Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1870-07-21
scKrR OF TERROR

From the Elko Independent, JUL. sGl
A terrible accident occurred ut the
Courthouse night before last, during
the performance given by Professor =.
A. Lewis and troupe. The Courtroom
was filled to overlooking, the greater
portion of the seated audience being
ladies and children. The entertain
ment was a most excellent one, and
the audience was delighted and In high
spirits until near the close, when the
Janitor of the Courthouse essayed to
turn the lights down In order to darken
the room for the exhibition Of n tab
leau. The middle chandelier, con-
tanning six large coal oil lamps, with
their globes and chimneys. hung I'M
mediately over the heads Of a number
of ladies, and was attached to a pend
ant bar from the ceiling by q spiral
screw, Of the existence Of which, 1t APP
pears, the Janitor was ignorant, though
he knew the chandelier could be easily
turned around. In thus turning 1t, as
he had frequently done before, In order
to reach all 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 scattering their flaming contents
over the ladies, and a great column of
fame shooting up 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 safe
avenue of escape. Getting into the
flames, and finding their further pro-
gress cut off by the dense throng
crowding into the door, mep leaped
over the balustrade inside the bar.
while some of the ladies swooned and
others rent the air with their screams.
This heightened the confusion to q
panic, and several children jumped
from the windows-the room being the
second story Of the building and
others attempted to do 80, but were
held back. Several gentlemen, whose
names we could not learn, regardless
of danger and pain, devoted their EN-
tire attention to keeping ladies and
children out Of the fire, and in some
Instances were compelled to handle
the paniC-stricken rather roughly.
Children were tossed over the balus-
trade among the tables, chairs, etc., or
thrown among the vacated 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 knocked
down and run over - u infant,
dropped In the hall, was passed over
by nearly the entire audience, without
receiving the slightest injury. Deputy
Sheriff Cralghead and others made a
bold stand on the stairway, where the
most imminent danger awaited the
panic-stricken 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 1t said) were so frantic and
terror-stricken 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 per-
ilous position on the stairs. Mean
time. as soon as the bulk Of the audi
ence got out Of the room so that tho
heroic men who stood their ground
could get at the flames. some OF them
drew their coats and commenced
smothering the fire on the floor, while
others. themselves wrapped In flames,
were busily engaged IN eXtinguishlng
the flames which enveloped the cloth
Ing of several ladies, and Others still
were picking up and carrying out chill
dren and caring for them. Mrs. D. L.
Smith, Mrs. II. Harville, Mrs. Richard
Cameron, Miss N. Cope, W. B. Dyer,
William Owens, l.. Wilsey, Mr.. o.
borne, and a number Of others were
terribly burnt and many were severely
dows. The fire was subdued.
The thunders Of hundreds Of feet on
the stairway, the shrieks Of women,
the screams Of children, and rising
above the din, the stentorian tones Of
William Baugh, Deputy Sheriff Craig
head, Pete Gambol and others, crying
Take your time !" Its all orer!"
"Don't rush "The fires OUT"
"There's no danger!" Look out for
the women and children !" mo
danger!" go slow!" and other *
pressions Intended to allay the fears of
the panic-stricken and arrest the head
long rush down the stairs, soon at
tracted to the spot almost the entire
population Of the town and mothers,
who Ind not been present before but
who had children there, added their
wild screams to those Of the suffering