The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1881-04-02 00:00:00

THE BURNING OF THE OPERA-HOUSE

AT NICE.

A correspondent of the Globe sends from Paris the follow-
ing detailed account:of the lamentable burning of the
Opera house at Nice :
"According to those who escaped, no words can
describe the horror of the scene which ensued in the
dark lobbies while the flames were licking the
proscenium, and the heavy smoke from the burning
scenery was gradually stifling those who were trying
in vain to force their way onwards through doors
blocked up with the bodies of those who had fallen
down fainting to be trampled under foot. Colonel
Fischer, who commanded the 111th Regiment,
stationed at Nice, was in the theatre with
his wife and daughter. Providentially all three
managed to make their escape, but the colonel's
sword, left in the box' has since been found
in a half molten state. Madame Bianca Donadia,
the prima, donna in whose honour Lucia di
Lammermoor was being sung, had just left the
stage when the explosion took place. She did not
know her way about the theatre, but surprised
in the dark by the first rush of affrighted
chorus singers, she was literally carried out into
the street before she knew where she was. Other of
her colleagues were not so fortunate, for a number of
them are still missing, though it may fairly be conjec-
tured that the majority have been taken into the
houses of people in the neighbourhood where their
hurts are being attended to, and where they are re-
covering from the shock they have received. The
basso Cottoni's body has been identified, and fears are
entertained that the tenor has shared the same fate.
Signor Cottini was a young and promising singer. It
was not the first time he had been under fire, for he
was very nearly burnt to death in the conflagration at
the Thatre des Arts at Rouen. He was to have taken
the part of the Ghost in Hamlet on that occasion, and
he was compelled in his full suit of armour to jump
from a second floor window into the street. He was
caught on some mattresses, but he was so much hurt
and shaken that very slight hopes were entertained of
his recovery. He did get well, but fate appears to
have marked him out as the victim of the devouring
element, for, after escaping at Rouen, he was burnt to
death at Nice.
"The sailors from the fleet now in port for the pur-
pose of being present at and taking part in the organi-
zation of the Mi-Careme, rendered signal service,
rivalling with the detachments of the 111th Regi-
ment in their endeavours to save life. Parties of
volunteers offered their services for the exploration
of the still smoking ruins, and the people of Nice
can say that no human life was lost which
could have been saved by any daring or heroism on
the part of those who performed prodigies of valour.
Sailors swarmed like cats along the narrow cornices,
aiding the people pent up behind the windows in
making their escape, but they could not break down
the stout, iron-clamped, oaken doors, opening inwards,
and doubly locked, which were meant offer addi-
tional means of egress in the event of any fire. Two
soldiers dashed right into the thick volumes of smoke
to drag out a woman who, mad with excitement, at-
tempted to make her way into the burning theatre to
find her two children and their father. One of the
sailors in trying to work his hose lost his balance and
fell into the fire, but was immediately rescued,
though severely injured, by two of his comrades.
The French and American sailors were the first
to enter the burning house and endeavoured to free
the doorway, dragging away by main force the
bodies of those who were being trampled on by others
in their eagerness to escape. Eye witnesses describe
the scene as horrible in the extreme. The air was
heavy with the pungent smell of burning human re-
mains, and many of the volunteers fainted away when
they got inside te house and climbed up to that narrow
staircase which led to the fourth gallery. The unfor-
tunate victims in their haste to escape had formed a
regular barricade of human bodies, and stopped the
passage. The dead had to be cleared away rapidly.
An old man, with long, white hair and beard, was
upright against the pile cf corpses, holding out a little
girl of about five years of age at arms' length. Both
were of course dead. The body of a woman was
brought out entirely carbonized, with the exception of
the arms, which were encased in long gloves and
adorned with bracelets. Shells were requisitioned
and filled with charred human remains, the
bodies of several of the unfortunate victims burnt
beyond all chance of recognition. Strong disinfectants
were required to enable the working parties to con-
tinue their labours.
"The official list of the dead received at the Ministry
of the Interior simply refers to the number of persons
whose remains have been identified, while letters and
telegrams from Nice declare that the total number of
victims will exceed 200, as many are buried among the
ruins, having jumped from the galleries into the stalls,
where every means of retreat was cut off by the fire."

A Reuter's telegram dated March 26, says :—" More
bodies have been taken from the ruins of the Opera
House, among them being those two young English
ladies, sisters, named Eliza and Catherine Kennedy.
It is believed that their brother's body is also under
the debris, as his watch has been found. About 100
bodies are still supposed to be lying in the ruins,
which are now being cleared away."

The Times of Monday published the following, sent by
their correspondent at Edinburgh :
"A feeling of much regret has been expressed in
Edinburgh at the calamity which has befallen Mr.
Kennedy, the Scottish vocalist, in the loss he has
suffered through the death of a son and two daughters
in the recent disaster at Nice. They left Edinburgh
about three weeks ago for the purpose of pursuing
their studies under Signor Lamberti. The son' Mr.
James Kennedy, who was 25 years of age, had for a
long time assisted his father, and was possessed of
considerable musical talent, while the two daughters,
Miss Kate and Miss Liz2ie, 19 and 17 years of age re-
spectively, only recently appeared in public, and they
also gave good promise of a successful career. Mr.
Robert Kennedy, another member of the family, who
happened to be at Milan at the time of the disaster,
went to Nice and recognized the bodies of his brother
and sister. In a telegram to his father he stated that
'they were recognizable beyond the possibility of
doubt."

The terrible disaster at the Nice Opera House has
induced the Austrian Government to order a strict
examination of the state of the gas pipes and illu-
minating apparatus in every place of public amuse-
ment in Vienna. There is not a city in Europe
which, in proportion to the population, contains so
large a number of theatres, beer, concert, and music
halls, dancing saloons, cafes and other establishments
of public entertainment as the Austrian capital.

Writing on Tuesday the Correspondent of the
Daily Telegraph says :—" The work of clearing away
,the debris in the interior of the Nice Theatre is being
proceeded with as quickly as possible, but it is still
feared that a number of bodies are buried beneath it.
The appearance of the building is described as pre-
senting a shocking spectacle. Many parts of the
ruins are stained with blood, and show signs of the
fearful struggle against death which took place ; while
each body that is discovered adds to the ghastliness
of the scene. The last corpse found is that of one of
the singers, who, although he could have made his
escape, remained to look for his mother, who, in the
meantime, had reached the street in safety."