patrons could be seen only
By the reflection of the mounting
flames. In this setting the people
BEGAN their mad struggle to reach
the doors to the streets.
The crowd waiting in the lobby
for the second show was apprised
of the tragedy by screams from
behind the house cncrs. Then the
doors burst open and the lobby
crowd was fairly swept out onto
thc sidewalk and 20 the street by
the mad rush of panic-stricken
men and women. some with their
Z clothing scorched by the fire.
Second Th~ater Saved.
Immediately behind the Rialto.
which is now only a black shell of
ruins, Is the hyperion Tneater, a
burlesque house. A show was
scheduled there tonight and was
about to commence when the fire
sbroke out in the Rislto. The Hy-
perion performance was abandoned
and the crowd filed out as fremen
ran hose through the aisles to pre-
vent that structure from catching
fire.
The Rialto is on College street.
one block from Yale University. 1t
was formerly used as a lecture hall
The Taft Hotel. a famous resort for
college men during the football and
social seasons. Is directly across the
street. Its rooms are now filled
with the injured.
Make Heroic Rescues.
Fifteen ambulances were mus
tered from hospitals in New Haven
and suburbs. the ambulance men
performed many deeds of heroism,
diving into the blazing bowl of the
theater again and again to brng
cut the forms revealed along the
aisles and between the seats by the
glare OF the flames. Their task was
tsD great. however. and the Taft
was taken over entirely when il
became obvious that there were not
enough ambulances to move the in
Continued on Puoe Three.