The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1881-12-13 00:00:00

TSRAIDLi SCIUIIt&

At fire minutes to Nivea, when the greater part of
the audienoe in the pit and gallery were amenibled,
extraordinary heat wai felt, and the curtain wee
swayed to and fro by • strong draught of Mr, and
suddenly rent in two, disp/aying • wane which must
have struck every one with terror. The stage was
ODO sea of fire. The Anuses took the direction of the
audience, and in • minute spread ail round the hoses,
even catching the curtains and cushions of the boxes.
This was so sudden tnat everybody sprang to his toot
at oboe, making lot the wore and stoisoosii. Tee
Lester Was narrow end of wood. A terrible cry &row"
at the same time. Many women fainted and fell to the
ground. They were, of courts, trodden under foot by
the dense crowd madly harrying forward. Permit;
who stooped to help the fallen were themselves
knocked down by the crowd and trampled to death.
At the doors the crowding wee terrible. Persons in
the street who believed their relations were in the
theatre tried to eater, and thus prevented those who
were escaping from coming out. Still the large
majority of the audience I. the pit were saved, with
bet align' injury. The stairs from the galleries were
so jammed wet the crowd could not move forward, and
hundreds in the galleries opened to. windows and
prospered to jump out. At this m intent tbe gas was
turned odor went out, and the confusion which
ensued was terrible. In the total darkness those at the
tip of the staircase jumped down over the heads of
those who stood lower, end soon the entire gallery
audier.oe was an entangled mass of prostrate bodies.
Tsai people at the second .ad third-floor windows
cried for help and shrieked so loudly that the despair-
ing sounds were beard half a mile od. The fire-engines '
arrived, but there were no sheets or blanket,' at na
for the desperate people in the upper stories to jump
into. At last esicne leaped into the street, and were I
of course terribly injured. When • sailcloth was held '
by hundred, of willing hauls, way of the poor
creature. were so exhaustedthst they could not jump.
The women and children had tube thrown down.

At a quarter past seven the thaws was one mass
of lire. tedcy yards high rose Me flames, and showers
of sparks were falling upon the houses around. The
Ring Theatre is situated on the Ring near the
Exchange, one large hales backing on it. 'l'he firemen,
on the roofs of all the neighbouring houses sent dense
streams of water into the flames. It was of no avail.
Toe flames burst from every wiadow. Hundreds then
appeared on the balcony in front, and jumped into the
arms of the crowd below. The general confusion was
increased by many persons who, having themselves
escaped, tried to save relations whom they knew to be
in toe burning house. Ton thousand persons at least
stood in the street watching the terrible spectacle.
Handed, of arms received too pensions saved by the
sail cloths. One old gentleman, who saw his dikighter
and wife on the balcony, for five miaow' implored
them to have pstienoe, and not to jump into %benne.,
as the firemen were *owning. Both ladies fainted
before they reached the sail cloth. Another old gentle-
man repeatedly cried in French for his wile' but he
received n ianaw.r. The police who entered the burning
house after the audience had left it could not stop •
minute in the pit, where every seat was on fira The
ceilings of the boxes, even the flooring, had disappeared
into • sea of flames. At the risk of their own lives the
firemen and police commenced carrying out the deed
they could lay hand* upon. Sometimes hail-ft-dozen
bodies had to be rent matador, too tightly bad they
clung together in the agonies of death. Some faces
were black. dome of she bodies were reduced to •
cinder, bat the greater part died from suffocation,
with terrible signs of suffering in their faces, but with
their clothes scarcely burnt. As soon as a body
appeared outside • cry of compassion arose from the
asomobled thousands. The bodies were deposited
first in the courtyard of the Polioe.offioe, only thrm
houses oistant from the theatre. Late,' ea in the night
the military embalms' waggoos bore them to the
hospital, where they are now lying in long rows, enders
being Inspected by the persons who have named
relations or friend,.
On Thursday night an old man was rescued from the
Danube, who intended to drown himself. He dared
not. he said, return home without hls daughter's
children, whom he had lost in the theatre.
A terrible spectacle is offered by the persona outside
the hospital, who march for their dead, sad pram
forward into the courtyard and anatomical rooms
where the corpus are lying. The soldiers in the room
keep order. The hospital attendants and doctors,
with torches, show the faces of the dead. The
unhappy persons in march of father, mother, wife, or
husband ease eagerly into each face, and, when they
find what they seek, they fall upon the body and rend
the hearts of the bystanders by their cries. Many
cannot recognise the bodies, and must be content with
knowing that among the scorched hneam forms are
those who were but yesterday living men and wont...
A large Newfoundland dog, who regularly &COM.
poled his master to the theatre, is still waiting for
him at the door.

8131IDAY- 66 11110.—The interment of the victims of
the great fire commenced this morning. A great
number of people joined the jiwoosesions oss the way
to the oometE. The &rowan wanes at graves were
of the most nfnl description. The funerals of those
who cannot buried by their own friends will take
place on Monday morning.
This evening aa official list states that tbe number
of missing is 917. The latest amounts by survivors strengthen previous reports of incredible carelessness, especially in net opening the means of exit.

ARISTOCRATIC DIVORCR BEll2'.
An aristocratic divorce case—hfunday v. Mande,.
In which Lord Shrewsbury WAS co-raspendent—wae
bsfore the Divorce Ginn on Saturday. There was no oppwition to the suit, and his Lordship granted
a decree for the dissolution of ths marriage, with
posts.

PRINCE LEOPOLD.
Truth says :—Ths marriage of Prince Leopold will be
celebrated at St. George's Chapel, Windsor. either during
the last ten days of lide•ch, or during the drat fortnight ol
Kay. It is impoesible to make any more definite settle-
meet as to time until the financial question hew been
retried by Parliament. Toe arrangements reepectiztbe
owemon_y will be precisely similar to %asset el,
lgag
of the Duke of Connaught The Duke sad Dochese of
Albany will meld. permanently at Claremont after their
ntarriage. The Dukee books, pictures, and other
P nos" have recently beta reatosed there from
Vlix7=. With regard to the pecuniary arrangement.
It will be proposed to lacreeie the Priece's townie be
£lO,OOO • ear, and the saw Jointure will be provided
for the Priuo., es was given to the Duchess Of CAP
naught.

SERIOUS CHARGE AGAINST A POLICEMAN.
The Birmingham pollee are making every effort to dl,
cover the wheniaboute of an absconded member of the
force, who is charged with having shockingly outraged
a girl who was entrusted to his charge while on duty.
The girl, who wet an inmate of fiw Josiah Mason's
°rottener*. seer Birmingham, lost her way while la
town, and was headed over by • gentlemen to • coesteble
with some money for her. The girl smarts that the
Palomar' took her to some outhouse upon his beat and
subjected her to most cruel treatment, leaving her hell
insensible. Her statement was oorroborated by medico'
evidence. Messrs. Johnson, Barclay, and Johnson, the
leadmg firm of solicitors In the town, have taken up the
case upon the girl's beihsif, and the gentleman who
thought he was remoter the girl trout harm by placing
her in the oonstebles charge is Wag also advertised for.

RESCUED FROM SLAVERY.
The eight English boys wbo were recently resethei front
slavery in Constantinople intend at Gissitow on Sunday
afternoon, snd Left for London in tbe evening to enter Ile
Bernardo's Rome.

Urrumusst &Hoot. men Tim Runt) Ontum. —The
boys 0 Uppingitam School, acting on the suggestion of
the head-master (Rim. X ?Ming), have determined te
mama an an annual scholarship of .C3O to the Worcester
Blind Collets for the .on of gentlemen. The immediate
occasion of the tut was a lecture delivered Wore the
school by Rev._ LE J. R. llferston. WA.. second muter
0 the Blind College. The scholar Is open to Me
who eau qualify in thirilhealie at Divisity.
Latin. musk, arithemtir, Baglieh pemener. history.
and geogr in aphy, and wbs awarded by enaminsmon.

Nile Mutuo.—We have received from the composer
ocTies of two pions forth. pianoforte, entitled
Fairy Harp" and the " Hunter's Revels." They are
both bright and pleasing compositiois. and admirably
adapted for moderaitely_advanced pisaiste—
CNNIATNAN AND NEW YUAN CUM. -- Hat
Majesty's printer., Messra, gyre and Spottiswoode,
ara at to the front wdb their beautiful Christmas
and New Year cards. This year's coUectho contain
some exquisite design; and ars selected with great
CMS. The serrlosof talented artistes have been engaged
by this eminent firm, and most striking am many
of the works. Among the well-known names of artistes
whose illustrations are before no, are Mr. E. Maurice,
Mr. Harry Arnold, and Mies Stasi. There are some
charmingly natural representations of Bowen, and
many of- the other dedgns are first-rate works of art.
We were particularly struck by two design entitled
"lEngland's Defenders " and a Pompeian melee, by
Harry Arnold, in which great skill and artattle talent
57:2 are displayed. Many of the folding cards are very
indeed ; we may once more congratulate the
'a Printers on their 1882 collection. wb,ich equal,
they do not surpass most of the mum.* prodocuoss,
—Messrs. T. Nelson and Spa have sent us some very
Pretty coloured reeds, and admirably adapted foe prr
matatiog at this season- A melee of garden flower%
owl ese of lioriptae• tette, en opeoioUY woltb7 a
*Aim-

ILLNESS OP LORD JUSTICE LUSH.
Lord Jortioe Lomb has soffrrod a relapse.

TWO SOLDIERS SENTENCED TO mum
At Dublin assize on Saturday, two Privets' of ttbe
76th Regiment., earned Woodbmid end Northoore,
went sootturcod to &OA for the mtatisr cii Privies
Humphries, • bands/nap of the &fie Brigade. 11-1,
iwime, which origisated in • quarrel, was coeunttled In
the Darragh camp.

AIIOTIIXR RAILWAY ACCIDRNY
Another 'serious, though net at present fatal,
railway aocident Is reported. burial; occurred citi
'Pricier night clots to the esatrai station, Maisebet-
ter. Two trains, one from Mester and the mut
from Glazebrook, Wood to arrive within twee,
minutes of each other, mere Into, sad whilst
Chester train were standing Nat outside the stogies
the one from Westbrook ran into it The eccideet
is attributed to the dense fog which preintlid.