Norwich bulletin., 1922-01-30
STORY OF THE ROOF COLLAPSE
AND SCENES THAT ENsUED

STORY OF THE ROOF COLLAPSE
AND SCENES THAT ENsUED
Washington, Jan. %. (By the A. P.)-
An avalanche of broken plaster. bricks,
snow. splintered wooden and twisted
steel beams catapulting upon the audi
ence while the orchestra played and |
comedy film was being ground out is the
description of the Knick kerbocker theatre
disaster given today by Representative
John H Smithwick, of Pensacola, Fla
He was in the balcony of the theatre /
when the roof collapsed, under its weight |
of snow and escaped -unaided-just how
he cannot recall-with more or less Sc
rious hurts.
The orchestra was playing beautiful
| music and a comic film was running,
said Mr. Smithwick lying in his bed,
bandaged and with MS face and hands
covered with cuts. Suddenly there was
a sharp crack. 1 looked up and saw
great fssure running -across the ceiling.
| 1t was right over my mead. l instantly
released what was happening. The plas-
ter began to fall, dropping down in large
and small chunks all over the theatre
it seemed to me. While l was looking
up great piece right over my head
started to fall. I ducked, crouching, in
voluntarily l suppose down between the
seats The piece struck the seat right
where l had been sitting. The force was
broken by the seat but 1t pinned me
down where I was crouching.
THE noise was awful. 1t was great.
tremendous roar. 1t was simply inde-
scribable l never can forget it.
shrieks, Cries and Groans.
''In the midst of the roaring We're
shrieks and cries of women and children
| ebO Of MI There were
cries for help, groans, and, worst of all,
tie means Of those in terrible pain. 1t
was awful. I can't describe it. l see it
all the time, those poor children and
women crying and goaning there.
There We're only a few of us in the
balcony. Luckily there weren't more
The balcony gave way and crashed, soon
after the ceiling began to fall, on those
on the lower floor. They were caught
the worse. We in the balcony were more
| fortunate.
Il guess there was a lapse of maybe
twenty seconds, hardly more, before the
: balcony fell. Funny, but it spun around,
kind of twisted. as its supports gave
|, way and 1t swung down in those below.
!, 1t didn't go straight down, just kind of
: slid sideways and slanting. I suppose
|, from the weight of the debris that had
t, fallen on up stairs.
- NdCTdllVe OIL LSthpcs
:, II don't kLow how I got out from
- where I was crouching under that
chunk of plaster that had fallen pm me
;, 1 really believe it weighed all of SOC
= pounds And 1 think I moved that plas-
- ter with my shoulders. Anyway,
crawled out between the seats to where
! 1 saw a small hole in the plaster above
! 1 forced myself up through that hole
J. wiggling and showing. Then 1 crawlet
v out over the snow and plaster, over the
sr tangled debris, to the doors on the
il Eighteenth street side.
er Across the aisle from me when th'
a. crash came was little fellow-I neve
" saw him again and I wonder if he il
e dead-who laughed and roared at ever!
O. especially funny part of the film. [ don
e. know what became of him or the other
" In the balcony after We were showere'
g with plaster.
n "As the ceiling broke. the plaster fel
s. first, in chunks. 1t was just like an ic
y, pond breaking up. The roof didn't CIV
II, way in one crash. 1t seemed to break u
y, everywhere. That let in the snow, whic
es came in through the broken place
", where the ceiling had given way.
is It's queer, but I was conscious a
lie, the time when I was pinned down unde
er, there by that great piece of ceiling NJ
m mind, when l saw the ceiling falling
S. and afterward was just as clear and co
Is, lected as it is now. 1 knew I was hui
N, some, but I didn't know how badly.
j, seemed that my time had come. I live
year. I tell you. pinned down betwee
no the seats.
he 1T wasn't until I got outside that
noticed blood falling from my face an
hands. 1 got out myself. No one helpe
,k- me. I crawled over the broken seat
an and plaster and snow to the door. O
Ird the way I saw young fellow lying ha
mo curled up, moaning and crying for he'll
3d. I leaned over to lift him and then everz
,rd thing went black. The next rememo,
oh I was at the door, wiping the bloc
S., from my eyes and mouth. I don't kno
NJ. how 1 got out. I didn't see any otht
c. injured ones as 1 crawled out. I can
A. remember about that part of it. My on
]. thought then was to get home before
iss should die. My chest panied me, m
jill back seemed broken, by face was dri
ar ping with blood. All wanted to do W;
Lrs. to get home and tell my wife and lit
u.s. girl what had happened and how I WI
on, hurt. l thought I was going to die"
nil Representative Smithwick Injured.
las Representative Smithwick, who live
A. about block from the theatre, said
op' staggered home without overcoat or h
Lrs. through the snow drifts Physician
NJ were summoned Immediately. They foul
got him suffering from shock, bruises al
1. possibly internal injuries.
Il think it was a miracle that I can
" out alive" said the Florida congres
'ott man. But think of those poor childr,
B. and men and women were not so fort
ohm nate 1 don't see how anv who uerei :,
ew- der that halconv osc.nad Tf +ho.o !
die low could have seen the ceiling orea
ole ing they would have had time to ru
s. out through the doors. but ]. guess tn
shn couldn't see as we could in the balcor
lea' Those underneath US had no chance
'ew guess. I keep thinking of it all the tin
Ord that awful roaring and the crashing
H. the balcony on its way down to the
las- people below. It was all ovar IN half
lgy, minute. 1 gueas but n saernax lo,,rs