Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1919-1980, 1922-01-30

way to the civilian forces. Marines
rushed to the theater few hours
after the crash Saturday night
were withdrawn before dawn and
soldiers from Fort Myer, who had
struggled through miles Of snow
Saturday night to reach the scene,
began leaving.
All dead and injured had been
removed early today from the
Christian Science church nearby
which for more than 36 hours had
served as a clearing house for VIC
Tins of the disaster.
Rescue Work Difficult.
Washington, Jan. 30.-With q
total Of LOT dead and 1873 injured
| removed from the ruins Of the
Knickerbocker motion picture
theater at an early hour today, the
rescuers still were struggling with
the heavy wreckage left when the
snow laden roof OF the structure
collapsed during the showing of a
comedy feature bill Saturday
night.
Brigadier General Bandholtz,
commander Of federal troops in
the district, in personal charge Of
the rescue work. said 1t might be
"a hours before 1t could be said
| definitely there were no more dead
or injured.
1t was believed, however, that
the section now being explored
would yield few additional to the
awful list of dead and injured, 1t
being near the rear and under the
part of the balcony which held up
when the front Of It crashed upon
the theatre pit beneath the impact
of the falling roof.
Man Believed Alive.
A party Of the rescuers early
today had struggled for hours
to release from the part of the
wreckage now being overturned,
one man believed 10 be yet alive,
although imprisoned under the
mass for nearly thirty-six hours.
The great weight of the steel
beams and concrete which crash
ed with the roof have in many in
stances made the rescue OF VIC
tins harrowingly slow and diff
cult.
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. This was the more intense
ly shared by the rest of the coun-
try because of the considerable
number Of visitors who suffered in
the catastrophe.
| President Harding, in a state
ment last night, said the tragedy
had left him with the same in
expressible sorrow which has come
to all Washington and which will
be sympathetically felt throughout
the land"
! Investigation Started.
| A three-fold investigation Of
the cause and circumstances OF
the collapse of the theater roof
was in prospect today. In addi-
tion to an exhaustive inquiry Or
dered by the board of commission
ers OF the district and another to
be started Immediately by the
grand jury, Senator Capper OF
Kansas, member Of the senate Dis
trict of Columbia committee, an
nounced that as soon as the sem
ate convened he would introduce a
resolution calling for an investiga-
tlon of the tragedy. The senator
said he had received reports that
, the building code Of the district
J had been violated in more than q
few instances during the rush of
construction resulting from the
rapid increase Of population here
after the war declaration.
Victims Prominent.
Edward II. Shaughnessy, second
assistant postmaster general, who
was among the fourteen listed as
seriously injured, was still making
a fight for life today at the Walter
Reed hospital. His wife and two
: daughters also were injured, but
not so seriously.
> Among those prominent on the
list Of dead as 1t stood today, were
former Representative A. j.
= Barchfield, formerly of Pitts
! burgh, and Mrs. Virginia Barraud,
sister OF Minister Bianchi OF
Guatemala.
= Most of the deaG still lay early
S today in the basement Of the near
by Christian Science church, tc
which they were removed for iden.
tification. Many Of the fatally in.
jured also were taken there, later
70 swell the total of victims.