Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1870-05-10
The Burning of the Richmond Theatre.
The Great Ca1an.nu of 1911.

I
following account of the burning of the Thea
tire in that city in 1911. By which a large
number of parsons lost their, lives. sFPhe two.
events SO Similar in their tragic character,
will be read with mournful interest:
Temporary Theatres now again gave place
| to regular one. A large brick edifice was
erected in the rear of the Old Academy or
Theatre Square. That, alas was the scene
of the most horrid disaster that ever over
! whelmed our city, where seventy-two persons
/ perished in the flames on the fatal Goth of
! December, 1911, where the Monumental
| Church now stands, and its portico covers the
! tomb and the ashes of most of the victims.
The writer with some friends, reached
! Richmond thatevening from a Christmas jaunt
| in tue country; and went with them to the
| Theatre-but it was so crowded that we could
not obtain admission. A very few hours
after, he was aroused by the cry of fire, and
| Fastening to the spot, the first object he en-
countered on an open space, was a lady lying
on the grass apparently in swoon. He at
tempted to raise her but she was dead He
afterwards learned that she had leaped from
window, but before she could be removed
from beneath it, was crushed by those who
| Sought lOT safety ny IOiIU"luS ueF ue next
object that thrilled him was gentleman so
I dreadfully excoriated that death mercifully
| put an end to his tortures in few hours
| but it were cruel to rehearse the many indi-
| vidual instances of intense suffering by the
victims, and of the scarcely less intense agony
of their relatives and friends.
On the ensuing morning, the mangled,
burnt and undistingushabIe remains of many
! of the victims were taken from the ruins and
| inferred on the spot where their names are
| recorded on the monument already mentioned,
and the ground was consecrated to the cree
! tion Of church.
1t is due to an humble but worthy man. to
record the services rendered by him during
| the progress of this dreadful calamity. Gill
bert Hunt, a negro blacksmith, possessed
naturally very powerful frame, and by WELD
ing the sledge hammer, his muscles had
become almost as strong and as tough as the
iron he worked-Gilbert was aroused and
bcsought by Mrs. George Mayo to go to the
rescue of her daughter. He was soon at the
theatre. Within its walls, then filled with
| smoke and flame, was DR.. james d. McCaw,
| a man who might have been chosen by a
sculptor for model of Hercules. The Doctor
| had reached a window and broken out the
| sash, when he and Gilbert recognized each
| other He called to Gilbert to stand below
and catch those he dropped out. He then
seized on the woman nearest to him, and lower.
| ing her from the window as far as he could
reach, he let her fall. She was caught in
| Gilbert's arms aud conveyed by others to
| place of safety One after another the brave
and indefatigable Doctor passed to his comrade
| below, aud thus ten or twelve ladies were
| saved. The last one providentially was the
| Doctors own sister, whose proportions were
| feminine epitome of the Doctor himself
Gilbert caught her and broke her fall, but he
says be fell with her, both unhurt.
The Doctor having rescued all within his
reach, now sought to save himself. The wall
was already tottering. He attempted to leap
or drop from the window, but his strong
leathern gaiter, an article of sportsman's ap-
parel which he always wore, caught in hinge
or some other iron projection, ard he was thus
suspended in a most horrld and painful posts
ton he fell at last, but to be lame for life.
The muscles and snews were stretched and
torn and lacerated, and his back was scared
by the flames, the marks of which he carried
| to his grave.
The Doctor directed Gilbert to drag him
! across the street, and place him with his back
against the wall of the Baptist Church then
| to get two palings from fence opposite
| With these for splints and handkerchief for
| bandages, the limb was bound. Gilbert then
went in search of n conveyance to carry the
Doctor home. His removal from beneath the
wall Of the theatre had scarcely been effected,
before it fell on the spot where he had fallen
After long period of suffering, he was
able to resume practice and his profession
has been adopted by son and grandson, per-
petuating the good name Of Doctor McCaw,
which its founder had worthily established.
Gilbert, then a slave, afterwards obtained
| his freedom-I wish could add, at the hands
of grateful community but it was by his
| own industry.
His philanthropy and efficiency in rescuing
his fellow creatures from the flames, were ex-
hibted on another occasion. When the Peni-
tentiary was burned, some years later the only
| outlet was cut off by the flames, and the only
means of rescue for the prisoners was by open
| ing new one, through one of the grated win.
! dows no ladder was at hand to reach it
| Gilbert placed himself under the window, and
| Captain Freeman, an active and efficient fire.
man. mounted on Gilbert's shoulders, and thus
elevated aud supported, the Captain cut the
| brick work in which the CRATE was inserted,
! and through the broach thus formed, some of
| the prisoners were rescued but the same
| operation had to be repeated at the second and
third stories, and the cnterprising pair con-
trived to reach them by the means now
brought for their aid. and succeeded in maxi
ing other breaches. Just as the flames reached
them, the last of the convicts was rescued.
Gilbert went to Liberia in its early settle.
ment, when, like all yonng colonies, ii was
subject to many hardships aud privations.-
He preferred ease and comfort, and returned
to Richmond, where he resumed his work at
the anvil, which poverty renders it necessary
still to prosecute, at the age of eighty-fve.
Surely Gilbert deserves a pension for his
services
A negro informs the Chicago Times that
he wants to see the time como when a negro