Arizona republican., 1922-01-30

as the nangled victims were dragged
out.
Snow Blocks Easeuers
Firemen fought their way through
the heaps of snowdrifts I'm answer
to a general alarm. Police patrols
filled with men churned and shidded
through the white muck, and in an
swer to summons, marines came at
double time, painting through the
heavy going. At Fort Myer, across
the river, the cavalry was turned out
and started in truck loads to the
rescue, only TO find roads snow
blocked. The men shoveled their
way frantically, but finally four mule
teams from the fort and from the
engineer barracks were called on. At
the scene of the disaster there was
wild confusion for a time. Those who
first made their way to the auditor
ium doors saw a dim. mysterious
heap Of wreckage, family lighted by
colored electrics on the stage that
still stood intact. and by the reflect
ed glow from the leaden skies. The
crash had drawn many persons, some
of whom had relatives in the ruins
The clang Of fire apparatus brought
other hundreds, and until the marines
came painting up, police were power
less against the crowd.
F'iremen plunged into the wreckage
with lanterns. Men with electric
torches came from all sides. In the
Columbia roadside, the single wall
lowered menacingly above their
heads, stripped almost bare except for
the high exit signs marking the way
out of the balcony, now crumpled
mass below. Not a window was
broken.
With care the reseuers began work.
Every beam they touched might let
another mass of concrete down II II
was moved too swiftly. There were
some groans in the darkness below
and no one knew how many persons
had been crushed or trapped there
The huge slabs OF concrete from the
roof stood in crazy attitudes.
Rescue Work Hazardous
A touch might send them topping
But against every difficulty, the
rescuers toiled desperately and a slow
stream of dead and injured began TO
trickle out. Nearly every nearby
house and store became a rescue sta
ton. Housewives heated coffee for
rescuers and rescued as the night
wore on.
On the Eighteenth street front a
row of automobiles stood. awaiting
owners killed or hurt. They were
hub deep in snow and hindered the
rescuers. They were picked up bodily
by men and lifted out of the way.
Ambulances and private machines
gathered up the injured. Finally 2
string Of army ambulances arrived
with bandages. Doctors came from
everywhere.
All through the night the work
went on. It was evident that moth
ing could be done for many of the
wreckage could be lifted. a cali to
the navy yard brought blue jackets,
hydraulic jacks and xy-hydrogen
Jets to burn through the steel beams.
The jacks were lined up under the
edge OF tho fallen balcony and its
weight finally lifted. Rescuers took
their lives in their hands 10 creep
under and release people there.
Engineers Test Grders
AS daylight came the task became
easier. Engineer officers from the
army could see what must be done.
They traced each twisted beam and
saw whether it would be safe to cut
it and whether a steel girder might
be dragged out of the pile with safety
to those below. Meanwhile, all Wash
ington, It seemed was heading for the
scene. strings OF people stumbling
over the banked snow. Soldiers and
police held rigid lines to hold the
throngs back.
Less than half of the dead had
been recovered at daylight.
After the center of the main floor
had been cleared OF victims dug out
of the ,wreckage a more systematic
search began and it was still going
on tonight The workers, sure that
this center space held no body or in
iured person, began turning over the
tons of debris, piling it in that space
and dragging beams and slabs out
side.
When the last section Of the gallery
had been lifted on Jacks and men had
crawled beneath to drag out the last
mangled body, more speed was pos
sible and the mass that formed the
bottom Of the great shell was moving
IN a steady, orderly course under th'
eyes of the army engineers. Day
light should see the last Of it exam
med and the toll Of death completed