Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1865-04-13
From the Cleveland Herald.
A Fearful Scene-Twelve Hundred
People in q Burning Hall.

Prof McEvoy's Hibernicon, or Tour
in Ireland, has been exhibiting in Brain
ards Hall for the past week, and the
ball has been crowded to its full capaci-
ty at each performance. Last evening
when the exhibition bad been about
one third gone through with, about
quarter to nine o'clock, Mr.. Heron was
on the stage, singing an Irish song
when smoke was seen by one Of the men
connected with the exhibition. issuing
through the cracks in the floor of the
stage behind tie scenes He caught
pitcher Of water and attempted to put
it out. but finding it impossible, he in
formed Mr.. McEvoy, who was playing
an accompaniment at the time, and he
immediately went behind the scenes.
BY this time the people in front had
caaght sight of the smoke, and an alarm
Of Gre was given Then commenced one
of the most frightfully fearful scenes we
ever witnessed There was estimated
to be at least twelve hundred people in
the hall Every nook and corner was
filled to suffocation. We do not re-
member to have seen the hall more
crowded than on this occasion. The
people rose up in one solid mass and made
rush for the doors that leads from the
hall, Men, women and children We're
caught in the current that surged down
stairs into the narrow and inadequate
channel provided for exit. When they
reached the contracted passage-way at
the head of the first flight Of stairs from
the street, the crush was awful The
Jam was so great that it was impossible
for any one to fall, and as the stream OF
| frightened and crushed humanity reach
ed the street, they presented many of
the ladies particularly-a most pitiable
sight. Bonnets crushed and torn from
their heads many with only remnants
Of their dresses hanging to their backs,
and all more or less changed in their
wardrobes Several ladies tainted, bu
were borne along with the excited crowd
to the street, insensible. TO see the
stream Of people coming down the mar
row stairs pell-mell into the street was
exciting in the extreme.
1t is wonderful that no one was killed,
but we are happy to say not one of The
vast crowd, so far as we could learn, was
even seriously injured. Several ladies
were more or less bruised in the crush,
and a large number tainted, but through
a miracle it seems, all reached the street
without losing their lives or having their
limbs broken.
The fire burned very slowly and was
confined to the locality under the stage
where it originated 1t did not show
itself very plainly to the people, and
through the exertions of two or three
gentlemen II the hall, the excitement
was somewhat allayed towards the last,
and the people left the hall more delib-
erately. If the fire had spread with the
rapidity which is usual in such places
the loss Of life could not but have been
very great.
When the alarm Of fire was given some
very exciting scenes transpired. One
man jumped from the gallery and landed
plump on the piano, crushing in the top
and damaging it materially. Another
man rushed to the front window in the
gallery, broke out the sash and glass and
lighted on the pavement. A gentleman
went up to him as soon as be struck, sup
posing him to be crushed to pieces, but
he got up and walked off apparently un-
hurt. The ladies' as general thing,
bore themselves heroically throughout
this most trying and exciting time. -
There was very little shrieking or crying
much less than any would naturally
suppose would be the case. What caused
the fire is not known.