Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1812-01-04

ed" whie h exclamation he repeatess,
"a solicitude to prevent Eurty and eoDj,,,
that he hae. lot 1t that nlCn,er:t &c en- .,rs
of fire fall behind the scene, but s. en-.
AT length falling from thereof, he re,;se@
hind the scene and found the whole St..
yeloped in flames; that he. attempted =
down some1o of the banging pieces; When
ing it unavailing, he attempted TO MAKE
his own retreat.
~ mr.. Robertson, who was the onlv pc,c,
CT besides, that came before the apdice,, |
sured the committee. that at the nome.
first discovered the flame. it was not ~
than his handkerchief; that he REPAIRED
mediatelv to the stage, as hear the orc.
as he could come: there he COVE, Cd, ~
audience, not wishing|to alarm them BY 4
ticulation, to leave the house; that in ,ba'
of doing that, he discovered the na,Ges ssI
ing rapidly, and then he exclaimed n
house Cor the Theatre) is on fire :" thal
went directly to the stage-box where 81,
8 or ladies were sitting, intreating them
Jump into his arms !; that be could save i,
by conveying them through tho private Sta
door and that he still .intreated ln,l he ss
it necessary to make his own escape hat
own retreat cy the private door was nletre
ed by the flames that he found it access
to leap into the. stage-box, and join the eul
raj croud in the lobby that lie gained one
the front windows; assisted in passing 4!
some 10 or "a females, but at last found
necessary to throw himself fron, the window
This narrative is due to the exertions d
gentleman, who first sounded the alarm
to whom there are few who have not do
that Justice which he deservcs--Let Us nj
return to the Transmission OF the fire---vhcl
the point Of fame reached the roof Ther|
was unfortunately not plaistered and seaIell !
there was sheathing of plank, pine ga
we are told, nailed over the rafters and
yer these, the shingles. The rosin Of ii
pine had perhaps oozed ouiof the plank, TIN!
the heat Of our summers sun, stood in drd.!
upon it. Yet however this may have beel|
no sooner did the spire of the fame reahtI
roof than it caught. The fire spread with
rapIdity through this combustible material
unparalleled, certainly never equaAed BY an}
of the too numerous fires which have dcsOla
ed our citv-In or minutes at least III
whole roof was one sheet OF fiame-lt luz|
through the bulls-eye in froHt-it sought n
windows where the rare6ed vapour sous1
its passage; fed by the vast column ofan |
the hollows of a Theatre, fed by the inAamnL
bic pannels and pillars of the boxes, BY 4
dome Of the pit, by the canvass ceiling Of 4
lower boxes, until its suffocated victimshE
front were wrapt in its devourins flame
pressed to death under the smouiding gaB
of the building.
Here might we pause in our mela1ei!
task. We have traced the conHagratlNs u
the fatal lamp, lifted as it was lit, then Jhay
and jostled, out of its perpendicular posHiiS
to the scenery-to the roof; until evst
thing was enveloped in its fury.-But tht
is one part Of the subject which, Though
does not fall strictly within the letter Of Y
Resolution, or perhaps the line of cur drNS
yet too interesting to be passed over we
this .fataHty? Why have so many ylctrf
persisted ON this me lancholy occasion ltaE
not be said, that it was the combustlblllE (
the building and the rapidity Of the fire, ST.
as they undoubtedly were, which altoeeA
produced this mortality of the species--of'
cannot believe, if large vomitories had pa
erected for the passage of the crowd, II uS
had been doors enough to admit them, y
more than one-tenth of an audience smN
have persisted on the occasion.
1t was in the opinion of the Commute
this i'll construction of the theatre Itself, vi
principally its cause. How numereu, w. ~
the occasions on which it had long oc.
been said, as the crowd was slowly retiring
the end of the play. "Suppose the hp
were on fire, what should we DO" fa
slept with too fatal security over the eN
we trusted and we are ruined. New oe II
were not opened; the winding staircase
not straitened, the access to the avenues "'k
theatre was not enlarged.
Rehort to be contiaued
NEW AND SPLENDID WORK, OF EA7"Iv