Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1811-12-30
From the .Amerieam Standard.
MOST DREADFUL. CALAMITY.

MOST DREADFUL. CALAMITY.
Last night the play house in this CITY wasS
,crowded with an unusua audience There
could not have been less than six hundrcds
;personsin the house. Justbefore the corclu-l
Isien of The. play, the scenery caught fire, and /
jim 4 few riimtesthc whole building was wrapts
i'm flames. It Is already ascertained that 6Iy
persons were dtvoured by that most terrified
selement. The Editor of this paper was ins
sthe house when tic ever-to-be remembered,s
:dcplorable accident occurred. He is infor 4
{med that The scenery took fire in the back,
5pert of the house, by the raising of cLan-3
5delier: that the boy, who was ordered by
ssorne OF the players to raise it, stated that if;
she did so, the scenery would take fire, when
Shc was commanded in peremptery manner,E
ito hoistit. The boy obeyed, and the hre was:
INSTANTLY communicated to the scenery. Hej
tgave the alarm in the rear of the stage, and'
REQUESTED some Of the attendants 10 cut the,
cords by which these combustiblc materials:
Swcre suspended. The person, whose duty i'll
2waS to per6r;n this business, became panic;
Sstruck, and sought his own safety This uni
fortunately happened at a time when one of
she performers was playing near the orches-
atra, and the greatest part OF the stage with it's
shnirid danger, was obscured from the audit
Fence by a curtain. The flames spread with
salmost the rapidity oflightn:ng and the fircl
failing from the ceiling upon the pcrformer,I
jwas the first notice which the people had of
stheir danger. Even then, many supposed it!
Ito be part of the play, and were for littleI
dwhile restrained from flight by cry from
&the stage that there was no danger. The,
dpcrformers and their attendants, in vain, en-
gleavored to tear down the scenery. The fire
u flashed into every part of the house with al
arapidity, horrible and astonishing, and, alas! \
SGushmg tears and onspeakable anguish, de
Jprive me Of utterance. No tongue can tell
4no pen or pencil can describe, the woeful ca 1
Catastrophe. No person, who was not present
scan form any idea OF this unexampled scene
3of human distress. The Editor having nonc'
'5of his family with him, and being not far from
3the door, was among the first who escapedl
q No words can express his horror, when ON
s5turning round, he discovered the whole bull
9dng in flames. There was but one door for
4the greatest part CT the audience to pass
.SMen, women and children were pressing up
Non each other. while the flames were seizins
fupon those behind. The Editor went TO the
Indifferent windows, which were not very high,
.aand implorcd his fellow creatures to save
lStheir lives by jumping out of then. Those
4nearest tothe windows, ignorant oftheir grea,
Hdanger, were afraid to leap down, whilst
those behind them, were seen catching OF
and,writhing in the greatest agcnies OF
&pain and distress. At length, those behind
&urged by the pressing flames, pushed those
~ out who were nearest to the windows, and
Epeople OF every description begun to fall, one
Eupon another, some with their clothes OF
,2fre; some half roasted; On wretched me
EOh afflicted people Would to God coult
$shave dicdia thousand deaths in any shape
facOuld Individual suffering have purchased tn,
~ safety of my friends, my benefactorS, Of thos,
ffwhom loved. The editor with the as
S4sistance of others, caught several Of thos,
1zwhcm he had begged to leap from the win
Adows. One lady jumped out when all hel
Iclcthes were on FIRE. He tore them, burn
Ning, from her; stripped her of her last rag
#hndprotcCting her nake6ness with his coat
Ecarried her from the fr-.-Fathcrs and mo
lsthers we're deploring the loss of their Chill
#dren; children the loss Of their parents
NliusbandS were heard TO lament their los
eccnpapions; Wives were bemoaning the
EEShurnt husbands, The people were seer
Awringlng tlIei- hands, beating their head
s,and breasts, and those who had secured
@themselves, seemed tosutier greater torment
s1than those who were envelopcd in flames
H Oh distracting memory Who, that saw
Ee;his, can think of it again, and vet retain hi
Issenses. Do dream No, No. Oh that i
sRwercbut dream. My God Who that saw
syhis friends aud dearest connections dcvouret
Iaby FIRE, and laying in heaps at the doors, vii
Mnot regret that he ever lived to soc such
sight! Could savages have seen this memo
yrabie event, it would soften even their hearts
q: A sad gloom pervades this place, and ever,
sxcountcnance Is cast down TO the earth. J'h,
Gloss Of an hundred Thousand friends in ia,
sfheld of battle, could not touch the heart likt
Ithis. Enough. Imagine what cannot be dc
Inscribed. The most distant, and implacabl,
ssenemy, and the most savage barbarians vii
,ZcOndoie our unhappy lot.
~ All Of those who were in the pit escaped
Isand had cleared themselves from tie hous,
s5bcfore those who were in the boxes could &c
sXdown; and the door was, for some time emp
%ty. Those from above were pushing eaci
Hothcr down the steps, when the hindmos
Emiglr have got ont by lcaping into the pit
AZ gentleman and lady, who otherwise woul,
Ehave pcrisheG, had their lives saved Jy bein,
kfprovidentially thrown from the second boxes
81 There would not have been the least diff
Ecul'y in descending from the first boxes int,
the pit.
E In addition TO the list now given, it is be
Itieyee That at least sixty others persisted
hs@h9se names aie not yet ascertaincd.
q 7fis biRst Be misfakc--thc oEciai lis.
II No dag,3falter may be relied On.
~ I'd. Argus.
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