Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1876-12-15
NO. so.

alarm the Mansard. roof fell In with a
crash, carrying with il 10 the cellar both the
upper gallery aud the dress circle with
their freight of human beings. BY this time
The entire fire department OF the Western
District was on the spot and numerous
streams of water were being poured into
the burning building, and upon the ad-
joining houses, TO which the efforts of the
1remen were directed, in the hope that
these, at least, might be saved. Before the
falling of the roof some OF the inmates en-
deavored to get through the windows, but
so far as known, only one succeeded, and
be Jumped 10 the roof of The station-house.
Another, who was immt dately behind
him, only succeeded in catching hold of
the sill Of The window when The smoke and
fame forced him 10 relax his hold, and he
fell back into the burning cauldron beneath
him, to share the fate of those who had not
succeeded in getting even so slight chance
of safety. Soon the major portion of the
johnson street or southerly wall fell, crush
ing beneath ii brick house and covering
the street with debris. A few minutes lat
er the easterly wall fell, and the Brooklyn
theatre was a heap of smouldering ruins.
Hardly an hour had elapsed from tle time
of the breaking out of the fire before the
building was totally demolished, and the
flames were under control. Streams of wa
ter were kept pouring upon the ruins dur
ing the remainder OF the night, and 1t was
decided that at daylight the search for the
missing ones should commence.
ExHUMING THE BODIES.
The firemen kept steady stream of wa
ter pouring in through the Washington
street entrance. A few minutes after four
o'clock in the morning they reached the
box Office and found the first body. 1t was
that of large woman, and was lying face
downward. Even at that hour many of
the most experienced fremen were of the
opinion no great number of persons had
lost thir lives. A few hours later, howev-
er, when daylight began 10 break, all doubt
had vanished and the terrible reality was
revealed. The smoke and steam were still
ascending in dense volumes, but an occa-
sional puff of wind blew aside the clouds
aud the horror stricken fremen saw the
bodies of the dead who had fallen through
from the gallery piled up in heaps. Chief
Engineer Nevins at once assigned COM
pany of firemen 10 remove the dead. From
the front entrance on Washington street for
the distance of about thirty feet the floor
remained unburned, aud al this point the
work of removing the bodies was COM
menced. Hardly any were recognizable
except by their clothing. At this time tue
extent OF the ecalamity was not fully known,
and the crowd outside could be numbered
by hundreds. An hour later, when large
force of undertakers had arrived with wag-
ons and the bodies began 10 be removed TO
the Morgue, the excitement of the people
knew no bounds.
The floor, with the exception OF the por-
tion just inside the entrance, had fallen in
to the cellar, and it was at this point most
of the bodies were found. The second
bend in the stairs, leading to the top gall
lery was Immediately over the corridor.
When the gallery gave way it fell clear in
| 10 the cellar. In order 10 get out the bod
| les ii was found necessary to have a large
ladder, the top of which rested at the en-.
trance 10 the corridor, on the ground floor,
| and The end on the smoking ruins. The
rungs were hastily covered with boards SO
as TO make a gangway for the passage OF
| the Idertaker's men. For hours the fire.
men worked down in the smoking ruins,
| amid The still burning beams of the floor
and galleries, hidden from the keen view
| of those who were permitted 10 approach
the edge of the place where the floor had
| broken through. A stream of water was
kept steadily playing into the cellar, the
| pipe being guided by a fireman, who, like
his fellows, was hidden from view. Occa-
| sionally two or three men, smirched and
| blackened from head 10 foot, would come
| up out OF the smoke bearing between them
dark, shapeless mass, which few short
hours before had been human being full
of strength and life. AS the work pro-
gressed and The smoke became less dense,
| the undertaker's cases were pushed down
along the gangway, and The bodies placed
in them and decently covered before being
taken up. Many men who anxiously
strove, and even fought. 10 obtain an en-
trance, turned sick when they had looked
on the ghastly heap OF The dead. In one
| place the bodies of twenty persons, most of
them young and of the male sex, were
found closely wedged together, lying over
each other in layers.
Att o'clock Wednesday evening all the
bodies which had fallen through from this
| passage-way when the gallery gave way
| had not been recovered. About three
o'clock Engineer Smith took command of
| party of tiremen, who commenced the
work OF exhuming the bodies under The
corridor on the east side of the house. No
| effort at Identification was permitted in the
theatre. The bodies were placed in under
takers wagons and driven rapidly TO the
| Morgue.
All through Wednesday night the fire.
men continued to work by the aid OF caiei-
um lights in the smoking ruins. There is
reason to believe that many OF those who
had seats in the parquet lost their lives.
The fire ragged for several hours in the CEN
ire of the building, afler the flames had
been extinguished near the Washington
street entrance, where the greatest number
of bodies were found. Owing to this fact,
those who failed TO escape from the par
quet are probably burned TO ashes.
SCENES AT THE CITY MoRGUE.
Soon afler daybreak Thursday, the gates
of the morgue on Willoughby street were
beseiged by crowds of people desiring to
be admitted TO see the remaius of the vic
Tins OF the fire.
Inside the morgue the blackened corpses