Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1922-01-30
KNOWN DEATHS
REACH lO8, WITH
l32 AMONG HURT
Second Assistant Postmaster Gene
eral Shannessy Eias Only
Fighting Crance

J
from the ruins of the Knickerbocker
picture theater, which collapsed Sat
urday night under the weight of snow
on the roof, rescuers today were still
struggling with the heavy wreckagc
and it is stated by Brigadier General
Bandholtz, who is in personal charge
/ of the rescue work, that it may be
twenty-four hours before it is. defi-
nitely known whether there were 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 1oS with the death in a hospital
of Nary Forsyth, a Washington resi-
! dent.
| Edward H. Shaunessy, second as
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 ssarchers had expor-
| ed almost every portion of the de-
bris-strewn structure without find
ing 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 under
its three-foot load Of snow, probably
will never be known The stories OF
perhaps hundred who got out un-
/ injured account for a few more than
800 in the audience that was roaring
in laughter at filmed comedy when
| the roof fell on them like a blanket,
carrying down the front of the wide
| balcony in its crash.
1 Normally, the. theater has had ev-
cry seat filled at that hour and near
! ly 1000 persens was its capacity.
The same unprecedented snowfall
which brought death to the venture
some few, kept the many at home.
I Street car traffic had been abandon
/ ed and streets and sidewalks were ali
but 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
| ty-fve degrees adding to the tangled
mass of wreckage on the floor be-
| low.
The whole space stood roofless to
\ the sky a moment after the first
kissing. sound Of the breaking roof
gave warning above the music of the
orchestra. There was only one survi-
vor 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. A 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 on. from the
front of the balcony itself Follow
ing the rule of motion picture audi
ences and with an almost emptv
house to pick from, those on the main
! floor had grouped themselves in the
/ 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
cony front came down on the first
| Wreckage with crushing weight.
Those In Rear Escaped
Those farther back on the. mo;n
floor probably all escaped.
The beams that supported the back
end Of the balcony did not let 90
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 twisted mass of rum
IN the fall. There was no wood II
the structure. 1t was all steel and
concrete. but the enormous weight of
the balcony itself was sufficient 10
wind the tortured beams into fantas-
| tic shapes.
| Here again chance played part III
reducing the number Of victims. The
4 front rows of the balcony. four or
five tiers deep, We're known as re-
/ served seats. They were priced
(Contintinued en- Page Two