The Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Scott Co., Iowa) 1841-185?, 1848-06-29
BURNING OF A RUSSIAN THEATRE.

BURNING OF A RUSSIAN THEATRE.
Recent English papers give an accom-,
oil the burning Of u theatre Ut ST. Peters
burg, which occasioned terrible dcsiruc-
tion Of human life. The fire broke out be-
hind tho scenes, aud the director OF the the
atre ordered the curtain at the back Of the
stage 10 be drawn up. that every one might
he nware OF the mmincncc Ut DANGER
Thick smoke and flames poured out toward
the body Of the house. Laughter WINS sud
denly turned into pa!lii fear, nnJ shreks
Of horror burst from the bosoms Of thou
sands, who but now had been conyuscd
with mirth. Grasping what was dcarcs,
TO them, all rushed towards 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.
So 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 swnrmng with people. AS i'll
luck would have il one o! the large doors
ut the entrance, which opened inward. had
in the confusion been accidentally pushed
20 aud resisted all efforts to force i, either
from without or from within Thus onl, |
halt ot the mtin entrance was available for |
escape in this critical moment, and the re-
treat OF the audience was of course proper.
tionably delayed. The police would no,
at first suffer private individuals tn render
assistance, that they nigh, keep the con.
duct Of the business 10 themselves. a
tradesman nevertheless con,rlvcd with
spade 10 break down n board on Que side
ct the theatre, and To drag sixty hnlf sutia-
Gated persons out Of this harlcqnin's he'll
through the aperture. with imminent peril
Of his own life. The Emperor Nicholas re-
warded the worthy man with an order. and,
MS Inc WINS poor, with pension Of :. ZOO ru.
bles. Meanwhile the people in the stree,
rs may be supposed, became aware lha, j,
was no joke. The fearful tidings soon
spread through the city that Lcnhan's the.
atre was on fire, md that thousands of per
sons in it were likely to perish |, is i'm
possible to conceive the CONSERVATION aud
despair that seized nli Petersburg. There
was not n family one or more of whose
members nigh, not be among the wrctched
sufferers. When the Emperor, on the first
news Of the fire, has,cncd from the Winter
PaIacc To the spot. women ran up 10 him
and cried, "Sir, save, save! Nv son is
among them! Ny husband is there! Nv
brother is .ot yet oui!n "Children.n re-
piled the Emperor. II will save all can"
When the fire WINS over, when tho flames
md Lille were extinct, aud all who were
within lay in n burning and charred heap,
the melancholy business of removing thc
dead was commenced. The sigh, is snid
TO have been beyond all idea narrowing and
appalling. when. on clearing away the tim
bers which had fallen in. The mrss Of bodies
was gradually discovered They were
pulled out one by one with the hooks; some
were completely carbonzed. others roasted
like chcsnuis; many with glazed ewes,
burned hair and charred faces. had on their
holiday clothes and decorations, which the
flames had not reached, on account oi' the
close pressure ol the throng. These pre-
scented Gar more rcpulsiye spectacle than
those which were entirely burned. In onc
part Of the building, which The flames had
spared, were found dense masses ot bodies.
still standing upright, like host II shades
from the neither world. 4 female was
found with her head hanging over the gal.
lery and holding her hand anl her hundker.
CHIEF before her lace. A gentleman who
witnessed the operation d. clearing away
the bodies told me that he could not touch
food fer three DAYS, 70 frigh,in were the
images that had necessarily haunted him
afterwards, md lady. Who looked on from
n distance was So much si,ac,sed that she
became deliriaus and raved fr several
days. both sleeping and waking. The
number at the victims WINS subsequent,
stated officially 10 he 300; hat person
told inc that he counted viii, his own ewes
90 carts, each ol which contained from 10
10 ID bodies. People. who pretended To
know from good authority, represented the
number so large that dare not repeat il.
lest others might think the amount too i'm.
probable.