New-York tribune., 1922-01-30
500 Relieved in Audience

tte h-.ckcy booker tneater whcA the
stAel ard concrete span O. the roof
tuekled and fe.. usLer rs three-foo.
load OF snov Ia; aigh. probably never
will De know. The 5tories g perhaps
4 hundred wao soJ oa. nDiajured have
oeeu reported. taesc acccunt fer d
fe~ s.ore taan So9 Ia t.e audience that
vas roaring Ill laughter .: .lned
comedy wAea ;hc roos fe.. On them
*. o.an.:et. carving down the front
o. tie vice balcony ,:. - crash.
Normally tie ,acater Gas lad escrv
seat .,.cd =. tia. .ocr. sud ucsrly
1000 persons vas Is capacity The
.ane unprecedented eaowfall. whicl.
oroaGt. lea.. 20 tic ven.u.esome few
Aep. the nsny al home. Streetcay
-rafic had been aranoo,cd and streets
and sidewalks ere a.. but impsss2hle
With drifts.
Tie -u:as Themselves disclose TIA.
t.s entire mass Of steel telc concrete
t.lat formed the root mad cone down
Tie c-ssh swept tire supports out froi.
urder tAe Aa.co.4., apparently, and this
..!nksd doH.. t. "a angle OK Is degrees,
adding to the tangled inass O. r'reckase
on TIE eoor below.
anxled corner {. Eighteenth street AND
Columbia Road, Northwest, the hear.
81 the ,nost favored residence section
o2 the citJ. Tie narrow niche Of The
stage Oh which the screen Wa hung
~as bzcxei into the corner anglc. While
20 she .cTt from the stage, the line u
thc auditorium wal. runs in straiga.
.ine tor some 200 feet down Eighteenth
street. To the rght the wal. so'owe
*ae SOW curve Of Coiumb Road for
sbou. the same distance, and a. the ia,
sad, par2llel,ng the stage front. the
ol:k wall completes the auditorium.
2-ope.. also about zoo fees In length.
One Survivor Heard Warning
Tais V:ho.e space stood roofess TO
tne Sd moment after the first hiss
warning above the music of the orches
"a. Who has told Of having heard that
earning and seen the irst powdery
Esncfull OF suo,r sift down over tie
lexds Of the orchestra ,eader in time
20 t.ate his escape from his sea. vel
~orward on the main floor. lie raced
'o- the doors at the bac,,. A grea.
tlAst OF air was expelled as the ROOF
came down which hurled h'n cut
through the doorxa. III safety.
Most OF the bodies were recov cred
-.ora the foor Of the pit beneath the
xrecksge OF the balcony o.: from the
tront Of the balcony Itself Following
che rule Of moving picture audiences,
and with al almost empty house to
pick from. those on the main floor had
grouped themselves In the VOWS OF
setts just below the front OF the BAL
oont. They we're about .ar enough to
see We and the back and front rows
Htre almost empty.
Those In Front in Death Area
At the point they had chosen the
ssnsar proved to lie just double Few
of chose seated there could have es-
s!sbs and steel work OF tie -ooi
missed them. The solid maos Of the
balcony came down on the first wreck
Ate with crushing weight TIE CLEAN
ing brass rs!l that adorned the balcony
<rort lay stretched over the vrecxa9e
Of the roof fifteen feet below when the
-sscuers reached The scene.
Those farther back On the main floor
probably ali escaped. The beams that
supported the back end OF the balcony
did not lei 70 their clutch on the wall
The ;de ev eep OF seats they supported
hlteyed down until the wreckeage be-
then stood covering the back rows OF
the main toor like tent.
Tic front rows OF the balcony were
ground TO . twisted mass oe ruins ir
tAe .a..
Chance Again Plays Part
Here again chance played u part |.
reducing tho number Of victims. TIT
front rows Of the balcony, four or tiv'
-isrs deep. wore known as reserved
seats. They were priced above the sue
cs~dinx rows, AND except when tn
house WAS jAnmed, commonly were no
al occupied. With the small attendance
-. lAst night probably only few ha'
paid the extra price for these seats
And many OF those behind scrambled vi
tSe stAs, slope OF the fallen balcony t
ssfsty, although many were struck dow,
- the hrst blow when the roof came in
s'sme were hurled down into tie p:
~7stksxe wAen tbs balcony front fel
And even some oi these escaped wit
bruises. There ie no record, howeve!
81 &ny survivor among those In IT,
foremost balcony seats
Frant.c calls Tor aid went out 8
soon as those in TIE double walle
structures which form thc Eighteeat
Street and back wall OF the auditorium
realized what had happened. These tw
three!loor wings form the Offices,
s:ore along the Eighteenth Street iron
and house the stairways and the az
proacAes and exits both on that side all
a,ons tie back wall. and they were no
:avoived in tie disaster. which was con
Snsd 70 the auditorium itself Late
we store and corridors became the frs
sid s.stions az the mangleG victims wer
dragged from the wrecAage.
Cavalry Is Called Out
Firemen fought their way througl
AsAping snoadrifts in answer 10 d ger
ssAI alarm. Police patrols filled will
men churnei and skidded through th'
white muck, and in answer to a sum
Mons marines fro.. tie barracks c!e4
across the city came al double time
painting through the heavy going. A
Fort Myer, across the river, the cav
airy vas turned out and sralted il
.,uek loads to the rescue, only 10 fin,
roads blocked with snow. The mel
shoveled their Way fran1ically, bU
dnaily four mule teams from the for
and from the engineer barracks wer'
called OF.
At the scene OF the disaster there wa
Wild confusion for time. Those whS