Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1870-09-07
4 SCENE Or TERROR.
Upsetting of Coal 0iI upon an Audit
ence-W WOmen and Children In
Ffames-SeyeraI Persons Injured.

The Elko, Mo-, Independent of recent
date says: "a terrible accident occurred
at the Court House night before last, dur
ing the performance of Prof G. A. Lewis
and troupe. The Court room was filed
to overlooking, the greater portion Of The
seated audience being ladies and chill
dren The audience was delight-
ed and in high spirits until near the close,
when the janitor of the Court House essay
ed to turn the lights down, in order to
darken the room for the exhibition of
tableaux. The middle chandelier, con-
tanning six large coal oil lamps, with their
globes and ehinneys, was Immediately
over the heads of number of ladies, and
vas attached to q pendant bar upon the
ceiling by spiral screw, of the existence
of which. it appears, the janitor was ignor-
ant, though he knew the chandelier could
easily be turned around. In thus turning
it, as he had frequently done before,
in order to reach fi the lamps, the whole
thing came down with a crash, the. lamps
rolling upon the floor under the feet of the
audience, two of them bursting and scat
tering their contents over the ladies, and
great column of fame shooting I'D almost
instantly to the ceiling. The scene which
followed beggars description Men, women
and children rushed into the flames from
the rear, in hopes of reaching the single
door of the room. which offered the only
sure avenue of escape. Getting into the
flames, and finding their further progress
shut off by the dense throng
crow5ing into the door, men. leaped
over the balustrade into the bar. while
some of tho ladies' swooned and
others rent the air with their screams
This heightened the confusion to panic
and several children jumped from the
windows-the room being in the third sto-
ry of the building-and others attempted
to do SO, but were held back. Children
were tossed over the balustrade among the
tables, chairs, &C., or thrown among the
vacant seats in the other direction, while
ladies were seized and held by main
strength or knocked back with great but
necessary violence. In the hall leading to
the stairway several persons were knock
ed down and run over; one infant,
dropped in the hall, was run over
by nearly the entire audience with.
out receiving the slightest injury. Deputy
Sheriff Craighead and others made bold
stand on the stairway, where the most i'm
minent danger awaited the panic-strioken
crowd, and did noble service in checking
the headlong rush, and, doubtless, saved
many lives and limbs thereby. A few men
Ito their shame be it said) were SO frantic
and ror-strlcken that even on the stair
way they attempted to climb over the heads
of women and children, and were promptly
seized and tossed over the balusters to the
ground below by the gentlemen
who had taken the perilous position on the
stairs Meantime, as soon as the balance
of the audience got out OF the room, SO
that the heroic men who stood their ground
could get at the flames, some of them
drew their coats off and commenced smoth-
ering the fire on the floor, while others,
themselves wrapped in flames, we're busily
engaged in extinguishing the flames which
enveloped the clothes of several ladies, and
others still were picking up and
carrying out children and car
ing for the wounded. Mrs. Smith,
wife of d. s. Smith, druggist, sustained
more severe external injuries than any one
else. She was sitting under the chanda-
lier when it fell, and the contents Of one
or more of the lamps were emptied into
her lap, saturating her clothes, which i'm
mediately took fire. Before the flames
could be extinguished her lower limbs were
severely burned in spots from the feet to
the body; her clothes, from the
kLoe downward, were entirely. eon-
sumed and badly charred from that
point to the waist, while both
wrists were severely and both hands
slightly burned. Her wounds are severe
and painful, but not dangerous. Mrs.
Harry Harville was knocked down in the
doorway and severely trampled before she
could be extrieated. It is feared that she
received dangerous internal injuries. Mrs.
Richard Cameron, who sat under the chan
delier, received the contents of lamp in
her slippers, and had both feet badly
burned, but received no injury, We believe,
about the ankles"