, 1873-01-03


| ploycd in a State without the. request OF th,
Legislature or Governor thereof.
FIRES IN THEATRES.
Another prominent place Of public amuse
ment in New York has been destroyed by fire
and at an hour following so closely upon an i'm
mense holiday attendance at the theatre tha
the narrative gires one terrible shndler "a ht
thinks OF what might have taken place had thu
fire broken ont an hour sooner, when this tinder
box WAS crowded with human beings. It dool
not diminish the inevitable thrill OF horror
caused by it, to remember that it adjoined tue
Fifth Avenue Hotel, where, only few days
since, 80 many poor se1vaut-girls we're sufrocated
and roasted to death. Had the fire broker
out an hour sooner, there is nc
probability thst any Of the audieuce
could hare escaped. The Two scene,
painters, who appear to have been the only per-
sons in tho building at the time of the FIRE, and
who wero at work in the flies, only made their
escape by cutting hole through tho roof, and
descending, by means OF ladders, from the cor
nice. Tho Fifth Avenue Theatre Was u little
shell, very gaudily ornamented and profnsely
decorated, the ornamentation itself, however,
only serving as means for the more rapid spread
OF the 1arnes. There was no rear exit to it. It
was built in between lofty buildings on each
side, and Of course had no side exits. The only
modo of egress was from the trout, and that WAS
very NARROW. The fire broke out under tho box
Office, which WAS in front. between the single
auditorium door aud the street. II
it had broken out an hour sooner,
all egress would have been cut
OF, and the dreadful lesson OF the Richmond
Theatre, q number Of years ago, would have
beon repeated. The old Dearborn Street Thea
tire, which stood between Madison and Washing
ton streets before the fire, was almost m exact
counterpart Of the Fifth Avenue Theatre, both
in size and manner Of construction, the only
essential difference being that the latter was
much the most elegant, James Fisk, Jr., having
1arished q large sum OF money upon 1t TO
fit it up for tho uses Of his opera-boutfe troupe.
The rapidity with which the FIRE spread shows
that no one could have escaped. Tho Treasurer
testifes TINT at q quarter to be saw flames
coming up through the register but. before be
could reach the street to give the alarm, the
whole structure was euveloped in flames, and in
less than aE hours time the building VAS in
ruins.
Here We have q building devoted to the uses
Of the public, not only constructed OF and filled
with in1ammable materials, but 80 arranged as
to have but one exit for the crowds, and that
part CT the house. II the devil had set to work
to construct trap for the immo1ation of human
beings, he could not hare done it more cunning
lY or ingoniously. There is but ono door to the
this instance, no one was in the trap. This
does not lessen the enormity OF this architeo-
tnral offence. 1t is only few dsys ago that the
Building Superintendent Of New York made
tour Of inspection among the various theatres
in that city, and reported the Fifth Avenue Tho
atre safe. The event has shown how much re-
lance is to be placed upon such reports. It al
most seons as II Divine Providence we're trying
to enforce tho lesson Of prudence and caution,
by these notwithstanding disasters, and it
seems also as il builders and property-oUners
we're wilful1y and reso1utely determined not to
read it, but to keep On in tbs same old reckless
path. Within two weeks, fire fres have occurred |
in New York growing ont Of identical ci1cum-
fry
!ho unsa1s t1ues, and there was not time to get /
out the animals composing his menagerie. Tall |
nago's Tabernacle was destroyed by 3 fire orig !
mating in the hueB only short time after the |
had got out The Fifth Avenue !
Hotel IRE caught in the same manner, and twelve ]
II fifteen servants were RufYocated- Tie Centre
street bindery fro broke out in the dues, and |
the cscape Of ten employees was cut or And !
low comes the Fifth Avenue Theatre, destroyed |
Il precisely the came manner. It ia almost ree-
ess to hope that people will pay any attention !
o the lessons taught by these swiftly-recurring
disasters, or that they will give any heed to the
Of human life, until some crowning
isaster occurs, involving the lives of hundreds
i people and scattering destruction far and
lear, which will 80 shock tho community with
error and alarm that that it will riae up and
demand thst this building Of 6ze-
raps and uan-trsps ahau cease.
1t is impossible to read the account Of the
urning of the Fifth Avenue Theatre, and learn
he narrow escapo OF that holiday audience,
;ithout curiosity to know the condition Of our
wn tleatres, and what protection is afforded in
ase Of fire. There is . feeling Of relief in the
vet TINT most Of our theatres have been con-
tructed with view to speedy and convenient
gress. The two West Side theatres,-the Acad-
my Of Music and the G1obe, have but ono mode
e1it-from the front, the stage exit at the
ear neither being accessible to or understood
= the audience; and it adds to the insecurity Of
,s Globe Theatre that it Is m old
ooden shell The South Side theatres are
the main SECURE Hoolo7'a Theatre has