Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1861-09-19
9Nortester Daily Syn.

Terrible Fire in Theatre-Fourteen
Ballet Girls ShockingIy Burned-HIeart-
Isending Scenes In the Auditory-The
"Tempest."
[From the Philadelphia Jonrnal.J
An unfortunate accident occurred at the
Continental Theatre in Walnut street, ON Sat
urday night by which the building was for a
time imperilled, and number of dancing girls
so badly burned that some have since died.
The theater had been leased by VIM. Wheat
ley, an old Philadelphia actor, whose long as.
ISOLATION with john Drew and j. S Clarke, at
the Arch street Theater, made him known
among the profession throughout the country.
Being succeeded in the management OF the
Arch by Mrs Drew, Wheatley leased and re-
htted the Continental Formerly Gen, Welcl's
National Circus), and produced the Tempest"
on Monday night, in splendid style. Randall
formerly of Covent Garden, London. prcpared
the machinery, and an immense ballet corps
was engaged to represent the abode of Ariel
and other show scenes. On Saturday night,
more than fifteen hundred people were pres
emit The first act had gone forward uninler
ruptedly, and the dancers were busily prepar-
ing in the dressing room to appear in the bal.
lei at the opening of act second. Prospcro
(Wheatley) was about retiring from the stage,
when the audience perceived several men, ap
parenily stage carpenters, running backward
and forward in their shirt sleeves. Directly,
those adjacent to the stage saw young lady
all on fire run hurredly to the side scenes, and
at the same time a succession of piercing
screams, from imperceptibe localities, dis.
tutbed the repose of the audience and
brought half the people to their feet. The cry
OF fire" was started from the galleries, and
the fitting lights and confusion upon the stage
left no doubt that some awful actually was
TRANSPORTING. Manager Whealley directed the
people TO be quoted while he retired to learn
the extent OF the accident. 1t appears that
Miss Cecilia Gale, one OF four talented and
ndsOme sisters, was about robing herself in
ballet costume. She stood upon a settee to
reach her dress, and somehow frted it into
pet OF gas, when it was instantly ignited. Be-
fore the young lady could recover from her
fright her clothing was all abaze and her sis.
tiers and several Of the ballet girls from an atl.
joining dressing ROOM rushing up to assist her,
were i'll turn set on fire. About dozen of
these helpless girls were thus burning at once
ana tile ire ran over their gauze and among
their underclutles, making fast to the close
leggins or tights" and literally burning to the
bone Their screams were thrilling and no
scene of horrors that the stage ever witnessed
may be compared to the terrible picture be.
hind the scenes, where the fire from the burn.
ing dresses blazed up to the ceiling, and sillged
the iasles and hair of the ailrighed wsmen.
Miss Cecilia Gale, writing and still in flames,
darted down the stairs, as stated and was
caught by Mr.. Bayard, stage carpenter, who
at once tore up the sea CLOTH a sheet OF canvas
used to make waves, and wrapped it around
her. He was much burned while doing this
The Young lady was removed TO the tospital
soon aterward. Several girls eaped into
the street through the second story
windows, and Miss Hannah Gale alrca
div h1tIlV burunI oil fI,o
bruising her back and head so that her case is
considered hopeless Miss Phoebe Norton OF
Bristol, Penn, inhaled the flames, and was
shockingly burned She was at the point of |
0Ne''l, '.st evening. Miss Annie Phillips died
on Sunday morning.. Miss A..a- s,u-id. |
was burned in the breast, arms, and legs. and
taken to the Pennsylvania Hospital SHE
suffered the most excrnciating pain during
Saturday night, but towards morning her de.
Wheatley. Miss Annie Nichols was sonic:
what burned, but in the panic which eusued
after the accident she jumped from the head
of the flies to the stage-twenty five feet-and
breaking through lot of mirrors and plate
glass used to represent lake, her hands and
cheeks were lacerated Ruth and Adeline
Gale were burned in the hands and breast.
Mrs. Mary L. Herman suffered exceedingly.
Abby Carr, Margaret Conway, Thomas Bay
ard, Kate Harrison, and e young man, name
unknown, were more or less badly burned.
The last named inhaled the fire, and his lungs
have since been bleeding Three Of these
people, it is believed will die, and all will
lnger in acute pain for days-perhaps weeks
and months. The audience, meantime, was
addressed by Mr.. Wheatey and told to va
cate the house without unnecessary conlu-
sion. A number of ladies' tainted on retiring,
and there was great deal oil trepida ton
and alarm in all the halls and exit ways.
The theater was mperilled by the sea-
CLOTH partially ignited, being thrown into
the stable, where it was discovered on the
point OF combustion, and conflagraton avert
ed The scene in the rear of the theatre, on
Samson street, was most pileous and agoniz.
ing in its character. Halt dressed ballet girls
ran up and down, and poor women, whose
daughters took part in the professions and
show scenes, were screaming their names amid
confused sobbing, execration and fear Car
riages and cabs were driven up and down, and
as each sufferer was placed upon the cushions
and taken away, the crowd pressed up and
touched her sores. A number OF petty tav.
erns on Samson street were thrown open to
tue sufferers, and few were so badly burned
that they have not since been moved. There
was a good deal of delay before help could be
obtained but after a time physicians and
lotions were summoned Some OF the burned
were taken 10 the Pennsylvania Hospital, and
Others to their homes in remote parts of the
town. The artists of the adjacent theaters
contributed to the reliet of the needy, and Mr..
Couldock, it is said, who was playing at the
Walnut, few doors off, was unable to proceed
with his part. The excitement continued to
spread throughout the city, and all Saturday
night and Sunday morning the theatre was
surrounded by curious crowds. The Gale
sisters were beautiful and finely formed girls,
,Iicl,h apI Ilol oh
the country, some time ago, with the Ronzani
troupe The management cannot be blamed
i'll any way for the occurrence. The theatre
will open as usual on Tuesday, and on We'd
nesday the sufferers will receive a benefit
The event has spread gloom and sorrow
throughout the city.