Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1872-07-25
FIRE IN THE JUBILEE.
How. n Rand Master Prevented n Catas-
trophe.
Boston Letter to the New York Herald.


Boston Letter 10 the New York Herald.
The second concert was destined TO
be more full of incident. Fortunately
the intense heat prevented the assem-
blage of large audience. Had 1t been
otherwise the jubilee would, IN all
probability, have left sal memories
behind it. The first part of the pro.
oramme was sustained almost entirely
by the English band, and they were
lust beginning their selections when
the hitherto bright and sunny day be
came suddenly overcast. The rum
blings Of the distant advancing thunder
came to mingle with the weakened mu-
sic of the instruments, and lurid light
ming flashes shot out from the overcast
sky. No attention was paid to these
threatening signs until sudden y a fierce
gust of wind swept over the city, ac-
companied by deafening peals OF
thu2der and liquid-looking flashes
of sheet lightning. The doors
/ of the coliseum were open in order to
allow tho air to circulate in the OPP
pressively heated building, and so sud
denly did the storm swoop down that
there was no time to shut them before
/ the clouds Of dust that came rushing
on with awful violence swept into the
building. In an instant the vast audi
forum was plunged in the darkness,
for the fierce eddying whirlwind caught
ND the loose sand that surrounded the
coliseum on every side and carried it
along in binding cloud until the
jubilee building seemed to be envel-
oped by a simoom. With great
promptness the police officers rushed
to the doors, and after a great effort,
succeeded in closing them. Tue
people were in state of considerable
alarm, when some foolish person in
the crowd shouted "lire." In an in
slant a panic seized the audience.
An immediate rush was made for the
doors, many persons being knocked
down and trampled on ladies tainted
and men struggled to reach the outlets
through the narrow passages between
the seats. The barriers on the edge OF
the auditorium were scaled by those
near them. Fortunately the PANE wGs
not general but another moment might
have made it SO. Godfrey, with adj
; mirable presence of mind, ordered the
grenadiers to strike up The Star
Spangled Banner The effect was
electric. A panic occurred, and the
people recognized that the alarm had
been false one and they became more
Z composed. Those who had tainted or
d been Injured were ut once removed. II
+, was then discovered that no one had
been seriously hurt This ending to
: an incipient panic was principally due
TO the GOODNESS of Dan Godfrey, for if
a the scared people mad not had their
attention suddenly called away from
6 the supposed danger, there can be no
a calculating from the loss of life that
must have ensued Very few of the
y main passages lead directly to the
! doors, and the result would undoubted-
" have been block and crush, with
I the inevitable trampllng to death OF
q the weaker individuals 1t was some
. time before the agitation of the audi
/ ence disappeared, but nothing after
ward occurred to mar the proceedings.
Madame Leutner sang the "Star Span
gled Banner" in her peculiar English
with great grace and eXpresslveness,
, and was enthusiastically encored.