The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-11-09
CRUSHED IN A THEATRE.
r8E RECENT FRIG HTFUL TRAGEDY
IN SAN FRANCISCO.
Panic-Stricken Chinamen Trampiine zach
Other TO Dcath-A vivid Picture Of the
Scene-A Long Line Of Dead Mongoitnn ms.
Prom Ms San Francisco Chronfcie.

Other TO DcHth-A vivid Picture Ot the
sccne-A Long Line Of Dead Mongoiians. |
From Tie San francfsco caronfcis.
At about II o'clock last night frigbtful |
accident occurred ut the Roy China Theatre. !
The house was crowded from the bottom OF the |
pit to the outermost recesscs OF the gallery, |
every bench being occupied. In the neghbor- |
hood OF three thousand men hah crowded INTO |
the place, quite n number OF Chinese females |
being present. but only two or three white men. |
About midnight small hre "a some mating
In the gallery. which had caught by the sparks |
from a cigarette or cigar IN the hands OF some
careless ChInaman. was discovered. The man |
who made this startling discovery sounded the |
alarm immed ia;ely in his own tongue, which |
everybody understood TO mean destruction aud |
death by burning. The utmost confusion pre-
vailed aud a panic ensued. The large numb RS |
OF Chinese IN the auditorium rushed frautically |
for the door. while those packed In the r,llery
did the pame. Some twenty-five or thirty men
from the lower part OF the house reached the
%bsIm ,s b s the trtsntened crow s"rsins down
from the gallery. lbe doors, which are double,
and each about twelve feet high 10y six feet
yellow humanity poured down the stairs through
them without attempting 70 open either. and
the consequence was that the foremost crowd
about thirty In number, were scarcely out before
the stairway broke and the m.ssive door fell
upon and crushed them to the floor, while over
IT crowded and iOstled the dense audience with
out thought " the consequences.
In the mean time tho premature IRE. which
had made no headway, was summarly quencned
by Christian Chnaman, named Adam Quinn,
who. besides stamping upon II. took III hi, coat
and covered H.. Inc actors upon the stage we're
entirely ignorant Of the c,use OF the panic, and
tinued with their performance, which ID the
eject OF staying many OF the frightened CHI
nese, who were trninuliDg everything down In
their efforts to elect All exit. The passage of
the dense crowds through the entrance. and the
heartrendng shrieks .of the crushed and diving
under tue doors, alarmed several policemen on
Jackson street. who Immediately endeaNOred to
effect an entrance into the theatre. md sent to
the police station for assistai ce Oficer Dufheid
Que OF the frat white men VINO eSsayed to
stem tho pane stricken tide flowing out Of tho
doorway, aud he WIS Obliged to use his club
vigorously before he could stop single man IN
his way. Half dozen stawert policemen from
the watch which WAS Just about TO leave tine
station for duty on their respective beats. re-
paired quickly TO The scene. snd the combined
the OUTGOING Chinese. The work was accom-
plished by knockng several telcsii Is about.
and the remainder, realizing that the niger In
the theatre. whatever II wa. had disappeared,
fell back ON the crowd aud checked tner frantic
companions.
by THIS time Capt. Douglas with dozen moro
men, who, bearing the alarm. had rushed To tne
spot. The iide having tueu checked. the on ers
raised the prostrated door ana removed tho
dead ana dying from beneath II. Some were
stone dead while All under 1t were more or SIS
injured. Nineteen were conveyed To- the street
dead, and seven others VINO were rauidly diving.
The bodies were ranged along the Sidewalk.
The entrance to the theatre. halt about forty
feet IN length by some twelve In width, occupied
ON one side by u couple OF Chinese lruit ycnueig,
was cleared away. aud the panic stricken au-
dience allowed to puss Out.
The news Of the accident spread like wlldnre.
and over thousand Chinese, men and women,
from all psris II Chinatown. througed T. thr
scene aud the sidewalk, tue entire length of
Jackson street. between kearny aud Dupont,
was completely lined with h1lfnude CeiesttaIs
gazing with blancrcd faces at Z oh body As II
was carried out into the al ect. ono staiw.r IT
Chinimau. weighing about 10 pounds, was
brought out md !ad upon tDc walk, his llthes
torn nhd HI hoty lIcerdted by the many feet
that had tram pied roentIcssly over INN, Ills
lace was black with sufOcaiiun. and the GRIM
and ears. Life had moi Vet len hin mi in his
dying az MES he wiithcd ana ,rawIod about the
pavement. swinging hls bare arms In the air, and
shriekinr Tor the relief that could NOT come Ar
of d "A. M la fl. q
four or I'VE steps from the theatre door to the
Moor 81 the nall Nay, Is a stairway descend
foremost Chinese of the crowd that were
crushed under the falling door. bad been pre-
ctitntsd Qown these stairs, aud two were
brought up with broken limos. One was placed
al the front entrance In sitting posture against
high degree, was taken iuto Yu Hum Choy's-
the manager q the tueAtre-Ofice. few mo-
physician, arrived and examined him. As the
unfortunate fellow lsy uuon low bench
was turning over and over, and grooming in
agony. As the doctor felt bis limbs to ascertain
me no hurt" as II fearing that Us excruciating
agones were TO be increased, Tue other IN N,
doorway, sat ia stDlid silence. his Tale face un-
der the illckering rays Of a gas jet. recording
the most excrucetug suffering. About fifteen
minutes WIS consumed M the passage Of the
crowd Of CniBcse from the theatre, and the
tinusd untiI tie last deputation hid de-
parted, whom the ACTORS and actresses
Tusutu VI u DolN 70 the DOORWAY to QiS-
cover WIN, hid transpired, INDUCING in
many gutter ! EXPLANATIONS Of terror ~ the long
With much trouble the crowds Nuicn hnd as
semried upon Jackson street were driven by
the pole up 10 Dupont street. where an uus uc-
Cesslu effort was mare 10 gisperse them. Ninc-
teen Of tue twcnty-eignt taken from the hall
way and removed to the street were found to
be dead. Hr. Stigers examined several who be-
trayed no outward signs OF injury, and said they
seemed to have been sufocated 10 death. Eight
or ten bore marks OF violence, seyer.l uleeuing
at the nose ana ears, the crimson stream run
ming across tho walks INTO the gutter while the
faces ~ three or Tour others turned upward In
the light, were black ana discOlored. Sever 4
of those taken from under the door lived few
moments after bel removed, their agoniZing
shriekS Milling the air and exciting the lamenta-
tons Of adjacent Chinese, VINO witnessed the
writhng cOntortions. one Cum man, VINO
broke frantically through ths liue Of olcemen,
and passed one OF the dJlng men, threw up his
arms ana Yelled IN horror al the sgonies II his
Broken door. ana boards were hastily brought
from within the now dark passage,yay Of the
Theatre. nd uuon these iuptovised litters the
Raspinp. wounded men were laid, ana the near
est uninJ 4rtd Cinnamon compelled 70 assist IN
carrying them to the cry Prison II 1spital. Ihe
cordons ~ officers drawn across JACKSON street.
above ana below ~ ;cc,o 81 the disaster, pc.
crowdlng In and interfering with the work.
some, however. who proved 10 the police That
they bad itienus wn1 were dead or dying were
allowed y approach the bodies. he giav-
coated Officers, with more kindness than whIte
made way through the crowd for the rude
litter, and In more than one Instance uttered
fr'end- Of the wounded. Don't yell, John, he
IL all right Hes worth d dozen dead men
yet, John" Now. don't make a iuss. the doe
tor Will fix him all night" ana kindred express.
tions were heard On an sides Wnen the SER
vices oi the living coolies were called into requl-
sitOn for the removal OF tho dead to the
wagons brought for that purpose II was some
what different, Tor IL was so difficult to compel
she Chinamen 10 carry the ltters now convert
cd into biers, that not only WAS rough Language
found necessary, but tho resisting heathens
were ioTCl0iy dragged up To assist iu the work.