The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1865-03-11
Exciting scene !, Cleveland.

IN THE HALL-EsCAPE OF THE ENTIRE
AUDIENCE.
Brainard'e Hall, in Cleveland, where
McAvoy's Hibernicon, or Tour in Ireland,
mas been on exhibition for some days past,
TOOK hre on Friday evening from some un-
discovered cause, when the exhibition was
about one-third through. An audience Of
ABOUT zoo persons were present. The
Herald says:
MI. Heron was on the stage singing an
lrish song, when smoke was seen by one
OF the men connected with the exhibition
issuing through the cracks in the floor OF
Inc stage, behind the scenes. He caugh:
ptcner OF water and attempted 20 put it
oot. pat hnding It impossible he informed
M. McAvoy, who was playing an accom-
panlnent at the time, and he immediately
went behind the scenes. BY this ,tine the
people IN front had caught sight Of the
smoke, and an alarm Of fire was given
faen commenced one Of the most fright
iui scenes we ever witnessed. There was
es.mated 70 be at least twelve hundred
people in the hall. Every nook and COR
ner was filled to snffocation. We do not
remember ever to have seen the nail
more crowded than on this occasion. The
people rose up in one solid mass and made
. rush for the doors that lead from the hall.
Men, women and children were caught in
the current that surged down the stairs i'm
TO the narrow and altogether 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 i'm possible for any one
IT, fail, a. the stream of frightened and
crushed humanity reached the streets, they
presented many Of the ladies particularly
"a most pitiabie sight. Bonne,s crushed
and torn from their heads, many with on.
~ remnants Of their dresses hanging to
their baoks, and all more or less damaged
IN their wardrObes. Several ladies faint
eC, cut were borne along with the crowd
to the street insensible. To see the stream
Of people come down the narrow stairs
pell.mell into the street was exciting in the
extreme.
Isis wonderful that no one was killed,
out we are happy 10 say that none OF the
vast crowG. SO far as we conli learn, was
even seriously injured. Several ladies were
more or less bruised in the crush, and q
large number tainted, but through a Ezra.
Gle it seems, all reached the street withou;
| losing their lives or having their limbs
broken.
The tire 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 il
| the ball, the excitement was somewhat al
layed towards the last, and the people lef,
the hall mere deliberately. i the IRE ha6
| spread with the rspidi.y tina. is usual il
su.ch places, the loss OF life could MOI but
have been very great.
The steamers were on the ground very
promptly, but owing to the dense mass o
people coming down the stairs, it was i'm
possible to get the hose up that way, and il
! had to be taken up ladder from the out
side and through the window. Water wa,
finally got on the FIRE, and it was soon Elk
tinguished, although, owing to the location
Of the fire, il was hard to get at.
4 When the alarm of FIRE was first given
some very exciting scenes TRANSFERRED. On,
man jumped from the from the gallery
and landed plump on the top Of the piano
crushing in the top and damaging it MA
| terially. Another man rushed to the from
window in the gallery, broke out the sas'
and glass, and jumped out, lighting on th,
| pavement. A gentleman went up to hin
as soon as he struck. supposing that he wa
crushed to pieces but he got up and wen
off, apparently unhurt. The ladies, as
general thing, bore themselves heroicsll,
throughout this most trying and exciting
time. There was very little shrieking an.
cryiDg-much less than any one wouls
naturally suppose would bs the case.
~