Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1922-01-30
DEATHS
REACH lO8, WITH
2AMONG HURT
Second Assistant Postmaster Gen~
eral Shaunessy Has Only
Fighting Crance

| WASHINGTON, Jan. 30-tBy the
Associated Press With total Of
l0s dead and 1872 injured. removed
from the ruins of the Knickerbecker
picture theater, which collapsed Sat
Iurday night under the weight of snow
on the roof, rescuers today were still
struggling with the heavy wreckage
and it is stated by Brigadier General
Bandholtz, who is in personal charge
of the rescue work, that it may be
ltwenty-four hours before it is defi-
nitely known whether there We're any
more victims of the disaster.
The capital city was bowed in grief
today to learn the full extent Of the
tragedy, with the recovery Of victims
yesterday and last night.
The death toll was increased today
to l08 with the death III hospital
lof Mary Forsyth, Washington resi-
dent.
| Edward II. Shaunessy, second ass
sistant postmaster general, who with
his wife and two children was injur-
ed in the disaster, was described to-
day as in serious condition with only
a fighting chance for recovery.
BY daybreak searchers had explor-
ed almost every portion of the de-
bris-strewn structure without find
ling any more bodies.
Comedy Setting For Tragedy
The exact number in the theater
when the steel and concrete span
of the roof buckled and fell unGass4
its three-foot load of snow, probably
will never be known. The stories of
perhaps hundred who got out un-
injured account for few more than
800 in the audience that was roaring
in laughter at filmed comedy when
the roof fell on them like Al blanket,
carrying down the front of the wide
] balcony in its crash.
Normally, the theater has had ev-
cry seat filed at that hour and near
lly 1000 persons was its capacity.
The same unprecedented snowfall
which brought death to the venture
some few, kept the. many at home.
Street car traffic had been abandon-
: fed and streets and sidewalks were ali
lbut impossible with drifts.
The ruins disclose that the entire
mass Of steel-held concrete that
formed the roof had come down. The
crash swept the supports out from
under the balcony, apparently, and
this hinged down to an angle Of for
j ty-fve degrees adding to the tangled
, mass Of wreckage on the floor be-
. low.
The whole space stood rooAess to
| the sky moment after the first
! kissing sound of the breaking roof
gave warning above the music Of the
orchestra. There was only one surui-
! yor thus far who has told Of having
heard that warning and seen the first
powdery handful of snow sift down
overhead in time to make his escape.
from his seat forward on the main
floor, he raced for the doors at the
back. great blast of air expelled
: as the roof came down, hurled him
. out through the doorway to safety.
Most of the bodies were recovered
from the floor of the pit 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
fioor had grouped themselves in tho
', rows of seats just below the front
/, of the balcony. They were back far.
!, enough to see well 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. Even if the falling concrete
/ slabs and steel work of the roof miss
ed them, the solid mass of the bal
I cony front came down on the first
t wreekage with crushing weight.
Those In Rear Escaped
E Those farther back on the main
S floor probably all escaped.
e The beams that supported the back
! end OF the balcony did not let 90
4 their clutch on the wall. The wide
! sweep Of seats they supported tilted
down until the wreckage below took
the weight off the front end and then
stood covering the back rows of the
main floor like tent
The front rows of the balcony were
ground to a twisted mass of ruin
= IN the fall There was no wood III
, the structure. 1t was all steel and
concrete, but the enormous weight Of
), the balcony itself was sufficient so
q wind the tortured beams into fantas-
tic shapes.
n Here again chance played part in.
I reducing the number of victims. The
+ front rows of the balcony, four or
it five tiers deep, We're known as ..re-
/ served" seats. They were priced
(Contintinued on Page Two.)