The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser., 1922-02-10
WASHINGTON film
THEATER HORROR
National Capital, Aghast at
Tragedy, Rushes Every Re-
source to Aid Wounded.
RUINS CLEARED OF DEAD
Building Experts Do Not Accept Snow
Burden as Entirely Responsible for
coIIapse-BuiIding Mas Only
Five Years Old.

Washington-The most appalling
disaster in the history of Washington,
the collapse of the roof and balcony
Of the Knickerbocker Moving Picture
Theater, killed more than 100 men,
women and children. Hospitals
throughout the city and private homes,
churches, apartments and clubhouses
In the immediate vicinity of the theater
are caring for between 130 and 40
persons more or less seriously injured.
The number of dead was 107, accord
ing to the police count, when there still
remained more than one-third of the
debris covered main floor to be ex-
plored. Parts of bodies discernible
amid the tons of twisted steel, broken
concrete, wire mesh and snow indicate
that many bodies are in this unexplor-
ed portion, which is in the central part
of the theater, where many of the more
than 500 persons comprising the audi
ence were seated when the crash came.
1t is feared that at least fifteen
more bodies are burie,.. ir this portiCil
Of the theater.
The nature of the debris, which is
pressed almost fiat against the main
floor, leaves but little hope that any
of these bodies still retain life. Those
who were not killed outright are be-
Iieved to have long since smothered.
Despite the practical certainty that
those trapped here are dead, hundreds
Of policemen, f1remen, soldiers, ma
rines, sailors and civilian volunteers,
many of who have not left the scene
since the disaster occurred, are strain
ing with might and main to clear away
the debris and bring out the bodies. ;.
Oxy-acetylene torches welded by ex-
perts from the Washington Navy Yard,
picks, axes, jacks and huge cranes
have been brought into play to break
up and lift out the great girders and
blocks of concrete and wire mesh
which composed the cantilever roof
and balcony.
Because of the fact that a section
of the broken balcony still overhangs a
portion of the theater and the danger
that the walls will collapse, the
rescuers are forced to work carefully
to. prevent anothe-. crash that would
not only kill many of the workers but
end any remote chance of getting out
alive any of those trapped.
The disaster, which occurred about
80 o'clock Saturday night, just as the
title of the main picture, Get Rick
Quick Wal,ingford," was thrown on the
screen for the second show, Is COM
parable only to the great Iroquois fire,
which occurred in Chicago on Deem
ber 80, 1903, and in which nearly 600
lost their lives. Had the tragedy oc-
Cured thirty minutes earlier nearly
1000 men and women .lld hundreds Of
children might have been crushed.
According to the cashier of the thea
ter, more than 800 tickets were sold
for the second SHOW. Many, however,
who came in late for the first show
remained to see the main picture of
the second show, and Harry NJ Gram
dali, owner, testified that there were
at least 500 persons in the audience,
when, without preliminary warning of
any kind, the great convex roof,
weighing hundre1; of tons, with an ad-
ditional weight of tons of snow, crash
ed down upon the audience, carrying
with it the balcony.
Most of the bodies recovered in the
Knickerbocker Theater collapse were
found in the pit of tie theater beneath
the wreckage of the balcony or from
the front of the balcony itself. Follow
ing the rule of motion picture audi
ences and with an almost empty house
to pick from, those on the main floor
had grouped themselves in the rows of
seats just below the front of the bal
cony. They were back far enough to
see we'll and the front and back rows
were almost empty.
At the point they. had chosen the
danger proved to be just double. Few
of those seated there could have 'es-
capped.