The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1876-12-09

through the back door than to go through the
front of the house. We cried out to them con-
tuually. The front passage is clear; go back
and you'll all be saved When L called out
many brave women sat down, and that surely
pulled the men into their places. One woman
in the front of the orchestra got up and said,
You're right, Miss Claxton.' The musicians
acted nobly. think they all sat still in their
seats, because L saw some of them looking at
me, you know. The man in the end of the or
ehestra looked at me the whole time-he was
trombone player, think-he looked at me
and gritted his teeth as he TUNED to survey the
panic-stricken audience. At this time all the
scenery had shrivelled into finder 1t was
canvas you know" Here Miss Claxton wrung
her hands and compressed her lips with an alb
sent look as though she was mentally survey
ing the terrible scene. She replied "The
beams were falling on all sides of us. We
were in perfect rain of fire.
looked up, turning half round, and saw a
bright blaze of fire shooting out over our heads
toward the audience. 1t was like trans,
formation scene e. in spectacle, you know;
said to him, Come, it is foulhardy to wait any
longer; let us CO. But he pulled away from
me in a dazed sort of way and went toward his
dressing room, which was by that time almost
burned. He must have actually rushed into
the flames. l made my way rapidly down the
little flight of seven steps which led from the
stage to the level OF the dressing rooms and
knocked loudly at the door of that occupied by
Maud Harrison, who was picking up some OF
her wardrobe. The back entrance was by this
time perfect hell of fire. Miss Harrison. on
my call, rushed from her room and darted by
me into little subterranean passage which led
from the stage under the floor to the box office
in front of the house. No such passage exists
| in other theatres. 1t was designed by Mrs.
Conway, when the theatre was built, SO thai
| she could readily communicate with her treas
| Har md
| it seemed as if the fire, swept by the draft
almost licked the clothes from our backs as We
| entered the passage AS we fled through it
| remembered that it was closed at the other enc
| by door with spring lock, and was usually
| kept closed, one of the ushers carrying thu
| key. AS reached the flight of three or fou
| steps leading to the door my heart stood still
and l hesitated to try it. l thought, My God
suppose 1t is lockedr Outside of the door W.
| could hear the roaring of the maddened multi
tude struggling through the passage without
| We must really have hesitated only flash, bu
| it seemed to me that we stood there for hours
| The door fortunately was open, and we were il
d second inside the box Office. With tn
strength of despair we burst the door opel
against the struggling throng and in an instan
with thrilling dramatic effect the manner il
which she pressed her way under the arms AM
| over the heads of the strong men who strug
| ged in her path to the entrance. The i'm
| preston produced upon her by stepping owe
the dead bodies was so great that she has no
yet recovered from the shock Miss Claxtol
made her way into the station house adjoining
the burning theatre, clad only in the rags O
Louise. A gentleman there sent for carriag
to tax her home, but upon its arrival it wa
devoted to the use of two half-suffocated vic
| Tins, who were even then being carried out
She then threw over her the coat of the gentle
man, who was stranger to her, and, accom-
panied by him, ran rapidly in her scant
| garments to her home at the Pierrepont House
| All of the lady's wardrobe was destroyed; bu
she seemed to have no thought of that in he
sorrow for the victims of the calamity an
| their bereaYed friends.