The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-05-06
A NIGHT OF DEATH.
The Destruction of the Richmond Theatre in
1S1l-SevenLY Lives Lost.

Eho DestrssI9n Of the RlSh%9na Theatre in
The gloom that pervades Richmond on &C
count of the recent disaster is quite as deep
as that which rested upon it on the morning
of the 9th of December, 1911. On the night
of Thursday, the 26th, the Richmond Theatre
was burned, and some fifty of her first citi-
zens either trampled or burned to death, and
twenty more afterward died from injuries re-
ceived. The Richmond Enquirer on the 2Sth
of the same month, contained the following
description of the night of horrors
On Thursday night new play and new
afterpiece were played for the benefit of Mr..
Placide. Crowds swarmed to the theatre-it
was the fullest house this season-there we're
not less than 600 present. The play went
off-the pantomime began, the first act was
over. The whole scene was before us, and
all around as was mirth and festivity. o,
God! what q horrible revolution did one
minute produce! The curtain rose on the
second act of the pantomime, the orchestra
was in full chorus, and Mr. West came on to
open the scene, when sparks of fire began to
fall on the back part of the stage, and Mr..
Robinson came out in unutterable distress,
waved his hand to the ceiling, and uttered
these appalling words: ''The house is
on fre!'' His hand was instantly
stretched forth to persons in the stage box to
help them on the stage, and aid their retreat
in that direction This is all that we caught
of the stage, the cry of 'fre, fire" passed
with electrical velocity through the house
every one few from their seats to gain the
lobby stairs. The scene battles all descrip-
ton. The most heart-rending cries pervaded
the house. ''Save me, save me;" wives ask
ing for their husbands; females and children
| shrieking, while the gathering element came
rolling on its curling flames and column of
| smoke, threatening to devour every human
being in the building Many were trod under
| foot. Several were thrown back from the
windows, from which they were struggling
! to leap. The starways we're Immediately
! blocked up; the throng was so great that
many were raised several feet over the heads
of the rest; the smoke threatened an instant
| destruction. Many leaped from the windows
of the first story and were saved. Children
and females and men of all descriptions were
seen to precipitate themselves on the ground
below. Most of these escaped, though several
of them with broken legs and thighs and
hideous contusions. Most, if not all, who
were in the pit escaped. How melancholy
that many who were in the boxes did not also
jump into the pit and fly in the same direc-
| tion but those who were in the boxes above
and below pushed for the lobbies; many, as
has been said, escaped through the windows,
but the most of them had no other resource
than to descend the stairs. Many escaped
they retarded each other until the devourng
element approached to sweep them into eter-
nifty. Several who even emerged from the
| building were so much scorched that they have
since perished Some even jumped from the
! second-story window; some others had been
| dreadfully burned.
The fire flew with rapidity almost beyond
example; within ten minutes after it caught
the whole house was wrapt in flames. The
colored people in the gallery, most of them
escaped through the stairs cut off from the
rest of the house-some have no doubt fallen
victims. The pit and boxes have but one
common avenue only, through which the
whole crowd could escape, save those only
who leaped through the windows.
But the scene which ensued it is impossible
| to paint. Women with dishevelled hair,
fathers and mothers shrieking out for their
children, husbands for their wives, brothers
for their sisters, filled the whole area on the
outside of the building A few who had es-
capped plunged again into the flames to save
some dear object of their regard, and they
perished. The Governor, perhaps, shared
this melancholy fate Others were frantic,
and would have rushed to destruction, but
for the hand of a friend. The bells tolled;
almost the whole town rushed to the fatal
spot.
The flames must have caught to the scenery
from some light behind. Robertson saw it
when it was no longer than his arm. Young
saw it on the roof when it burst through.
Every article of the theatre was consumed, as
well as the dwelling house next to it; but
what is wealth in comparison to the valuable
lives which have gone forever? The whole
town is shrouded in woe. Heads of families
extinguished forever. Many and many is the
house in which chasm has been made that
can never be filled up. We cannot dwell on
this picture.
The citizens of Richmond met at the Capt.
tol on Friday, the 9th of December, 1911,
over which the Mayor presided, atwhich COM
mittees were appointed to ascertain the names
of those killed and injured, recommending
that the following Wednesday be observed as
a day of humiliation and prayer, and appoint
ing committee to inquire into the causes of
the catastrophe.
The funeral of those who lost their lives
took place on the 2Sth of December.