Sept. 18, 1906 (Tuesday)

SOMETIMES, THE SHOW MUST NOT GO ON: There was plenty of drama last night at the new Astor Theater at Broadway and 45th Street. A crowd of about 1,500 was on hand for the opening of the theater. The show was supposed to open with "A Midsummer Night's Dream." However, mischief reigned, instead. The city fire department refused to allow the show to go on because the water pump did not produce enough pressure to properly fight any fire that might break out in the building. It was supposed to have 250 pounds of pressure. The theater owners claimed it could generate 450 pounds. A last-minute test revealed a 60-pound reading. This marks the third delay for the opening of the theater. The first was Aug. 28; the second was Sept. 12. The show features Annie Russell as Puck (there she is at the left in that role). She was the one who created the role of Barbara Undershaft in George Bernard Shaw's "Major Barbara."

GUNNING FOR SOME ATTENTION IN IOWA: Word has just filtered east about a sham battle that nearly turned deadly last Thursday or Friday at the county fair in Grundy Center, Iowa. Part of the festivities included a battle between militiamen and veterans -- using blank cartridges. Evidently, not enough veterans were on hand, so authorities recruited some young society men from Grundy Center to grab some firearms and join in the fun. After a few shots, Capt. Whipple of Company G of the militia fell to the ground, wounded in his knee. Then Lt. Sanders, Corporal Clark and some privates fell to the ground and cried out that they had been wounded. The "society men" recruits kept firing until their guns were taken from them, and cooler heads prevented a bayonet charge by the real soldiers. An investigation has begun. The preliminary word is that the young men of Grundy Center were pretty upset that the uniformed militiamen -- from the town of Vinton -- had received too much attention from the young women of their town. They figured one way to get even: Load their shotguns with real powder and shot.