Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1843-04-28
BURNING OF A RUSSIAN THEA
sHs f-- TIRE.


sNs f--a TIRE.
Recent English papers give an account
Of the burning of a theatre at st. Petersburg,
which accustomed terrible destruction of
human life. The FIRE broke out behind the
scenes, and the director of the theatre or
dered the curtain at the back of the stage
toibe drawn up, that every one might be
aware of the imminence of the danger.-
Thick smoke and flames poured out toward
the body Of the house Laughter was sud
denly turned into paid fear, and shrieks OF
horror burst from the bosoms of thousands,
who but now had been convulsed with mirth.
Grasping what was dearest to them, all rush
ed toward the outlets
These were too few f.. the magnitude
of the theatre, and it was very slowly that
the foremost made way for those behind
them. So much the more rapidly did the
flames communicate to the resinous fir
planks, and quickly advancing from scene
to scene, they penetrated into the body of
the theatre, still swarming with people,
As i'll luck would have it, one of the large
folding doors at the entrance, which open
ed inward, had in the confusion been acct
dentally pushed to, and resisted all efforts to
force it either from without or from within.
Thus only half of the main entrance was
available for escape in this critical moment,
and the retreat of the audience was of course
proportonally delayed.
The police would not at first suffer private
individuals to render assistance, that they
might keep the conduct of the business to
themselves. A tradesman nevertheless, con-
trived with a spade to break down board
on one side of the theatre and to drag sixty
half suffocated persons out of this harle-
unin's hell through the aperture, with i'm
minent peril of his own life The Empe-
ror Nicholas rewarded the worthy man with
an order, and, as he was poor, with PEN
sion Of 1000 rubles.
Meanwhile, the people in the street, as
may be supposed, became aware that, the
matter was no joke The fearful tidings
soon spread through the city that Lehmann's
theatre was on fire, and that thousands of
persons in it we're likely to perish. 1t is
impossible TO conceive the CONSERVATION
and despair that seized all Petersburg
There was not a family of which one or
more of whose members might not be a.
mong the wretched sufferers When the
Emperor, on the first news of the fire, has
tened from the winter Palace to the spot,
women ran up to him and cried, Sire, save,
save My son is among them And my
husband is there My brother is not yet
out v--'Children,' replied the Emperor, i
will save all l can
When the fire was over, when the flames
and life were extinct, and all who were with
in lay in a burned and charred heap the
melancholy business of removing the dead
was commenced The sight is said to have
been beyond all idea narrowing and appal-
ing, when, on clearing away the timbers
which had fallen in, the mass of bodies was
gradually discovered. They were pulled
out with hooks some were completely car
bombed, others roasted like chestnuts /;
many had only the hair of the head singed ::
many with glazed eyes, burned hair, and
charred faces, had on their holiday clothes
and decorations which the flames had not
reached, on account of the close pressure
of the throng.
These presented far more repulsive
spectacle than those which we're entirely
burned In one part of the building, which
the flames had spared, were found dense
masses of bodies still standing upright like
A female was found with her head hanging
over the gallery, and holding her hand and
her handkerchief before her face. A gen.
teman who witnessed the operation Of clear
ing away the bodies, told me that he could
not touch food for three days, so frightful
were the images that had necessarily haunt
ed him alterward, and lady, who had look
ed in from distance, was so shocked that
she became delirious, and raved for seve-
raj days both sleeping aud waking.
The number of victims was subsequently
stated officially to be three hundred but
person told me that he counted with his
own eyes so carts, each of which contained
from ten to fifteen bodies. People who
pretended to know from good authority,
represented the number as so large that
dare not repeat it, lest others might think
the amount too improbable.