The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1922-01-30
HEAVY SNOW ON ROOF
CAUSE OF ACCIDENT
Audience of 300, Roaring with
Laughter while Comedy Film
Is Being Shown, Instantly
Blanketed by Debris of Twist
ed Girders and Shattered Tim
bers. ,

Washington, Jan. 30 tBy the A,
socisted Press Tho death toll from
the Knickerbocker theatre accident
Saturday uigbt was Increased TO l0s
today by the death OF Miss Mary
FORSYTH, resident of Washington,
st ono OF the city hospitals. one
hundred and thirty.three arc known
to have been injured
rBy daylight searchers had AZ.
plured almost every nook and corner
II the debris without finding any
more bodies and II Is believed that
any further Increase in tho numbe:
o. deaths would result from the pass
Ing out OF injured, many o. whom
arc In serious condition.
The marines who were rushed =
the scene a few hours after the &C,
cIdeut wero. withdrawn before dawn
and the soldiers who struggled
througl miles OF snow tom Fort
Meyer Saturday night began leaving
today
Two house OF representatives OF
pages, Leverne Sprou nephew of
Representative Sprou. and Cutler
Latin, both OF Chicago, we're among
the killed.
An invest CATION o. the accident by
. senate committee was proposed IN
=, resolution Introduced this morning
by Senator. Capper republican OF
Kansas. a menDer OF the senate Dis
trict OF Columbia committee.
Under the rules the resolution was
referred to TIE committee OF audits
0ud control.
Supporting the resolution. Senator
ughuIsen. republican. Of New
Jersey. said that the investigation
ehoud be widespread and should in
clude the entire district. The gov
ernment, he added. knew from per
soma knowledge that many buildings
In Washington we're fire traps which
IT. any time might be destroyed with
the loss Of many Ives.
II Is stated that the committee pre-
pared TO act today Oh n resolution
which declared that whiln the snow
was extraordinary IN quantity We
explanation that the unusual weight
on the roof was the chief cause OF
the collapse appears TO TO unsatIs.
factory.
Washington. jan 20 one hun.
drcd and twelve lives were lost IN
the kuickerbocker theatre last night
when tho roof, weighted by moro
an two feet of SNOW, collapsed AMI
buried patrons OF the house under a
crushing blanket O. concrete, plaster
and steel, according to unofficial. but
carefully checked records
Nincty-two o. the victims had
l,een ident' fed when the force of
volunteer workers. tweutyfour hours
sitter the disaster. approached t1e
Und OF their long search oC tho
debris. Nine additional bodies Of
those who had succumbed to iniur.
tcT after rescue lay In city hospitals,
At least a number equal to the
killed. suffered injuries, in many
cases suCl that the victims II they
recover will be manned for life The
list OF the injured total'ed 1874 to-
night aud Of these fourteen wero
recorded as having serious hurts
Without red TO their own risk,
Holdiers. marines, sailors, police, fire.
men and citizon volunteers had
fought taeir way beneath the wreck
age over practically the whole floor
space OF the auditorium.
The exact number In the theatre
when the steel and concrete root
buckled and fell under ts three foot
load o. snow probably never wi
bo known. 1ie stories OF perhaps
hundred who got out uulniured
have been reported These account
for few moro than 600 In tho audi
Clice that was roaring IN laughter
At a flm comedy when the roof fell
10 them like blanket carrying
down the front OF the vide balcony
in It's crash
Normally the theatre has had every
seat 1lled at that hour and nearly
1000 persons was It's capacity The
same unprecedented snowfall which
brought dea'A 20 the yeuturesome
few, kept the many OF home. Street
car traffic had been abandoned and
atreets nnd sidewalks we're all but
impossible With drifts.
The building stands IN aa acute
aneled corner OF Eighteenth street
and Columbia road, northwest. the
heart OF nc most favored residence
section Of tho city The narrow
niche OF the stage on which the
screen was hung was backed into
the corner angle. while 10 so LEFT
from the stage, the limo Of the audi
torium wall runs IN q straightlm,