Staunton spectator, and general advertiser. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 183?-1849, 1843-03-23
BURNING OF A RUSSIAN THEATRE.

arrange about commercial tariff.
| BURNING OF A RUSSIAN THEATRE
Recent English papers give an account of
the burning of a theatre at ST. Petersburg.
which accustomed a terrible destruction of HUI
man life. The fire broke out behind the scenes.
and the director Of the theatre ordered the chr.
tam at the back of the stage to be drawn nm.
that every one might be aware of the immi-
nence of the danger. Thick smoke and flames
poured out toward the body of the house
Laughter was suddenly turned into pall6
fear, and shreks Of horror burst from the bo-
SONS OF thousands, who but now had been
convulsed with mirth. Grasping what was
dearest to them, all rushed toward the outlets.
These were too few for the magnitude of
the theatre, and it was very slowly that the
foremost made way for those behind them.--
90 much the more rapidly did the flames
communicate to the resinous fir planks, and
quickly advancing from scene to scene, they
soon penetrated into the body Of the theatre,
still swarming with people AS ill luck would
have 1t, one of the large folding doors at the
entrance, which opened inward, had in the
confusion been accidentally pushed to, and re-
sisted all efforts To force either from without
or from within Thus only half Of the main
entrance was available for escape in this criti-
cal moment, and the retreat of the audience
was of course proportionably delayed
The police would not at first suffer private
individuals 10 render assistance, that thew
might Keep the conduct of the business TO them.
selves tradesman nevertheless, contrived
with spade to break down board on one
SIDE OF the theatre, and to drag sixty half suf-
located persons out of This harlequin's hell
through the aperture, with imminent. peril of
his own life. The Emperor Nicholas reward
ed the worthy man with an order, and, as lie
was poor, with pension of 1000 roublcs.
! meanwhile, the people in the street, as
may De supposed, become aware that the mat
Ter was no Joke. The fearful tidings soon
spread through the CITY that Lehmann's thea.
tire was On fire, and that thousands of persons
mt were likely 10 perish. it is impossible
, 10 conceive the CONSERVATION and despair that
seizen all Petersburg There was not fami-
~ one or more OF whose members might not
be among the wretched sufferers. When the
/ emperor, on the first news of the fire, hasten-
ed from the Winter Palace to the SPOT wo-
S men ran up 10 him and cried, "Sir, save, save !!
My son is among them And my husband
is there My brother is not on, yet !-"Chil-
dren," replied the Emperor, 81 will save all /
; can"
n When the fire was over, when the flames
G ana lie were extinct, and all who were within
! lay IN burned and charred heap, the mean4
e chosy business Of removing the dead was COM
. menced. The sight is said TO have been be-
yond all idea narrowing and appalling, when,
l. on clearing away the ti.nbers which had fallen
1t III, the mass Of bodies was gradually discover
IS ed. They were pulled out one by one with
', hooks; some were completely carbonizcd, o.
g theirs roasted like chesnuts; many had only
l. the hair OF the head sngcd many with elaz.
J. ed eye, burned hair, and cbarred faces, had on
:. their holiday clothes and decorations which the
; flames hadnot reached, on account of the close
@ pressure ol the throng.
n These presented far more repuisive spec.
If tacle than those which were entirely burned;
= In one part of the building, which the flames
4 had spared, were found dense masses Of bodies
: Standing upright. like a host of shades from
i the neither world. female was found with
e her head hanging over the gallery, and holding
S her hand and hei handkerchief before her face.
il gentleman who witnessed the operation of
. clearing away the bodies told me that he could
not touch foodlor three days, so frightful were
:, the images that had necessarily haunted him
o afterward, and lady, who had looked in from
a distance, was shocked that she became
delirious, and raved for several days both Sleep
ing and waking.
The number Of the victims was subseuuentA
ly stated officially to be 300; but a person
told me that he counted with his own eyes SO
carts, each of which contained from 10 to Is
bodies. People who pretended to know from
good authority. represented the number as so
large that dare no. repeat it, lest others might
thlrk the amount too improbable"