The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1872-07-18
FIRE In THE JUBILEE.
How a Band Master Prevented u
Catns1rOphe.

Catastrophe.
Boston Letter 10 the New York Herald
The second concert was destined to b.
more full Of incident. Fortunately the IN
tense heat prevented the assemblage Of a
large audience. Had it been otherwise
the jubilee would, in all probability, have
left sad memories behind it. Tie first
part Of the pr ogramme was sustained al
most entirely by the English band, and
they were just lightning their selections
when the hitherto bright and sunny day
became suddenly overcast. The rumblings
Of the distant advancing thunder came to
ming!e with the weakened music Of the in
struments, AMI inrl lightning flashes shot
out from the overcast sky. No attention
was paid to these threatening signs until
suddenly a tiere gust of wind swept over
4 the city, accompanied by dcafcning peals
OF thunder and liquid looking flashes Of
4 shee. lighting. The doors of the coliseum
were open in order to allow the air to cir
culatc through the oppresSivcly heated
buildin5, and suddenly 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 builcins In an instant the vast
auditorium was plunged in the darkness,
| for the fierce eddving whirlwing caught up
the loose sand that surrounded the CO
liseum on every side and carried it along
IN a binding cloud until the Jubilee build
ing seeineu !" a --~lnnad by a simeon.
With great prornptness the police urnUo.s
rushed to the doors, and, after Il great
effort, succeeded in closing them. The
people were in state Of considerable
alarm, when some foolish person in the
crowd shouted fire. Iu an instant a
| panic seized the audience.
An immediate rush was made for the
doors, many persons being knocked down
and tramplcd 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 ,hem. Fortunately,
the panic was not general, but another
moment might have made it SO. Godfrey,
/ with admirable presence of mind, ordered
/ his grcnadlcrs to strike up "the Star
! Spanglcd Banner The effect was cleo
/ tric. y panic occurred, and the peorc
recognized that the alarm had been q false
one, ami they becane more composed.
( Those who bad tainted or been Injured
were Mt once removed 1t was then dis
; covered that no one had been seriously
hurt. This happy ending to an incipent
panic was principally due to the GOODNESS
OF Dan Godfrey, for if the people had not
had their attention suddenly called away
from the supposed danger there can he no
, calculating the loss of life that must have
ensued. Very few of the main passages
Head directly to the doors. and the result
would undoubtedly have been block and
crush with the inevitable trampling to
death OF the weaker individuals. 1t was
some time before the agitation Of the. au,.
ence disappeared, but nothing afterward
occurred to mar the proceedings. Madame
Lentner sang the Star Spangled Banner
in hen peculiar English with great grace
and e1pressiveness, and was enthusiast
cally Ell cored.