Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1876-12-14
THE BURNING OF THE BROOKLYN
THEATER.

4 Z Lhs
dred Men, Women and Childrel
Crushed or Burned TO Death.
| NEW YORK, Dec s.
| The Brooklyn Theater burned to th
ground last night. The fire originated o
the stage at II: 80 D. m. The fire sprea
with lightning rapidity, and burst ou
through the door on Washington street TIL
| panic and confusion among the audienc
were terrible. The fire broke out durin
the performance of the last scene of tn
i" Two Orphans" in which Miss Claxton
who plays the part of heroine, lies on tn
boat-honse floor. In five minutes more th'
| audience would have been dismiss ed, ant
| to record than the destruction of property
The house was about two-thirds filled
| those below sitting we'll forward toward th
stage. For those in the family circle, dres
| circle and galleries there was no way OF es
| cape except by Washington street.
| The panic-stricken people rushed pell-mel
! toward and down the stairways. The mail
exit became Immediately choked up, and
| scene of terror, confusion, and distress en-
| sued which beggars description.
Just above the landing-place of the stair
way, woman in the crush had her foo
| pushed between the balusters and fell. Th
| crowd behind, forced forward by the terri
| fed people still further behind, fell over he
| ana piled on top of each other four and fiy
| feet deep.
The police from the statiou-house, mex
| door, were promptly at the scene, but owins
to the manner in which the people were
piled upon top of each other and masseC
together they could extricate ecomparatively
few, and these were all bruised, bleeding
and manned.
The fremen got to work on the ruins
shortly after daylight this morning.
Although the fire originated on the stage
the loss of life among the theatrical com
pany was not as extensive as might have
been imagined. Two lives were lost-twC
young men in the flower of their professional
life, Henry S. Murdoch and Claude Bur
roughs. These two young men were playing
respectively, Pierre, the cripple, and Picard
valet to the CheValier. At half-past ten this
evening the bodies of the two men were
digged from the ruins, and both identl-
fed by remnants of dresses worn on the
stage. Only the trunk of Murdoch re-
mained.
There were 200 people in the theater-500
in the galleries.
When the panic occurred on the main floor
of the theater, Thomas Rockford, chief usher
of the establishment, was in the lobby. The
performance was almost over, and he was
about making arrangements for the depart
ure of the audience. At the cries OF F1re!''
he rushed into the auditorium and, taking In
the terrible situation, endeavored to quiet
the people who were about him. Seeing they
were too tho ouguly alarmed. he ran TO The
doors leading inlo Floods alley, which con
meets Joh son street and Myrtle avenue, and
opened them so that the people might escape
that way. This diverted many from seeking
escape through the main entrance.
All who were on the right-hand side OF the
parquet and balcony csc, ped through these
doors. 1he opening Of the doors created a
tremendous draught, which so increased the
flames that the players were compelled to
abandon the stage, and escape as best they
might. They had remained there to the last,
but, seeing that it was now a question OF
life and death, they retreated. The flames
shot out on all sides of the stage, and en-
veloped the prosctnium, and the smoke be-
gan pouring in volumes into the parquet.
Studley and Murdoch were the last to leave.
Probably not more than five minutes
elapsed between the beginning of the panic
and the compete development of the stage
and parquet in flames. By this time nearly
all those in the lower part of the house b id
escaped. The crowd from above came pour
ing down into the Hobbies, which were soon
densely crowded. Stairways were choked
up, and there seemed to be no way in which
they could be relieved. Many succeeded in
escaping by the regular means of egress into
Washington street, but that staircase was
also soon crowded, and escape by that way
was next to impossible.
Horror upon horror accumulated as the
day advanced. Corpse after corpse, charred
and blackened, was passed out, and still the
pile of bodies in the cellar did not seem to
diminish. AS the number mounted to $50
and 16Q the belief that the number would
reach 200 grew into a certainty, and, finally,
at 4:30, the two hundredth body was re-
moved. Some were found with limbs and
hands burned off, and nothing left but a
ghastly, blackened trunk.
LOT hnur tn-pirhf OSS hnHips have
been recovered.
The Times says that Fire Marshal Ready,
who has made an exhaustive examination of
the circumstances attending the fire, is of
opinion that at least $50 persons perished in
the flames.
SOME OF THE SAD SCENES.
A young man named Dietz was identified
by his sister and friend who, on discover
ing that it was the body they were in search
Of, were so overcome that it was all the au-
thorities could do to keep them from falling
on and embracing the corpse. The sister
stood near it crying, and giving vent to such
eXclamations as, Poor Abe! Oh, if mother
can only stand this blown'
The body of one young man was discov-
cred by his sister, who, casting one glance
at what was left of his coat, gave a cry of
My Toml' and fell fainting in the arms of
her father, and was carried insensible to the
street. 1t was afterward found that this
mother and sister, his sfather being a drunk
ard, who had not contributed toward the
support of his family for two or three years.
A temporary wooden inclined plane was
built from the horrible pit in which most Of
the bodies were found. Along this they
were carried in boxes covered with blankets
They were then placed in the undertakers'
wagons, which were in waiting to carry
them to the Morgue. The wagons of all the
undertakers in Brooklyn were in use, and
were drawn up in line along the edge of the
sidewalk. One after another of them was
backed up to the theater door to receive
the boxes containing the dead. At inter
walls of a few minutes several men
would emerge from the door carrying cof-
fn-shaped, leaden-liued box, covered with
blanket to o. the CHASTITY spectacle pre-
sented by the charred and blackened
cJrpses. The blanket outlined the deformed
and shapeless mass A hand or foot pro-
truded above the box, and il some cases
bodies were stiffened in almost sitting post
ure, and, as the wagons were driven rapidle
up the street, their h. ads nodded to and f-o
beneath the blankets, or protruding linn bs
quivered horribly.
The sight caused many strong men TO turn
away from the spot with fearful eyes
Gossip About Some Living Poets.