Omaha daily bee., 1922-01-30
Storm Kept Many Away.

Storm Kept Many Away.
Normally, the theater has had
every seat filled at that hour and
nearly 1000 persons was it capacity.
The same unprecedented snowfall
which brought death to the venture
some few, kept the many at home.
Street Car traffic had been abandoned
and streets and sidewalks we're all
but impossible.
There has not been time for Of
iicial inquiry as to the cause of the
disaster. The ruins disclose, how
ever, tisit the mass OF stecl-hcid
concrete that formed the roof came
down. The crash swept the supports
from under the balcony, apparently,
and this hinged down at an angle of
IS degrees, adding to the tangled
wreckage on the floor below.
The building stands in an acute
angled corner at Eighteenth street
and Columbia road, northwest. the
heart of the most favored residence
section. The narrow niche of the
stage on which the screen was hung
was backed into the corner angle,
while to the left from the stage the line
of the auditorium wall runs straight
for some 200 feet down Eighteenth.
To the right, the wall follows the
slow curve of Columbia road for
about the same distance and at the
far end, paralleling the stage front,
the back wall completes the audi
torium proper also about 200 feet
i'll length.
Crowd Cropped Below Balcony.
The space stood roofless moment
after the first kissing sound of the
breaking roof gave warning above
the music OF the orchestra. There
is only one survivor thus far who
has told of having heard that warm
ing and seen the first powdery hand
ful OF snow sift down over the head
of the orchestra leader in time to
escape. From his seat we'll forward
on the main floor, he raced for the
doors at the back. A blast of air.
expelled as the. roof came down,
hurled him out through the doorway
to safety.
Most OF the bodies were recov-
cred from the floor fthe pit be.
meath the wreckage ofsthe balcony
or from the front OF the balcony.
Persons OH the main floor had
grouped themselves just below the
front of the balcony. They were
back far enough to see we'll and most
of the front and back rows were
empty.
At the point they had chosen, thek
danger proved to be double. FeM
of those seated there could hav{
escaped. Even if the falling coI-
crete slabs and steel work OF the
roof missed them. the balcony front
came down on the first wreckage
with crushing weight. The gleam-
ing brass rail of the balcony front
lay spread over the wreckage Of the
roof IS feet below when rescucrs
reached the scene.
Those in Back Escape.
All those farther back on the
man floor probably escaped. The
beams that supported the back end
OF the balcony did not let go their
clutch on the wall. The wide sweep
OF seats they supported tilted down
until the wreckage below took the
weight of the front end then stood,
covering the back rows of the main
floor like tent.
The front rows OF the balcony
we're ground to a twisted mass.
There was no wood in the structure.
1t was all steel and concrete but
the enormous weight OF the balcony
was sufficient TO wind the tortured
beams into fantastic shapes.
Here again, chance played part
N reducing the number of victims.
The front rows OF the balcony, four
or hve tiers deep. were known as
reserved" seats. They were priced
lbove the succeeding rows. With
he small attendance last night, prob
IDLY only few had paid the extra
prices for these seats, preferring to
sit further back in the balcony. And
iany OF those behind scrambled up