Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1867-12-24
@Bio Statesman,
TIE loNDON THEATRE FIRE,
IIlEENlHArIE IIESE
1cenes AZ the COnflagratfOn-H
tory Of the Theatre

EEVEE kEAs 4
acemes AT the COnflagratfOn-His
tory Of she Theatre
From the London Telegraph. December
Shortly before eleven o'clock last
night, dense volume of smoke issuing
from the lower portion of Her Majesty's
Theatre startled passengers in the Hay
market, who instantly raised the cry of
"Fire 7" rFhs-constabies sone the beats
in the neighborhood, and score of vol
unteers started off to the nearest fire
and police stations, and within quar-
ter of an hour dozen engines, hoses,
and fire.escapes were .hurrying to the
spotI But within five minutes from tie
first appearance of the volume Of smoke
ebright flame shot through the roof Of
The building !; and when the first hose
arrived in the Haymarket, half the roof
of the vast structure was wrapped in
fierce and lurid blaze. Down Regent
street, along Piccadilly, up Whitehall,
through the Strand, along Pall-mall, and
the streets converging on Trafalgar
square-on foot, in cabs, in private car.
riages-tens of thousands of people con-
grrgated; crowds pouring along the
y M Msaassilss anvil ossler txoa persons a h.
motely connected with the establishment
gathered near the building. A gasman,
who arrived opportunely Immediately
after the fire broke out, assailed the po-
licemen who had taken charge of the
doors.efst the etheatre, and, by the force
Of his practical reasoning. induced them
to admit him. He feared that the gas
had been left on, and smashing one of
the windows under the Grand Piazza in
the Haymarket, he forced his way into
the interior. To the little group outside
the building this mans venture was a
matter eof grave anil romantic concern;
and when he returned, half fesuffocated
by the smoke that filled the Pile, dozen
arms were raised to help him from the
window. "The gas is turned off!'' he
gasped presently, and the great anxiety
of the. moment.,was allayed. But. the
flames by this time had spread along the
roof, and, by their volume and force, ap-
peared to have laid hold upon the whole
of the interior of the building. Loud
roared the fire as it, seized upon the fit
tings and appointments Of the theatre,
and fed and grew in strength and f, rvor
as the igneous and inhammable mate
rial of the house yielded to its power,
and, as the. minutes went Lon, and
within the hour, dozen powerful en-
sines and as many hoses were playing
on the flames, and their streams of wa-
ter seemed to fall harmless upon the
mass of glowing fire. About halfpast
eleven several companies of the Foot
Guards came up at the double-quick
from Chaling cross and more distant
barracks, and took possession of the
ground Nothing could have been more
opportune than their arrival, for the
crowd on every side was already press
ing on the fremen with force of con-
centration that rendered it doubtful
whether engines, or hoses, or fremen
could be continued in action. At TWEEN
| ty minutes past eleven the fire had burst
through the first window oyer the piaz
/ "a in the Mall, and within half an hour
it had issued from all the other windows
OH the east side of the building-the
second, third, fourth and fifth bursting
into glowing brilliance as if they. were
litiby a theatrical linkmans from within.
Then, almost at the same moment when
the last window on the east caught fire,
the first door on the ground floor under
the colonnade fell out, yielding to the
flames that had already consumed
nearly the whole interior. In
simultaneously with this the volume of
flame upon the roof grew to gigantic pro-
portiops, and seemed TO envelope the
neighboring building gs in its merciless
desfructiveness. ESosferce was this de
velopmentiof the confa grafton that the
crowds that had resisted the pressure Of
the troops fell back in great terror. In
| the midst of this outburst of fame shad-
ows were seen ascending the sides of the
burning building and in the heat of the
furnacr-for to nothing but gigantic
furnace could the pile be compsred- -hel.
meted firemen were observed high uF
upon the topmost reaches of the walls
which seemed tc totter in the heat and
glow of the fire, searching hither and
thither, inythe vicinity of the flames, fol
the hose which was to convey the water
to check the destructive element which
already had the building under its con
/ troll. Soon afterwards, as the men on the
topof the arcade mcreased in numbers
and the hose was brought into play, the
IIforce of the flames seemed to die away
1.-THE volumes of smoke that had hung
i dver; all westernL london like lurid pal
llfpl5f.ned and rose, and all that cOulC
be heard was the sullen murmul
of the smouldering ruins and
the kissing of the water as il
fell upon the flames Then, as the
4 fierceness of the fire decreased, one fig
| ure after another was seen to ascend .to
1 the apex ofafhe roof, Weakened and half
Destroyed by the fire that had playee
4 upoh it for an hour; and as one man af
\ ter aiiotber was Distinguished, the crowd
i below burst into loud and lusty cheers
i encouraging them in their labors. Hard
q ly had the flame upon the roof been sub
}, dued, when, yielding to the subtle forct
of the wind, the fire burst through the
Pall-Mall side of the theatre, and by {
reaction it seemed to -enlap the hote
which bounds the theatre on the north
ern side. For half an hour or more til,
exsrtiens of the fremen, now reinforced
\ by cohorts. from every district of th'
metropolis, kept the flames at bay ol
both sides; and at twelve O'Clock TIN
problem remained to be solved whethe
! the fire, before it consumed the whole 0
the building and the shop and residence
which lay under he'wings Of the theatr
would melt thu. side of the great water
\ -; H., &c a., M.