Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-01-31
THEATRE VICTIMS
BURIED IN CAPITAL
First Funerals Held, While Au-
thorities Push Probes
of Disaster
DEATH LIST NOW IS 81
BY the Associated Press

Washington. Ian. ~ .--Ninciv.scv
persons. according to n final and Of
fetal list issued today by the District
Of Columbia authorities. lost their lives
in tho collapse Saturday night Of tho
Knickcrbockcr Theatre. Additions 10
the list. II was said, would result from
the fatal termination Of injuries suf-
fcrcd by other victims.
While the city began burial Of its
dead today. District OF columbia au-
thoriticS pushed their investigation of
tho disaster.
Action on the resolution Of the Son
ate by Senator Capper. Of Kansas. pro-
viding for an investigation by that body
of the disaster probably will be de-
layed n day or two. The resolution has
been reported favorably by the Scna'"
ADULTS and Control Committee. but may
he referred to tho District of Columbia
committee before il is called up on tho
floor.
Members of tho District Of Columbia
committee. it was stated. desire to make
survey of contemplated action by the
district authorities before supporting
IN" Cappcr inquiry.
O: StilI in Hospitals
or tho total Of 133 injured. sixty.two
remained in hospitals today. with n
dozen reported in critical condition. T..
II. ShnughncSsy. Second Assistant
Postmaster General. although included
among these. was said tO be still show.
ing Improvement today.
In addition to an exhaustive invcS-
tigation Of tho disaster being pressed
by the District of Columbia Commits
sioncrs. the Federal Grand Jury. which
visited the scene of tho catastrophe ycs-
tcrdny as the first step in It's invcS-
tigation. was ready today to call tho
first witness in It's efforts TO fix tho
blame.
The COroncr's jury investigating tho
cause Of the deaths has requested the
War. Department TO assign army en-.
gnccrs to make study of tho struc-
turc of the motion picture theatre
which was wrecked when its snow laden
roof cavcd in on hundreds in the audi
CnCC below.
Plan 10 RaZc Walls
Preparations to raZc the walls of tho
theatre were under way today, the
search of the ruins for victims having
been completed Yesterday.
Colonel Charles Keller, engineer
commissioner of the District. held the
opinion today. after a personal survey
of the wrcckagc. that the collapse of the
roof was caused by a defect in ma
tcral and not by fault Of design.
Building Commissioner Healy also be-
licvcd that plans for the roof were
practical and sound.
He said 1t was of the truss type of
construction and n standard design used
to cover large cXpansc of interior
whrrc 1t is desired to avoid the use of
girdcrs and columns as supports. Nir-
tually all of the larger notion picture
houses use the same design, he said.
Reductions III tho death list, which
the police today believed would he final,
resulted from thr tentative elimination
Of names for which the police have been
unable to find any addresses. There
are. moreover. no unidentified bodies
which might account for these, and
careful check of hospitals and undertake
ing establishments had failed TO Cstub-
liSh any victims of these names.
They are ID. y. Walsh. Miss VI. T..
Walsh. Mr.. and Mrs. Russell Maine.
Albert Baker. Paulus Lamby. W. NJ.
Crawford and +. II. Hall. In addi-
tion to these, Miss Gertrude Taylor. of
Washington. was found to have been
reported dead by error. and ErncstO
Naticllo. who was killed. was found
to have been listed again as Ernest
MartcIo.