Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1876-02-09
The Cincinnati Horror.

The Cincinnati Horror.
The disaster at Robinson's Opera House,
Cincinnati. on Saturday afternoon is thus de-
scribcd by Mr.. Eekel, who was one of the first
to rush into the fatal vestibulc on hearing the
cry Of fire aud seeing the crowd of people rush
our
was standing on the sidewalk talking to
some gentlemen, when | heard the alarm of
fire. and as one Of my children was inside oa-
turally made an effort to force my way lu. The
entrance was completely clog2ed with people,
however, and [ never got beyond the middle
of the vesibu!e My idea is that some of the
fs crowd that rushed out slipped on the steps
and fell and the immense thr0ng that follow.
ed them were So terror-stricken that they did
not thnk of steps or anything else except to
fling themselves out of theiinaer doorway. The
const uucncc was hat there was general pillng
up of PROSTATE and struggling people, those
who followed the fist rush falling on top OF the
others as SooD as they got to the steps. The
people, men, women and children, piled up
around me and the other meu who made their
way into the vcstlbule, walst-hlgh, and still
they kept coming.
Il was SIMPLY awful. Men and women were
groaning, children were shrieklng, and by the
and children | knew they were being smother
ed to death. We pulled out all We could, and
worked as fast as we could, but it seemed that
they piled up as last as we erked thcm out,
aud some were so tightly wedged lc W. could ut
bulge them an inch either way. One poor
lady, who was killed, lay on the tiling With a
dozen women and children Oh top OF her, her
face hattened against the f oor, and her tongue,
which protrudcd two or three inches, being
trampled on by others trying to work them
selves out. Oao little white haired boy, who
saw was almost smothcred to death, thrust
out his hand to me from under two or three
persons VINO we're crowding him down, and
managed to catch hold Of his arm. lie work
cd the her arm out somehow, and u police
man caught hold OF it. We tugged and tug
gcd at him for several minutes, and it look our
united strength to pull him out, aud we are
both strong men, too.
They would catch mc.by the legs aud try to
pull themselves out that way, and we were all
i0 dagger every second of going dowa with the
whole crowd. There must have been as many
as = Hundred and fifty people piled up iD that
vc>t.bule as | have described, aud | don't think
halt of them would ever have issued from the
trap alive if couple of policemen had not broke
through the Office to the west Of tine entrance
and fought their way to the inner door, aud
commenced throwing the people back Into the
house 10 order to give Us chance to extrlcate
those already 10 the vestlbule. My God II
there had been fire 10 the house 1t must have
roasted half the audicr &C TO deat h, the way the
people were piled up aDd cngging the main
exit The work of the policemen at the luuer
doors, 10 throwtlg the people back until quiet
was restored undoubtedly saved many lives.
1t enabled u To clear the vcStlDuIe CT the llvlDg
aud the dead, aud when that was doGc, and the
alarmed people got to passing ouadlAomethlng
like order, the danger Was over. i. ssss
The scenes in aud about the Opera
after the accident were heartrcndlng.
Fathers and mothers were there to look for
their Children; brothers and sisters for broth
crS and sisters. Everybody VS. wild with APP
prchension and fear. The vas. crowd surged
and througed about the doors Of Mr.. H:lD-
!ius law office and Esquire R!ey's office,
where five OF the killed or Injured had been
taken.
la HamaS office were three women terri
bly, injured and wrtii!ng in the ag nies of
death, while their sharp, shrll! screams echoed
out ever the horror struck multitude IN the
streets
In Esquire Rileys boy and woman lay
dead.
Up stairs in the theatre four dead bodies
We're laid out, one girl, two boys aud woman,
and two more had been taken to the hospital
VINO are not expected to live.
After the accident, what of the audience re-
NAMED were gathered into the seats, and the
play proceeded. Those in the house were not
aware OF the extent of the calamity 10 'front.' and
the horros of it were kept from them. His
Honor Mayor johnson, hearing of the situa-
lien Of atfAirs, went within and Indignantly or
aered the curtain TO be dropped and the allie
cory brought to an enl. Ii was quietly going
% While 10 the ante rooms half a-dozen crushed
aud maDgled bodies we're lyiog.