The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-01-30

TO the left from the stage the line
Of the auditorium wall runs in a
straight line for about 200 feet down
Eighteenth street. To the right the
wall follows the slow curve of Column
bia road for about the same distance
and at the far end, paralleling the
stage front, the back wall completes
the auditorium proper, also about 200
feet in length.
This whole space stood roofless to
the sky a moment after the first hiss
ing sound of the breaking roof gave
warning above the music of the orches-
| ira. Only the one survivor has told
of having heard that warning and seen
the first powdery handful of snow sift
down over the head of the orchestra
leader in time to make his escape.
| From his seat well forward on the
main floor he raced for the doris at the
back. A great blast of air, expelled
as the roof came down. hurled him
cut through the doorway to safety.
Heard Crash and Ran
| This survivor was w H. Morris,
| sixty-three-year-old retired coal mine
| manager of Buckhannon, w. Va. Long
! experience in coal mines enabled him
| to escape from the death trap in the
| center of the Knickerbocker theatre.
Il was in the eighth row from the
! 'front.'" Mr.. Morris said, when I heard
| a crack, sort of ripping sound, ex-
| actly like that which the slate roof of
| a coal mine makes when it is going
| to let go. 1t was more instinct than
anything else that brought me to my
, feet with one thought flashing through
my mind: 4 can beat that fall to the
| outside As | came into the aisle
| saw the orchestra leaders baton way
| ing with the music, and little white
cloud coming down above his head.
| Then | ran up the aisle, with the roof
| cracking and falling above me- As |
got to the door the stuff began to hit
! me in a wave of a wind from behind
which literally flung me through the
door and across the lobby on to the
sidewalk"
/ Mr.. Morris said he was warned by
a sound like that of a ripping sheet,
only much louder.
!, Il saw no one else moving as I went
! up the aisle" he continued. 1.-THE
house around me was practically
, empty, and | noticed when | sat down
| that I was the only one in the row
/ The stuff, in falling, my impression is
f must have gone into the orchestra
: pit first. l can't forget that orchestra
: leader with that cloud forming just
above his head"
) Most of Dead in Pit.
f Most of the dead we're recovered
7 form the floor of the pit beneath the
f wreckage of the balcony or from the
= front of the balcony itself Following
= the rule of motion picture audiences
: and with an almost empty house tC
r pick from. those on the main floor hCC
/ grouped themselves in the rows Of
seats just below the front balcony
They were back far enough to set
Y we'll and the front and back rows weTS
almost empty.
e At the point they had chosen thu
4 danger proved to be just double. Few
Y OF those seated there could have es
+ capped. Even if the falling concret,
s slabs and steel work of the roof missed
e them, the solid mass of the balloon,
front came down on the first wreck
e age with crushing weight. The CLEAN
/ ing brass rail that adorned the balloon,
h front lay spread over the wreckage o
e the roof IS feet below when rescuer
d reached the scene.
l. Those farther back on the main floo
e probably all escaped. The beams tina
supported the back end of the balloon.
did not let go their clutch on the wall
l. The wide sweep of seats they support
d ed tilted down until the wreckage be
# low took the weight of the front ent
# then stood covering the back rows o
e the main floor like a tent
5 The front rows of the balcony wer
e ground 10 a twisted mass of ruin i