Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1812-01-02

st1o WHOM t1tTe are lew WHO have not done.
s3that Justice which he deSerYcs--I.et.us now
.zreiurn To the transmission of the iiie--where!
eihe point Of fame reached the roof The
:groof was unfortunately nor plais,cred auAl
.ssssealed-thcre was a s'ieathing cfplank. nires
%.l:laz!s we are told, nailed over the raiters !,
= nd over these the shingles. The rosin Of.
u he pine ha. perhaps oozed out Of the plank L
-sthrough The heat of our snmmerS sun, st0a15
I'm drops upon il. Yet however this may havesc
sssbeen, no sooner Gid the spire of the f'amesk
ss---each the roof than it caught. The FREE
;Sspread with a.rapiditv through this comhus- :
I5tible material, unparalleled, certainly neyerE
5Sequalled by any of tie too numerous iiress
Switch have desolated cur ci'y--In or 81
.fnmptcs at least, the whole roof was one sheet
60 iame-jt burst through the bnll's eve, ins
.Sstront--it sought the window where the rare-s
;;sfed vapcur sought Its passage fed by theE
f3yast column of airin thehollows of a rheatre,E
= Fec BY the infiaIiabe panne.s and pillars oiE
sshe boxes, by the done of the pit Inv the can
:tvass ceiling of the lower boxes, until its suf
ssstocatetl victims in tho front were wrapt initss
slevouring ''ia'ae or pressed TO death UNDER.
ssthe smcuitleiing ruins ofthe Building.
q Here might we pause in our melanchol,E
t5tass. We. have traced the conaagration tcE
:Sthe iata. lamp, lifted it WAS liz, then jirk
f2ed and iostied out Of It's perpendicular posi-
t3uon to che scenery---to the roof; until e-E
Every thing was clHelope< in its rv---Bnts
ksherc IS pe, part If the subject which, tho'sS
III dces not fall strictly within the letter.
s3af the Reeofnfior, or perhaps the ,iae Of:
!3our duty, IS yet too interesting 70 be pass
Fec over. Why, this .faf0irV /? WHY have
$50 RAM victims persisted on This meianchol,k
sSoceasion ?, It capuot he said, that il was tbes
Sx::comhustibility of The building and the rapidiS
sssty oi tho fire, greatasthey undoubtedly were,
sswaich altogether produced this mortality oil
IS The specics--for we Cannot believe, n largef
S{vom'tories had. been erected for the PASSAGE
go the crowd; istlerc had been doors eAnuglf
10 admit them, that more than one-tenth ofs
:, aIaud.ence should have persisted on the oc !;
S,casion.
q 1t was the opinion Of the Committee thats
81 ms ll-csnstrocticn of the Theatre itself was5
Aprlncipaily its cause. How numerous wcrcs
3iihe ccasions on which il had long before beeps
ieSaid, as the crowd was slowly retiring AZ thek
$end OF play. "SuppCsc the house we're ohs
Ehre, what should we do ?"-Yct we slept.
,ssswilh too fatal a security over the evil--weE
,ssfrusted and we are ruined.-New doors were?
mot opened the winding stair-case was not
sSstraightcned, the access to the avenues ofthe;
Htheatre was not enlarged.
- Even the relics of eur fellow-citizens as
#they l2y, pointed ont the causes of this fatal-S
'8ty. They were found strewed in heaps at,
$&the fcot Of the narrow stair case which lead
ssstrom the bCxes-and though with less prof.
ffusion, On the ground Immediately undsr the
tSlqbby ct the boxes above, fran which lobby
Etheir retreat downthe stairs had been inter-
excepted by the crowd which choaked then,
,Tup. On that fatal night, there were in the
EPit and Boxes SIS dollar tickets and 90
sIchifdren-exclusive of so persons who were
SYN the galleries. Of these, 598 had to pass
snthrongh one common avenue, ard although
yEsrsaN the spectators in the Pit may have esca-
sxsFet, except few who may have jumped in;
ITO the Boxes, yet the crowd in the lower and
-fsupfr Boxes had no other resource than t.
iR,prsss through narrow angular stair ca Sc,
\ Hors To leap the windows.--The Committee
ifSnot being particularly conyersant with the
reconstruction OF theatres, have requested Mr
1k8 waits, one of the Managers of this Thea
Etre, to furnish us with his ideas on the SUBJ
nEjcct. He has favored us with statement
esawhich we beg leave to incorporate with or
sgrepnrt, in the words following, to wit:
81 "By the request Of the Committee of En-
Sqpiry into thecausc Of the late dreadful ca
Calamity at the Theatre on the night ofthe 26th
-Xinst. assert, that the loss of,so many valua-
-5ible lives and the distress which is felt by all
szon the occasion, is wholly attributable to tn,
reconstruction OF the late Theatre and its ma
Eterials.
u In all Theatres, that have seen, except
sBthe late one, there have been three distinct
Kano separate doors Of entr3nce-one to the
ESEexes, one to.the Pit, and one to the Gale
sETy. The late Drury-Lare Theatre had in
fsSthe centre of each side a spacious hall, with
sE.1ofoad and straight staiT-cases, which ter-ni-
isanstcd IN the Hobbies of the boxes: three
'kseDtrances to the Pit, one the front and ]
Sffon each side; and four entrances to two Gal.
,SSsieiIes, two on each side. These avenues
iSs~ere firrn and commodious, and in their con
EsTuctIon presented every facility for: escape,
'fTwheh any danger assailed the audience
IN Miserable reverse! IN the late Richmond
'A5 iheatre, but one entrance to the Boxes and
,NiPit, and that so narrow, that two persons
'sfcould' scarcely pass At the same tinne-the
kss,yay then lying through gloomy passacet to a
st!,parrow winding staircase, which terminated
Pm as narrpw-a Lcbby.--It is, therefore. e,i-
ssdent that this ever to be laneDted loss. which
sShas deprived your city, Of some Of your brigb-
kStest ornaments, and Gesolated many families,
E9's wholly'attributable 10 the maLconst.qlcti-
,ssson ct the. late Theatre, which certainly of
ssstered 70 means Of speedy escape The - d.
szirdity OF the coIaagratdn must have been
;sscausedby the unfinished state of thcbIilding,
s2there being no Plaistcred ceiling or, wall to
-srTsvent the communication of fame"
"a The COMMITTEE Cannot close their rnel9n-
ssfholy labouTs without expressing enc hone.
Nelbat ureparab.c ~ our Own Caismities have
Hpcen we may not hive sufFcred,aitoeether
fin VAIN that our own n..sfortunes may serve
stas beacons to the rest nf our countrymcn, &C
ss'Iat no theatres should BE permitted 10 be
Mopened IN The otl.sr cities Il the IT, States,
4innh every facility has been procured for
ssfhe escape ot the audience.