New-York tribune., 1922-01-30

b. string of cole~-d electrcs Oh the
stage that stil stood intact, and by
the reflected glow from the leaden
skies above the VOID where the roof had
been. Minute by minute the crowds
about tne doc. thickened. The crash
Of the falling roof had drawn many,
some who had relatives in that mass
Of rIin and ,..elt!ng snow inside. The
elang OF fire apparatus brought other
hundreds and until Che marines came
Up painting the police we're powerless
TO fgh. cH the crowd.
Firemer plunged into tho ~reckage
"ith lsnterns. Men with electric
torches came from all sides to aid. And
j. va daunting task they faced. They
reach those dead o. dying below. On
tnc Colutnbie roadside the single wall
lowered n.enscingiy above their heads
stripped almost bare except for the
nigh exi. signs mariing the way out Of
the balcony, now crumpled mass be
lov. Not window N the long wall
vas broken.
Groans in Darkness Below
Wit. great care III rcscuers began
work. Every bear. they touched Nigh.
LEI anotner mass Of concrete down II
it vas moved TOO swiftly. There were
scne groans III the darkness below ard
OH one knew how many men. women
and children had been crushed or
trapped there Tie huge slabs Of the
concrete from the roof, torn from theiy
stee. supporting girders, stood in
crazy attitudes. a touch might send
them topping.
But axainst every difficulty the so.-
diers and sailors and iiremcn and
police and citizens toiled desperately.
and s'ow stream ef dead aud injureo
began 10 ,rick.e out through Shc door
wsys. Nearly every house and store
III the vicinity became rescue station.
Housewives made up pots OF coffee Tor
,escGers and rescued as The night wore
oil.
On tne Eighteenth Street :sont 8
row u parked automobiles stood,
waiting for owners killed or hurt IN
the c-ash inside. They we're hub deep
in Snow and Only "a narrow lane was
opened 70 traffic in the street itself, as
the strcetcars could not get through
because Of the STOW. The Autom obiles
hiudefed the rcscuers' work. They
we're picked UP bodily by crowds Of
men and lifted cut OF The way
Army Ambulances on Scene
A,nbul;mces and private machines
gathered up the injured an they were
brought out. Finally a ssring OF arls.y
smbulances arrived iron! Walter Reed
Hospital with sacks full OF bandages.
Doctors came from everywhere, army
and navy and civilian doctors.
Al through the night the work OF
rescue wcut Oh. It was evident that
nothing could be done 20. many OF the
victims until the weigh. Of the wreck
age could be l.ited. A call to the
Navy Yard brought b.uejackets and hy
draulic jacSs and oxyhydrogen Jets to
burn through the steel beams. The
jacks were Iincd UP under the edge O..
It's weight was lifted. Eescucrs took
their lives in their hands to creep
under and release people there.
AS daylight came the task became
army could see what must be done.
The traced each twisted beam and
saw where it would be safe to cut and
where steel girder might be dragged
out of the pile with safety to those
below. Holes were cut through the
wall, and With ropes and tackle the
ping aud failing i'll the nush3 snow
outside.
Street Black x;th People
.leanwhile ali Washington, IL seem ed,
was heading TOR the scene. With
streetcars stopped, every street wac
black with strings OF peooie stumbling
over the banked snow. They tramped
from every corner Of tho city. and the
. soldiers and police held rigid lines
about the theater to keep them back.
Hour by hour through the day the
death toll rose. Less than half Of the
total had been recovered when full
daylight came. despite hours OF labor
Some oY the men wno had worked ali
night we're relieved by comrades tc
sleep and prepare for another night Of
It, New police and FIRE csews came In
Directed by Army Engineers
After Che center Of the main foo.
had been cleared OF victims dug out OF
the vYeckago by main strength, s. more
systematic search began. and 1t was
still going on tonight without halt
The works.s, sure that this center
space held no body or injured person
BEGAN turning over thc tons OF debris
rlllhg 1t il thss space or dragging
beams and slabs outside. During the
DAY electricians came to string wires
and set rows of lamps in place to ail
the work when darkness fell. On the
street lre Giare OF Nres lighted by the
soldiers to warm themselves as they
waited to heave on rope threw addi.
tional lights on the mass within the
rooiless she'll where hundreGs laboreo
INCREASINGLY
AS the gas jets came into play bril-.
liant spuTts Of f1arae lighted the scene
Showers OF sparks rose as the i've heat
bit through inches Of steel to free an.
other tsngle. High On the walls sail
ors aud soldiers perched on hanging
heams OF in window ledges to cut loose
the end Of q sirder aud let 1t be
dragged away. Outside the piles Of de
bris rose steadily on both streets.
Iae .lna' turning over Of ths wreck.
as,a MAS veil under way soon after dark
tonight. When the weight Of the last
section Of the gallery had been lifted
on jacks snd men had crawled beneath
10 drag out the last manged BODY
more speed was possible and the mass
mat formed tie botto,a Of the great
shell open TO the sky was moving in Il
steady. orderly course under the keen
eyes OF the army engineers. uaylight
should see the last Of IL examined and
the toll o death brought by the great
snowfall completed.