Cincinnati, OH Opera House Collapse, Oct 1897

FALL OF A THEATRE DOME.

THREE PERSONS KILLED IN A PANIC IN ROBINSON'S OPERA HOUSE IN CINCINNATI.

THIRTY-THREE WERE INJURED.

THE LIGHTS WENT OUT AND THE VICTIMS WERE TRAMPLED UPON IN THE MAD RUSH OF THE AUDIENCE FOR THE EXITS.

Cincinnati, Oct. 15. -- The dome of Robinson's Opera House fell into the orchestra at 8:30 o'clock this evening. Three persons were killed and as far as known thirty-three were injured. Several persons are missing, and the confusion is such that it is not known whether or not they escaped.
The Dead:
MISS LUCY COHEN.
MRS. GEORGE KLEMAN.
An Unknown Man.
Dangerously Injured:
MRS. GOLDMAN.
MARY HAAS.
MRS. STUDDER.
MARY STUDDER.
An Unknown Woman.
Seriously or Slightly Injured:
DELLA ALGEIR and her three children, STANLEY, JOSEPH, and JOHN.
GRACE CONNOR.
CLINT DEAL.
DAISY FAIRHEAD.
S. J. FAIRLAND.
PEARL HALL.
MARY HESS.
MARY HOWE.
FRED JENKS.
S. E. LONG.
W. J. McCABE.
ELLA MOORMAN.
WILLIAM MOTEN.
SAMUEL ROSENBAUM.
CLINT STEEL.
MAGGIE STUDDER.
C. J. WEISS.
AMELIA WEYLE.
JACOB WEYLE.
JOHN WHITE.
T. E. WILEY.
KATE WHITE.
AMELIA WEIL.
The first intimation that there was anything wrong with the roof was at the beginning of the first act. There was a sharp crack, and a piece of the ceiling about a foot long and three inches wide fell into the orchestra from the east side.
The audience looked up, and many started to their feet. But there was no further intimation of trouble.
At the end of the second set the stage hands were setting the scenery for the next act, and little Alice Opie, the child specialist, was in front of the curtain doing her set as the "Yellow Kid" when suddenly the huge dome of the theatre fell with a crash upon the orchestra chairs, a distance of 100 feet.
A panic ensued, and a rush for the exits began. It was in this panic and rush that the three lives were lost and injuries were sustained by persons trampled on by the mad mob.
All the lights in the body of the theatre were extinguished by the breaking of the main electric wire. No sooner had the dome and ceiling of the theatre struck then there arose out of the darkness and the blinding, choking dust the cries and groans of the injured and uninjured in the audience.

New York Times New York 1897-10-16
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Researched and Transcribed by Stu Beitler. Thank you, Stu!