Evening Star Newspaper, January 30, 1922, Page 2

2 GRAORON CLIB | MOURNSFOR TWO Adopts Tributes for C. C. Brainerd and L. W. Strayer ‘and Asks Investigation. ,A .special meeting of the Gridiron Club_ Was held noon at the New Willaid today to take action upon the dgath of two of its members in the Kuickerhoeker Theater disaster—Vice President ¢, C. Brainerd and former President ‘Louis W. Strayer. Fresi dent James P. Hornaday presided, with J. Harry Cunningham secretary, The meeting adopted a resolution Tequ in the district attorney to disect the grand jury to institute an e investigation into the » of the disaster “with the view uring the indictment and pun- of all persons, whether archi- contractors, owners or officials, found b W 1o be responsible fl)rvlhc ary, inexcusable and crimi- crifice of more than 100 human Funeral Plans. Committees were appointed to _at- tend the funeral ceremonies of the e e District Heads Beg Citizens To Help Avoid Possibility of Flood. ‘The Commiasioners of the Die~ trict of Columbia, through The appeal to the citi- sens of the city to clear the snow from the gutters in front of their respective- homes and from in front of the sewers mear their homes. This will af- ford the melting snow an op- portunity to run oft through the sewer, and will prevent a | clogging of gutters and sewers which in a short time may cnuse Inconvenience and possi- ble danger from flood. NEWSPAPER MEN MOURN DEATH OF L. W. STRAYER One of Able Corps of Correspond- ents Killed in Knickerbocker ) Theater Crash. In the loss of Louls W. Strayer, Washington correspondent of the | Pittsburgh Dispatch, who was killed in the Knickerbocker Theater crash, the local corps of newspaper men lost one of its ublest members. AMr. Strayer's body was removed from’ the wreckage about 9 o'clock Saturday night. He had turned in his last story late that afternoon and had iken daughter Martha to the 1wo members. For the ceremonies of “movies.” Martha lies ‘today at the Mr. Straver the committee consists of | family residence, 1837 California rs. Hall, Ginter, Duann, Corwin, |Street, _wjuh a broken coilar, bone and Bennett, Clabaugh, Brigham, Cun- [ Minor injuries. ningham, Armstrong, Heath, Kauff-| Mr. Strayer, who had been local r and West. For thecorrespondegt for the Pittsburgh Tor Mr. Brainerd the com- | Dispatch since about 1905, was ad- of Messr: Hayden, , Armstrong, Harry Brown, A. N. Brown, Roberts, Good- W nie of Mr. Strayer will be awler's chapel Wednesday 2 o'clock. Subsequently, when his daughter Martha, who was injured in the wreck, is recovered, the body will be ken to Akron, Ohio, for inter- ment. Funeral arrangements for Mr.. Brain- erd await the arrival of relatives from New York, expected to each the city tonight. > Téibutes Adopted. The . resolution adopted in_memor: Mr. Brainerd said in part: shington correspondents Henning, | “He e strong members of the ad 3 reputation that was by no mitted to be one of the.ablest news- paper men in the long list that work in_the National Capital. He was born at Princeton, Ill., May {4 1568. He removed with his parents to Akron, Ohio, in 1881, going through the public schools and the high school of that place. He was graduated from the high school in 1885. He worked as a reporter on Akron papers until 1894, when he went to Pittsburgh, working on papers there as reporter, city editor and news editor. In 1903 he came to Washing- ton as representative of the then Gazette, now the Gazette-Times. which he left two years later to fill a similar position with the Dispatch. in whose employ he was when killed. “Lou? Strayer, as he was widely known, at ene time conducted a party peans o e hose who knew |Of 8chool teachers, guests of his paper, T, Tn ety e Brooklyn | through Europe on a tour. In 1909 he Tagle. by which he had been employ- | V&S elected a member of the Grid- for Lhirty-three vears, regarded |iron Club, and in 1916 he was made im one of the most important | President of the club. He was chair- members of its staff. His dispatchets |man of the music committee at the were widely quoted and_ displayed a | time of hiy death. knowleg public questions and an{ Mr Strayer enjoved the confidence animanee With public men, that, | of ail the men in public life in W added to an inherent tendency to be|iNEton. He was an intimate of Se: P e A e hieh he was op. | tors Boises Penrose and Philander C. posing., must have secured the same confidence and respect from his read- ers that was so freely given by those Who were his daily companions.” Of Mr. Strayer, the resolution re- cited. in part: “The Gridiron Club never experienced a more harmonious 1 enthusiastic season than during 1he presidency of Louis W. Strayer. He inspired thé membership with hi own unseifishness in service, his sprightly wit, his freedom from mal- jce and uncharitableness, and his keep insight regarding public affairs and. public men. Among the fore- most-statesmen he was ioved for his geniality and admired for his abilit He counted many of them as his inti mate - friends. and they profited gireatly by the counsel and advice which he was so competent to give. Some of the important political plans of famous men were the product of his brain. He sought no fame him- self, but he was the creator of fame for other men.” - Mr. Brainerd's Career. Chauncey C. Brainerd, head of the Washington_bureau of the Brooklyn Fagle, was elected vice president of the.Gridiron Club at the annual meet- ang last December. He had been in charge of the Brooklyn Eagle's Washington office since 1911 and had made many friends in official and po- Jitical life during his residence in the National Capital, He was a prolific writer and a frequent contributor to magazines, as well as turning out much work ip the line of fiction. He had been with the Brooklyn Eagle sipee 1889, when he began as pri- vate secrefary to the editor-in-chief, St. Clair McKelway. Mr. Brainerd was born In New York city, April 16, 1874 He volun- teered for the war with Spain and was a veteran of the 23d Regiment, National Guard, Brodklyn. He was a Mason and a member of the National Press Club and the Columbia Country Club, both of Washington. His wife, whom he married in 1903 and who died with him, was Miss Edith Rathbone Jacobs of Mount Ver- non, N. Y., a daughter of the late In- spector Jacobs of the Post Office De- partment. They had no children. - PRESIDENT SENDS SAWYER TO SEE SHAUGHNESSY Assistant Postmaster General Shows Slight Improvement at Hospital. Slight improvement in the condition of ward H. aughnessy, second assistant postmaster general, who ‘was seriously injured in the Knicker- bocker Theater disaster, was reported at the Walter Reed Hospital today, where he wus taken after his rescue from the debris several hours after the roof of the building fell in. He is suffering from a broken pelvis and internal injuries. Mr. Shaughn ¥ was with his wite and daughter Ltuth, ten years of age, at the time of the accident. Mrs, Shaughnessy sustalned a fractured ¥ib, while the girl had both arms broken. The wite and daughter are the Lmergency Hospital, where are expectod to recover. President Harding was o interested in Mr. Shaughnessy's condition that he sent Brig. Gen. Sawyer, shis per- sonal physi to the Walter Reed Hospital, to make direct inquiry. Gen. Sawyer also was instructed to in- quire about gove: nt employes caught in the theater who are under treatment at the nopital, Dr. Hubert Work, first assistant postmaster zeneral and president of the American Medical Association, is on I's way to Washington Irom Pyeblo. Col. in response to a tele- Plone message from Postmaster Gen- efin] Will H. Hays, and is expected to arrive here tomorrow night, FORBIDDEN TO REMOVE : LIQUOR TO RESIDENCE Ll Owners of Intoxicants in Bonded iWarehouses Barred From Use for Beverage Purposes. 1h Owners of liquor stored in.bonded warehouses, even though the liquor is subject to leakage and evaporation, have no constitutional right to re- meve to their residences or personal consumption what remains, the Su- prpme Court today announced in dis- P®ing of several cases. In two of the cases warehouse re- celpts for the liquor were purchased after it had become legally impossi- ble to remove the liquor for beverage purposes, and in two others the own- ers of liquor neglected to remove it during the months allowed for that purpose. The decrees of the lower courts In the cases were affirmed. Solicitor General Beck, in the govern- ent briefs, in these cases referred to “the widespread and reckl jola- tion of the prohibition statute: and predicted that should the courts per- mit the removal of the liquor, much of -the-large quantity now in ware- houses “would be diverted to boot- leggers and other vialaters e¢ the h Knox, and accompanied the latter on all his tours. His wife died several years ago. Besides the daughter, Martha, another daughter, Helen, survives him. He leaves two sisters and a sister-in-law. The sisters are Mrs. J. C. Pierson and Mrs. O. A. Patterson, both of this city. The sister-in-law is Miss Emma James of Akron. COL. AND MRS. TUCKER . DIE TOGETHER IN CRASH Col. and Mrs. Charles C. Tucker of 2117 Connecticut avenue lost their lives in_the Knickerbocker crash. Their bodies have been recovered and funeral arrangements are being made. Col. Tu‘ker was a native of this city and in his early life was a page in the House of Representatives. Subsequently admitted to the Dis- trict_bar he served as recorder of the Court of Appeals and afterward was assoclated with Henry E. Davis and then with Kenyvon & Macfarland. During the world war he served in the judge advocate general's depari- ment of the Army. Since then he had been associated ‘with R. G. Donald- son. In 1899 he married Miss H. Zimmerman of Baltimore, who also rendered war service as a member of the Motor Corps. They are survived by two daughters, Mrs. Elizabeth Andrews and Miss Jean T. Tucker. POLICE HEAD PRAISES WORK OF FORCE AT WRECK Inspector Daniel Sullivan, acting superintendent of police, who was in charge of the police activities Sat- urday night and Sunday morning, commended his ‘men in high terms in a report made by him to Commission- er Oyster today. “The work done by the members of the police department,” Inspector acted in a highly intelligent, coura- geous and energetic manner. I want to take this opportunity to publicly praise them.” The inspector also paid a tribute to the work done by the fire department, the soldi¢rs, sailors and marines and all others engaged in the rescue and relief work. e {PRESIDENT GIVES UP RECEPTION PLANS (Continued from First Page.) that the occasion would be a merry one. “The living horrors of Saturday night and the grief and sorrow in which the city is shrouded today lies too heavy on the hearts of all to make merry. “The members of the Grand Army of the Republic having seen more personal horrors than® almost amy other element of society have a chord of sentiment which responds quickiy {and deeply to the misfortunes of {others. Men who have seen their dear i comrades of yesterday lying as colq senseless clay today have had thelr emotions stirred to the last limit and developed a sympathy that is quick and intense. | ““Tneretore. with one accord, tney have decided to abandon the banquet and reception which was to be given | this "evening to thelr beloved rome of Brooklyn, N. Y. They cannot sing the old songs of the march and the biv- ouac on hearts as heavy as theirs and those all around them today.” Other Affairs Postponed. As a mark of sympathy in the great calamity that has overwhelmed Wash- ington the officers of the District of Cojumbia Commandery of the Mili- tary Order of the Loyal Legion have bration and banquet of the.,command- ery's fortieth anniversary. The ban- |quet was to have been held Wednes- day evening, February 1. Friendship House benefit bridge that was to be given Tuesday, January 31, at Library, Chevy Chase, Md., has been postponed until Friday, February 1at2pm. The dinner which the Attorney Gen- eral and Mrs. Daugherty had arranged to give in honor of the President and Mrs. Harding on Wednesday evening, February 1, has been postponed to a future date by the President. The postponement is on account of the deep sorrow prevailing, especially in this city, and generally throughout the country, because of the Knicker- bocker Theater disaster resulting in a loss of more than 100 lives and in- jury to many. The concert by Susie's Kitchen Band of the First Presbyterian Church, which was scheduled to be given at the Ebbitt Hotel tomorrow night, today was indefinitely post- poned on account of the Knicker- bocker disaster. More than 800 mem- bers of the church were patrons of the concert. The directors of the Rotary Club today decided to omit their regular luncheon meeting at 12:30 o'clock ‘Wednesday, but will meet at 2 o'clock at the New Willard Hotel. That meet- ing will be in charge of Rev. C. T. ‘Warner and will be in the nature of & memorial to those who lost their lives in the Knickerbocken Theater Sullivan reported, “was spiendid. They | mander-in-chief, Gen. Lewis S. Plicher, | postponed until a later date the cele-{ THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C., MONDAY, JANUARY 30, 1922 THOUSANDS WATCH THEATER RESCUE WORK FROM DISTANCE. Scene in the vicinity of the Knickerbocker Theater yesterday, when police men, soldiers, sallors, marines and civilians were enguged in removing the dead, Injured and wreckage. The il ated theater is shown on the extreme right. FOUR SEPARATE PROBES (Continued from t Pase.) ation by the coroner or the District | government. thought that the sphere of a ite investigation should cover the matter as to what legislation Is needed to correct an evils which may have been responsi- ble for the Knickerbocker disaster. Senator Capper intends to press his He resolution for an investigation into the disaster and particularly the |phase witich points, 2 < to in- formation in his possession. to laxity on the part of the officials of the building department of the District of Columbia. While he may defer to the opinion of Senator Ball that such an investi- gation should not precede the official one on the part of the local govern- ment, he believes that an investiga- tion should be made by the Senate committee. House For An Investigation. Pledge that the lower House of Con- { gress wiil stand behind the public de- mand for a prompt and complete in- vestigation was given by House Leader Mondell when the House met He said: have all been very greatly i shocked and saddened by the fright- ful catastrophe which occurred the i Knickerbocker Theater in this city | Suturday evening. We are all anx- {ious to do everything that we can to Irelieve the injured, to aid and com- | fort those who mourn the loss of friends and to_ prevent, if possible, recurrence of like catastrophes. number of gentlemen have asked me { whether the House was going to or- {der an investigation. 1 have suggestea to them that inas- I much as under the law there must ! be a thorough investigation or should be by the coroner's jury, and inas- much as the District Commissioners have given notice that they intend to make a thorough investigation of the { matter, and that the District Engi- neer Commissioner has given out that he intends to very thoroughly investi- gate the question of the character of { the building, it would not be well | for the Congress to begin an investi- { gation until these official bodies di- rectly responsible shall have under- taken and considered the investiga- tions they are proposing to make. “In the meantime, from conversa {tion with the ch“ ‘man of the com- i mittees on the District of Colum- ia, Mr. Focht, as well as other mem- of that committee, it is my un- { derstanding that the District com- {mittee is proposing to keep closely iin touch with the investigations that are being made, and if at any time it i seems proper and wise for that com- mittee to take up the matter to in- vestigate' it on its own account. it will do so. Until the District com- mittee shail have considered it wise land proper that an investigation | Should be begun by Congress, I imag- {ine that nothing will be undertaken by this body.” Thorough Probe Promised. The District Commissioners did not {indicate today when ‘they would ! v | start their investigation into the | kerbocker disaster. They did !aay, however, with much emphasis, that the probe would be a most thor- ough one and every effort will be made to determine the cause and, if possible, to place the responsibility. In the meantime the Commission- ers are considering all the details in thelr possession regarding the cave- in and are reviewing the plans from which the Knickerbocker Theater Was constructed. Besides this they are conferring with representatives of various departments whose offices | have any relation to the building of heater, its subsequent operation :‘;:1 twlth the disaster ftself. The plans for the Knickerbocker Theater show that R. W. Geare of 327 Woodward building__ was the architect and Frank L. Wagner the builder. The names of George T. Smallwood and John I. Cassidy ap- pear as the owners at that time. The application was made by Mr. Geare in October, 1916. According to the permit the building was to cosé $80,000, ‘was to be constructed of brick, terra cotta, concrete and steel, to be three stories in height and to have & flag roof with truss supports. It is shown further that the dimen- sions are 137.94 feet frontage on 18th street and 157 feet on Columbla road. Citisens Approve Plans. Thomas L. Costigan, now assistant superintendent of street cleaning, was the inspector representing the bulld- ing department who inspected the plans prior to the issuance of the permit and upon whose vote “0. K.” the permit was signed by the building inspector. Mr. Costigan today said that he does not remember any of the details concerning the plan, but that he is positive that every requirement of the law of the District was com- plied with. Maj. E. G. Curtis, then an émploye of the building inspector’s office, was the inspector of buildings during its con- struction and who made dally reports regarding the work. He has since died. A. J. Seldon, another employe of the building inspector’s office, who passed upon the completed building,. moved to Florida seven years ago. Ceoroner Begins Inquiry. Dr. J. Ramsay Nevitt, District cor- oner, late this afternon will formally begin an investigition of the acci- dent when ha swears j & jury over N ARE STARTED AT ONCE TO FIX RESPONSIBILITY I the body of Miss Mary Ethel Atkin- | s0) thirty-five years old, 3 1xth street, at the undertaking establish- ment of A. R. Speare, 1208 H street, where the body who will compose the jury Iliam W. Riley, lumber dealer; D. Long, retired Marine Corps R. C. Brown, paint dealer at 1 7th and N strects; C. J. Gilbert, man- ager of the Hugh Reilly Paint Com- : M. W. Kelly, Washington Gas Company employe, and M. A. Winter, M. A. Winter Company, U | street between 14th and 15th streets. |”The six men, who will compose the | jury, were sworn over the body of Mrs. Edna White, who was killed in |an automobile accident at Ashmead place and Kalorama ad two weeks ,ago, and District officials today ex- | pressed themselves as being particu- |larly well pleased that the jury al- ready had been selected, eliminating | any cause for complaint that proper ! | care was not taken in its selection | for this inqguiry. When coroner and jurors meet, the former will tell the latter of the iden- ! tity of the body and swear them to | diligently inquire when, where and how and by what means Miss Atkin- son came to her death and to make a Ilruo inquisition according to the evidence. It is posible that the inquest will be held,in the boardroom of the Dis- trict building_Tuesday morning of | next week. “The ti will tfinitely fixed later the | This morning the coroner conferred n week. Al with Commissioner James F, Oyster respecting the Commis. sioner Oyster fullest investigation of the accident made, gave permision for the use of the boardroom and said he would gladly confer with the coroner at any time ‘about the affair. Part Police Will Take. Coroner Nevitt this morning con- ferred with Inspector Daniel Sullivan, acting superintendent of police, rel- ative to the part the police are ex- ! pected to take in the Investigation. He requested that police of the tenth pretinct be directed to prepare a complete report of the accident and | furnish a list of the witnesses who may have definite and relevant knowledge of the accident. Dr. itt also requested Inspector Sullivan to communicate with the building inspector in order to have representatives of his aepartment conduct a thorough investigation and inquest. taken shortly | after being taken from the building. | be de-| said he wanted the: (Continued from First Page.) | —— = = | soldiers, marines, police and'firemen handling huge chunks of cement, | brick, girders and general wreckage | from ‘'man to man, the scene of the | awful calamity is this afternoon ! fairly well cleared away. | Hundreds of policemen, firemen, sol- | diers, marines, doctors, nurses and | naval dispensary outfits worked tire- | lessly in relays, all unregardful of their own physical weariness, about the theater and in the adjacent r. lief stations and the temporary dress- | !ing station and morgue in the Chris- | | tian Science Church. | | The herculean task of clearing | jaway the debris so that the rescue {work could proceed with order pro- | y8ressed with much greater dispatch | after the entire force. which had pre- viously been doing its best tn small | 1units without central authority, was | reorganized yesterday morning about | 9 o'clock under the direction of Maj. | IC. P. George, commanding the 3d [ Fleld Artillerv at Fort Myer, with Maj. Patton relieving him. Rescue Work Better Organized. The great force of men trained to act under command—the police, fires | jmen. Army; Navy, Marine Corps and ! public health service men, from Wal- | lter Reed, the Bolling Flying Field, | Fort Myer and from every service station near Washington, threw them- | elves into the task of rescue with | much more zeal as soon as they real- | ized that orders were being given and | the work progressing according to | a definite plan. In the earlier hours ! it was heart-rending to see great piles of reinforced cement and other wreckage thrown hastily from one | place, where, with picka: sledge ' and | a few hours' rest and a ing on the scene. It is probable that the coroner will not have a complete list of the dead | until tomorrow or Wednesday. Yes- ! terday he issued many death certifi- | cates as soon as bodies were identi- | fled. He was unable to complete rec- ords in the cases of those whose! bodies were hurried from the scene, | however, and will complete the work | when undertakers are ready to apply for burial permits. Dr. Nevitt was at the morgue this | afternoon to fill blanks presented by | jundertakers. Early this morning he | }sent word to the undertakers that he |would be on hand at the morgue at in appear- | 101 KILLED, IS FINAL DEATH TOLL REPORTED | IN THEATER DISASTER hammers, axes. hacksaws, acetylene torches and wire-entanglement clip- pers, men were working feverishly to release a burlfed man or woman piled above the spot where some other vic- tim was probably buried. That was the most disheartening feature of the early fight for lives. Thorough Search Made. From 9 o'clock last night until 7 o'clock this morning a detachmen: of seventy “leathernecks” from marine barracks, commanded by Maj. Wil- liam Bevan, shoveled and hauled the great mass of debris from the .nte- rior of the structure, making a hur- ried search and reconnoiter of prac- tically, every nook and corner of the building. At every possible opcning holes were made and men crawled in to vell encouragement to any who might be within hearing. Capt. John E. Wood. assistant en- gineer commissioner, who represented the city government at the scene throughout the night, said he felt |sure that there were no more bodies in_the ruins. Both he and Engineer Commissioner Keller, who returned to the scene at | 6 o'clock this morning. stated. how- ever, that one or two bodies might Le unearthed as the last of the wrech- age is cleaned out. The bellef of the city officials that practically all of the dead have been removed was borne out by the fact] that no one called at the improvised morgue in the Christ Scientist Church from 9 o'clock last night until 6 o'clock this morning to reporta friend or relative missing. Earlier in the evening between fif- teen and twenty persons visited the church to see if friends or relatives were among the dead. In most of these cases, however, the seekers had _———B——YVYYSS.,—_—,—,,—,,,_—_—_—_—_—Y¥—Y—————YYYAYAYAYAoAYND ernment will be represented by Ma. Peyton Gordon, District attorney, gr one of his assistants, while the Dis- trict will be represented by Corpora- vion Counsel F. H. Stephens or one of his assistants. Relatives of numerous victims of the crash are expected to have legal representatives on hand to listen to the proceedings and the theater management also will be rep- resented. - Federal and District officials will arrange for stenographic copies of the testimony taken at the inquest. Copies of it will be furnished the federal and District prosecutors and it may be used in event of a grand jury investigation of the affair. Ifiscussing the question of serlous be prepared to assist in enlightening |12:30 o'clock to meet them. Several|accidents in the District of Columbia, may reach a proper verdict. It was only equipment, reached the scene of the disaster. He and his wife had in- tended attending Saturday night's performance, changing their minds at the last minute, and it was but a short while after they decided not to go_that they learned of the disaster. Dr. Nevitt was able to give first aid to a number of persons who were brought from the building soon after the crash. He remained in attendance upon the injured throughout the night, returning home vesterday for rme photograpk shows Maj. C. P. George of the 34 Commissioner in cemter; Engineer probably will wait until tomorrow to | a few minutes after the | have their blanks filled in order that| at Terra Cotta many years ago. crash that Dr. Nevitt, with first-aid | they will be accepted by the health|that accident, he pointed out. while | department. Coroner Nevitt requested permission | {to use the boardroom in the District | bullding, because of inadequate ac-' commodations at the District morgue, | Where inquests usually are held. He realized that various interests will be represented by counsel, and it is be- lieved a score or more of legal lights | will be on hand. ‘ U. 8. o Be Represented. It 18 certain that the federal goy- DIRECT RESCUE WORK AT THE KNICKERBOCKER. the jury in order that the six men | undertakers were on hand, and others Coroner Nevitt this morning men- tioned the Terra Cotta railroad wreck In the number of deaths was not as great as in the theater disaster, bodies of victims were more fright- fully mangled. Victims of the railroad disaster were mangled, many of them beyond recognition, while those killed in Saturday night's disaster were not 80 terribly disfigured. Persons who assisted in getting bodies from the wreckage expressed surprise that a comparatively few bodies were made|comfortable as circumstances would ! anything like unrecognizable. SOCIAL AGENCIES COUNCIL IS READY TO ASSIST THOSE NEEDING HELP In this time of emergency, it was announced today, Newbold' Noyes, as president of the Council of So- cial Agencies, wishes t express to the community the readiness and desire of the council to advise any individuals wishing to be of serv- ice or any agencies needing addi- tional help. The council can be reached by phone, Main 648. Its office is at 1413 G street northwest. no definite knowledge that the per- sons they were sceking had been to the Knickerbocker Saturday night. | Rescue Efforts Commended. Col. Keller took occasion early to- day to express his appreciation of the fearless and tireless service rendered by all branches of the military serv-| ice in combing the ruins for the dead and injured. “Without the military service,” aid | John Bonzano, the papal delegate, en- tered the ruined theater, knee deep in the snow that covered all, and for the benefit of the dying around him he save a genéral absolution and the final rites of the church to the dying. Then he plunged into the rescue work. Four lother Catholic priests hurried from one vescue hole to another to bring com- fort to the dying. Speedy Red Cross Work. Notable was the speed of the Red Cross organization, whose local chap- ters forced their way to the theater #it6 across a city whose normal trans- portation lines had been paralyzed in the snow, and et up canteens for the \\‘m‘nt S, hospital faciliue: for the wounded and ambulances for the dead tnd the fnjured who had to reach op- Ating ceinters. Scores of sur 4 nurses answered their summons Wwith instant speed, and their succor both saved the lives of the victims and sustained the unflagging zeal of the T . _The cleaning out of the wreckage Juas expedited’ by the use of acety- e hes. The fire department hi one such torch, but was delay. Col. Keller, “our task would haveia long time from using it . been hopeless, for we could notiit is under the personal operation of have hired labor to dig through thelthe deputy fire ch When work mass of concrete, steel and other | with the torches was started s debris, -as the soidiers, sallors and|had to be used with the utmost cai. marines did" m because there was extrems No civilian could peer into the four dinger that when the burned roofless walls of the structure lasti night without feeling proud of those | husky, robust marines, who were in there pulling and hauling with all their strength to get to every cor- ner of the building in search for| bodies. ‘With the gigantic task of rescue now well along, Col. Keller and offi- cials of the building inspector’s of- | fice now will turn their attention :n] a study of the plans of the w t-(-k.llv theater to see if they can find there | any possible light on the qu on of why the roof caved in. May Tear Walls Down. Col. Keller stated this morning th: up to this time he had concerned himself more with the problem of ex- tricating wounded and dead than with the question of the cause of | the disaster. “As soon as we are absolutely sure there are no more bodies in thr wreckage we will relieve the troops and rope off what remains of the building,” the colonel said. “It seems almost certain that the Columbia road wall will have to b. taken down and we also probably will order the owner to take down the marquise over the 1&th street entrance.” No Inquest for Week. Coroner Nevitt, before leaving temporary morgue in the church 1 night, announced that he would sw in a coroner's jury over one of th bodies today. but that no attempt wi be made to hold the inquest fo about a week. The corone sumably, will await the gathering of data that might give some clue as to what caused the roof Lo give way Frequently throughout the night r through th heavymesh steel cables and Ui screening beneath the slabs of plaster they would also tor- ture the jmprisoned victimes Workefs from the navy ed of very great ¥ ing these torches, brouzht from the n among the first 10 entanglements, ing a way for more advantageously the tremendous weig rd prov- in operat- veral wers A and were ay the met not only ope rescuers to d but in reducing t pressing down loon the vietims p bencath, Rexcuers Endanger Lives. ldiers, sailor: ines and vol- Mecers who 1 tehers, and b nd still {in work blocks fron. 1h | tian Science their heav snowbanks, ned e the E living, never stopp For the coupl theater to the Chris- reh they toiled witi . stumbling througl Spowbanks. falliig oecussionally 3 t en into slippe; v mocks by the crowd of lnxmx:-y :‘i;‘:l - sunds that gathered about the scen hours of the rescue work that the While it was feared in the earlier walls of the theater might fall 1n, burying the rescucrs and thus piling up the havoc, thos ged in a s ores of Vi L de preme ry life po ble ne thought their . and whene jreminded of it woulgy brush the son giving a £ imp ide. k nergency work by th and firemen d 1o s i {side walls as much as {kuards stationed H Y every moment Ve warning of the walls cracking the marines were Bigging feveri into the wreckage, Feports w gain circulation that another body was in sight. Although all nf these rumors proved _groundiess, they Served to spur the sea-dogs on to greater effort. Marines today gold watch, with a d back and the initials also found a lady's bew containing a handkerchief, found a woman’ iamond set in the M. G." The ed_hand-bag with = A1y mangled that it will have to be Number in Theater in Doubt. exact number the theater {when nd concrete gpan o ‘ilhc roof buckled und fell under {three-foot load of snow probably wii |never be known. The stories of per- haps a hundred who got out uninjured | have reported. These accour {for a few more that 300 in the wat wits roaring in laugh in monogram which appeared to be Iy when the roof f 3 gy like @ blanket. carrying dow B o Dot women's coats efd furs!the front of the wide Daleony in ite and men's felt hats were dug from |cragh, the ruins. Only one )}.{u( d eligidble url;\mll the theater has had every i ey were “R. ed 2 o and p: ‘",'\":L"mlr,“.,’c men from police h;fl‘? 000 per: bl n‘:« \1-\;;.“;."11(3-“( This quarters. u,r(l;ler hfineclt;;: ";’;‘,‘r‘"‘;mg;‘ same unpree ;]rmenl ]uuuvx(un which working, A to the venturesome :’r:::zue since Saturday night "many at home. Street lishing_identifications, guiding bad_becn abandoned aud tives and friends, endeavoring to find IS e heen abandonsaiied missing persons, and gathering ¥al|impassible with drifts. D [here S « i 01 uables from the bodies O e ‘en- | There has been no time as yet for whicl (Dlaced In fate for theoficial inquiry as to the cause of the velopes ‘to keep them {disaster. The ruins themselves dis- tasmill:: ot 1‘:1;":'9"0‘ "ot the Red Cross | lose. however, that the entire muss Scores Of O o remained at the | 0f siecl-held eancrete that formed the and other Yolan he soda fountain in roof had come down. The crasl church and I D ®omd in nearby |Swept the supports out from the theater lobb¥ &0 jna Sundavithe baicony, apparentlys and e serving hot coffee and sand- wed n at an angle of 45 de- iR - to the workmen dding to the tangled mass of wiches wreckage on the floor below. Whole Familfes Killed. e cala - is the feature of the calamity is t Ont:er of families that died together. nury ogetl ond instance of a father. son and Soughter: another instance of a A Cmother and two daughters. | epeated instanccs of husb: dug out clasped in each other’s ‘lnffi Another and far happier fealur.e ‘\er. the fact that there were =0 few chil- dren in_the theater when lhevronf fcll, and there have been only or two cases where reports were culated that children had been bur In their hours of suffering oftentimes with their dying bre: parents pinned beneath the fallen roof sped out: > fi lgillafl‘; girl at home!'—or “Oh, I'm = grateful my tittle boy is all right e mother ol 2:; moaning, “Oh, they say m: son's leg is broken' St cir- fed. “Thank God, 1 left my | : Description of Auditorfum. | The bLuilding stands in an acute tangled corner at 1Sth street and Co- {lumbia ra w the heart of the most favored residence section of The narrow niche of the on which the screen wag hung backed: into the corner angle, e 1o the left from the stage, the the auditorium wall runs in = - for some 200 feet do To the right, the wall follows the slow curve of Columbii {road for about the same distance, and lat the far end. paralleling the stage {front, the back wall completes the auditorium proper, also about 200 feet in length. Most of the bedies were recovered - pit beneath the balcony or from the itself. . Following i {the city. | stage twas i [w i iline i 115th stre kage of th front of the bal their lives that the work of rescuink . ) " 1. i 1otion picture audiences others might be speeded. Onf, Sufl|with an almost empty house to' pick hero was Arl!br:retmfluvgh:"am;e the § frem. those on the main floor had Portner nguy from himself and“’r uped themselv in the rows of rescuers 3 pleaded with them to help a voung Woman nearby, saying he was all right and could hold out for days if n sary. He was taken out alive. but dled while being given first-aid treat- ment for his injuries. Pitiful Scenes in Church. | irst Church of Christ, Scien- uu’“ecz‘;;mm- road and Euclid street, | a magnificent marble structure, was | thrown open for use in any capacity | 1o help out in the terrible situation.| There scores of nurses and a dozen | doctors treated the victims as fast as they could be dug out and borne away on stretchers. Three other; rooms were used as morgues, to which | the bodles were removed as fast a the doctors pronounced life extinct. In a dozen ambulances, and even with | the stretchers laid on the snow- crushed pavement, scores of doctors knelt in the snow feeling for even! the slightest spark of life, and direct- | ing the work of making those with broken limbs or badly crushed as permit. There were heartrending scenes in the basement of the church as chil- dren recognized dead parents or as} wives learned that they had lost{ their husbands. For the most part the survivors bore their own be- reavement with admirable fortitude, thinking only of doing all they could for the victims, and having the bodles | they claimed removed as soon as pos- sible to make room for the others being borne in. Remarkable Rescue. One of the most remarkable rescues was that of Scott Montgomery, who | was taken out at 8:20 Sunday morn- ing, after having been pinned beneath an iron girder for more than eleven | hours. He died four hours later at| ‘Walter Reed Hospital, however. He was given morphine while under the wreckage by a physician who had to crawl quite a distance to him. Miss Veronica Murphy of 18 0 California street, whom Montgomery accom- panied to the theater, also is among the dead. A five-year-old girl was found un- hurt, seated between the bodies’ of two dead women. The child, appar- ently undisturbed, was so quickly grabbed and carried away to be cared for by one of the rescuers that her name was not learned. Her life evi- dently was saved by her falling be- tween the seats and the protection given her by the two women who were killed by her side. Miss Caroline Upshaw, niece of Rep- resentative Upshaw of Georgia, had one foot cut off and the other so bad- amputat ‘Ten college students, liv- ing at the §. A..B. fraternity house at 3320 16th street, have volunteered their services for blood transfusion, which may be necessary to Miss Up- shaw's recovery. Some of the dead were alive when rescue work began, but died before the saving hands could reach them. One girl child, pinned under a beam, died with bo(l'\mhllldldlin lthlonhof ln‘ Army -, who was directing her release. OHgne: ‘man, pinned beside his dead wife, was freed from pain with hypodermic needle and survived the long night to a safe removal. A moment after the crash Father 'John Floerach, secretary to Very Rev. | wr, 1 3¢ ts just below the front of the alcony They were back far enough to see well, and the front and back rows were almost empty. i Sat in Danger Point. ! 30 the point they had chosen the danger proved to be just double. Few of those scated there could huve ped. Even if the fulling conc slabs and steel work of the roof missed them the solid mass of th « down on the fi hing weight. The ming brass rail that adorned the front lay spread over- the kage of the roof fifteen feet low when rescuers reached the scenc. Those farther back on the main floor probably all escaped. The beam tha suppor! the back end of th balcony did not let go their cluteh on the wall. The wide sweep of seats they supported tilted down until the wreckage took the weight of the front end, then stood covering the back rows of the main floor like a tent. The front rows of the balcony were ground to a twisted mass of ruin in the fall. There was no wood in the structure. It was all steel and con- crete, but the enormous weight of the balcony was itself sufficient to wind the tortured beams into fan- tastic shapes. Chance Plays Part Again. Here again chance played a part in reducing the number of victims. The front rows of the balcony, four or fiv. tlers deep, were known as “reserved” ts. They were priced above the succeeding rows and, except when the house was jammed, commonly were not all occupied. With the small at- tendance of Saturday night, probably only a few had paid the extra price for these seats, preferring to sit far-. ther back in the balcony. And many of these behind scrambled up the steep slope of the Sallen balcony to safety, although many were struck down in the first blow when the roof came in. Some were hurled down into the pit wreckage when the balcony front fell, and even some of these escaped with bruises. There is no record, however, of any survivor among those in the foremost balcony seats. Frantic calls for aid went out am soon as those in the double-walled Structures which form the 18th street and back wall of the auditorium real- ized what had happened. These two wings form the offices, a store along the 18th street front and house the stairways and the approaches and exits both on that side and along the back wall and they were not in- volved in the disaster which was con- fined to the auditorium itself. Later this store and corridors became the first aid stations as the mangled victims were dragged from the wreck- age. baleony wle: bulcony —_— The rcreption whica was to have been given to the Vice President and Mrs. Coolidge _this evening at the Con- gressional Club has been called off on account of the Knickerbocker Theater disaster, Mrs. Harry Woodyard, chair- man of the entertainment committes, has announced.