Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-01-30
PATHETIC SCENES
II THEATRE CRASH
Hu3idreds Hoped and Prayed as
Bodies Were Taken From
W Ruins
cHQRCH USED AS MoRGUE
Bv a std0 Correspondent


locker Theatre. which collapsed Satur-
Gay ytnight. No additional victims we're
iound, however, and the search was
suspshded
While these mon were working as
rapHly as possible long line Of
mothers. fathers 81 RS and brothCrs,
friends and neighbors was pushing
against roNcs in the vicinity, grabbing
extra editions and nraylng that the
rescners might succeed,
Some of them stood there. be.
iunibed and purple. since o'clock Sat =
.rddy night. waiting, hoping. praying
--sfrre discovering tat death had won.
An t6long they hoped, although know.
lng ahat the roof Of the pretentious
;heftfe, swinging on It's front vail and
looscning itself 90 fall laundering like
a gtbnt gridiron. had cxactpd its toll.
More than a fourth of the 400 spec
rgtors who went to see the comedy
Ger. Rich Quick Wallingford" found
their tombs in the temple Of mirth.
- in the cold gray morning yesterday
-,>scurrying ambulances md trucks. with
Deds of straw and blankets. drew up
six abreast before the CutglnSS doors 20
whixk away the screaming, terrified in
iursd and dying.
As a crushed form was lifted into
arefchers the bearers rushed into the
.irEt-aid station established in the cor
urr drug store, where cool headed ply.
sicians, surgeons and nurses did all
they could. Then the ambulanCes
whisked the sufferers away.
Row on row tho dead Icy yesterday
spd iast night in the Sunday school
rooms of the Christian Science Church
around the corner from the theatre.
II had been converted into a tempo
rary morgue Into its crimson -smeared
interior came hyStcrical women.
ecrcanlng children and taltertNg men,
All day and all night they trampe!.
woinan's Cry OF Agony
S6fretimes the definite word was not
needed. The shr!ll. agon!zing cry ot
n wtptlan, seeing on the iifCass form OF
a child the dress she had pains TAX =
inglr made, said that mother had found
her ioffspriuS. Early this morning there
were those same heart rending occur.
grces.
Taes Of hCroisn1. Of miraculous es.
ynpSs and OF tragic deaths fitted fron
mouth 70 mouth of the thousands who
lined the snow-bound concourse out.
idc.
Smoot's Sister. in Law Dead
lie theatre ia located in a fash
fonable district. Its clientele was of the
sliplonlats and attaches from the emhaS
siess{ OF the families Of Senators aud
Congressmeu. of Government otfictn' =
and clerks, who abound in the Colum-
bia roa1 apartment house district.
Senator Reed Smoot. OF Utah, was
one sof the first on the scene Sunday
mc1iing. His sister law had been
killed
Representative Alben w. Barley, OF
Padeah. Ky, franticslly tore away
At Ne concrete and steel for three
hours while his wife awaited outside
At tbc end Of three hours he stopped
20 eensole Mrs. Barley. Beads Of
perspiration froze on to his face. she
smipng through the tragedy. told him
theirg son Murrel was safe. Murrel hal
inteiiaed to go TO the theatre. but when
ne AFrived he found be had seen the
picture before.
The rescuers labored under an
'fmrendiny threat Of extinction. Ex-
animation Of the four standing walls
diseloaed weakness that might permit
cheir collapse at any moment 1t was
picnstrous job for the marines aui
soldiers to keep the anxious, the griet
stricken and the curious. sufficiently
tar Away from the structure 20 prevent
a docble tragedy.
Two Babies Survive Tragedy
An idea OF the manner in which tic
victims were caught in the debris was
expMined by physician. VINO found
IN injured doctor sitting upright with
q dead mans head rcposing in MS lap
he said he saw two bodies hanging by
their feet from the banistcr ~ IL,
balcony.
When dawn broke at 1 O'Clock Sc,
rerday two babies. sleeping soundly
were Uncovered. Their only Injury was
frozen hands. No one identified them
as hey cooed and the supposition Is
that thcir parents arc sleeping the last .
ing sleep.
One young mau gave up his life that
others might live. IIc, Albert BuehIer
vas not securely pinioned, but TO lift
the weight from his body would have
required precious minutes.
I'm not badly hurt" he told TWO
men who started 10 dig him out. "Go
get some OF the others who bust be
sotter out now ii they re going. TO BE-
gotten oue at all
Three hours Inter some Of tho
'others" had been removed He d!dn {
object when told that he had 10 be
moved TO clear a path. They lifted MS
tortured, numb frame onto the stretch =
erS and carried him TO the dressing
room. With a smile freezing on his
purpled lips he looked up and died
twenty minutes after his rescue.
E Boy Is Pathetic Fgure
Oue Of the most pathetic figures Dus
Grant KranstOn. n nine -yaqC old ho~
His head bundled in banC scs, he cam
70 the Morgun 10 discover thu Lr VIZ,
the only survivor Of his family - c..
With sobS and Gu,.. " cars.
pointed out 'Le mutilutcl o0d.ps - H.
mother and his two young sisters. T!n
had just left n hospital wherc li-
father. Oscar kranstou, lad died Il
Quafter Of an hour before.
a fashlunably dressed woman.
ncreaining Historically, identified .hc
body of her nearest friend. Mrs. Cora
.Segohrney. She fought with the Ruurds
and pttendants who tricd - restrain
her until she WAS composed.
lnARn attempt to save his 'arn fry-
enforcement II man, Un.drurii"d t:,a
--lNrning, had placed H. lurps on IS
chAts. Tho t"lr.r" lGga"t of tlr
weight imbcddNd Nh" Gugrrs into II,
fiesh and the fr, ezlug ,,alh,r DID .Ir
rest,c At the Morguc they were uuDJlo
4 uull she hands away.
4 juvenile Hero Explains
\ A@juveni hero was Gordon Hin.
lix ten years old, who saved littla
~ had never seen her before and |
add not know what was happening
v<hda the crash came. II happened sT
ruitk. First IL was all dark, but !
began 20 crawl, and after a while [
a.uM saa fhN gky | cot Out fbrongL