The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1843-04-25
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SHOCKING FlRE-soO LIVES LOST


English papers bring the following account of
the burning Of Theatre at 81 Petersburg ard
full destruction Of human Ca
The FIRE broke out behind the scenes; AMI the d.
rector Of the theatre ordered the curtain at the back
Of the sageto be drawn up that every one might be
aware Of the imnnence Of the danger The smoke
and flames poured towards the body ofihe house,
Laughter suddenly turned into paiiid fear, and
shrieks of horror burst from the bcsoms of thousands
who but now had been convulscd with ninth. Grasp
ing what was dearest to them, all rushed towards the
ontlets
These ere too few FOR the magnitude OF the thoa-
tire, and il very slowly that the foremost made
way FOR those behind them So much the more rapid
" did the flames communicate TO tho rcsinous fir
ponlls, and quickly advancing from scene TO scene,
they soon penetrated into the body Of the theatre,
still swarmng with people. AS i'll luck would have
it, Of the large folding doors at the entrance,
which opened inward, had, in the confusion been
accidentally pushed to, and resisted all efforts to
open it Thus only half Of the main entrance l..
vailable for escape in this critic a moment and the
of the audience was, of course, propotionay
delayed.
The police would not at first suffer private indi.
NiuudS ~ icHuSI uSsSldiCe, 'ttdt tHey HlSut NSeV
the conduct Of business to themselves. trades
man, nevertheless, contriSed with spade, to break
down board on side Of the theatre, and to drag
sixty half suocatcd persons out Of this harlcquin's hell
through the aperture, with imminent peril Of his
life. The Emperor Nicholas rewarded the worthy
man with an order, and, as he poor, with "a PEN
sion of 1000 rubles.
Meanwhile, the people in the street, as may be
supposed became aware that the matter joke.
The fearful tilings soon spread through inc city
that I.ehman's Theatre on fire, and that thou
sands of persons in it were likely to perish It is i'm
possible to conceive the constenation & despair that
seized all Petersburgh. There not a family one
or more of whose members might not be among the
wretched suiferers.-When the Emperor on the first
news Of the fire, hastened from the Winter Palace to
the spot women up him and cried, Save save,
save My son is among them! and my husband is
there! My brother isnot out yet.' sChdren," re-
piled the Emperor, 81 will save oil can.'
When the fire was over, when the flames and life
were extinct, and all who within lay in burn
ed and charrod heap, the melancholy business of re-
moving the dead was commenced. The sight is said
10 have been beyond all idea narrowing and appal-
ling, when clearing away the tn:bers which had
fallen in the of bodies gradually discovered
They were pulled out one by one with hooks; some
were completely carbonized, others roasted like
chesnuts; 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, account of the
close pressure of the throng
These presented a far repusive spectacle
than those which entirely burned In that part
of the building which the FLAMES had spared, were
found dense masses of bodies still standing upright
like ghosts shades from the neither world. fe-
male found with her head hanging over the gal
iery, and holding her hand and her handkerchief be-
fore her face gentleman who witnessed the OPP
Grafton Of clearing away the bodies, told that nc
could touch food Cor three days, SO fghtful
the images that had necessarily haunted him after
wurd and lady, who had looked in from distance,
shocked that she became derious. and raved
several days both sleeping and waking,