The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1876-12-14
FRIGHTFUL CALAMITY.

destruction by Fire of Brooklyn Theater
"A Panic, During Which $50 Persons
Perish-Details of the Terrible Calamity.
The Brooklyn On. Y.) Theater was destroyed
by ire on the night Of the 9Th inst, and about
$50 people persisted in the flames. Dispatches
from New York give the following details OF
the awful calamity:
: The ire originated on the stsge at 1880 p.
M, Wnen the company was about half through
with the last act Of the "Two Orphans" The
ire spread with lightning rapidity, and burst
out through the door on Washington street.
The panic and confusion among the audience
were terrible.
The fire originated in the flies, which, blaz-
ing, fell on the top Of the sc merry. One Of the
actresses came to the front of the stage and
said /" small accident has occurred. but
don't be alarmed. Only q piece Of fly is on
hre." On the mention of IS fire" the audience
rose 10 chelr feet and made wild rush for the
doors. The smoke soon became suffocating,
and women fell fainting in the alsles, and were
trampled over. Numbers jumped out OF the
windows and were severely injured. It is
Thought that not less than 100 persons were
killed in the rush to the exit or burned to
death, being unable to escape.
The fire broke out during the performance
OF the last scene of the 1.-TWO Orphans" in
which Miss Cla3ton, who plays the part of the
heroine, lies on the boat-house floor. In five
minutes more the audience would have been
dismissed, and there would have been nothing
more serious to record than the destruction Of
property.
The house was about two thirds filled, those
below sitting we'll forward toward the stage
For those IN the family circle, dress circle, and
galleries there was no way of escape, except by
Washington street.
The panlc-stricken people rushed peI-mell
toward and Gown the stairways. The main
exit became Immediately choked up, and a
scene Of terror, confusion and distress ensued
which beggars description.
just above the landing-place Of the stairway
woman IN the crush had her foot pushed be-
tween the balusters and fell The crowd be-
hind, forced forward by the terrified people
still further behind, fell over her and piled on
top Of each other four and five deep.
The police from the station-house, next
door, were promptly at the scene, but owing
to the manner in which the people were piled
upon top of each other and massed together,
they could extricate comparatively few, and
these were all bruised, bleeding end manned.
Kate Claxton, at the preliminary inquiry
of the Fire Marshal said ''At the begin
ming OF the last act, just as the curtain went
up, heard a rumbling noise on the stage,
and two minutes after I saw flames. The
fire seemed to be all on the stage. Mrs. Far
rem, myself, Mr.. Studley and Mr. Murdoch
were on the stage at this time. We four re-
manned there and endeavored as best we
could tc quiet the audience and prevent a
panic said to people, Be quiet we
are between you and the fire. The front
door is open and the passages are clear. Not
one of the audience jumped On the STAGE
Flames were then coming down on us. ran
out and jumped over several people. Mr.. II.
5. Murdoch, after endeavoring to calm the
fears OF the panic-stricken people, went to his
dressing room to get his clothing and must
have been suffocated'
the ire occurred in this wise: A drop was ig-
nited from border light by some means mex
pllcable, as one was guarded from the other
He Immediately directed Stage Carpenter
weaver and two supernumeraries to en-
deavor to extinguish the flames, but the
difficulty was to reach the part on fire. The
stage carpenter, with the supernumeraries
essayed to effect that object by lowering the
drop, and in so doing added fuel to the flames.
The scene, the last iii the play, embraced a
celed apartment, and the instant that the
burning drop came in contact with the infam-
mable ceiling, it seemed to spread the existing
flames. In flash, as though powder had pre-
vlously been scattered about the scenery, the
entire properties were in blaze The usual
avenues OF escape We're thus summarily closed
at the rear, and an exit, if at all possible, had
to be made by way of the box entrance. All,
except perhaps one Or two thus escaped.
A later dispatch from New York gives the
following additional details: 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 amounted to $50 and 100, the belief
that the number would reach 200 grew into a
certainty and, finally, at 4:30, the 200th body
WIS removed. Some were found with limbs
and hands burned off, and nothing left but a
CHASTITY. blackened trunk.
At o'clock the number had reached 900.
Twenty bodies were taken out in half an hour,
A look into the pit at this time still showed 8
considerable pile of corpses lying crossWise,
like sticks of wood, and there were apparently
still fifty or sixty corpses remaining. This was
in the cellar under the inner vestibuIe, from
where all the bodies taken out to day were re-
covered. They lay in pile, apparently where
they had been pitched into the cellar when
the floor and stairway gave way. AS night ap-
preached, two calcium lights were placed in
position, and the work of removing the CHASTITY
forms OF the dead (made more 80 by the lght)
was continued. They were under the gale
ries, but no estimate could be made of the num-
Der. The charred remains of the victims were
taken out in front and rear of the theater and
rapidly loaded in boxes, and placed upon un-
dertakers' wagons. Still the pile of bodies in
the cellar did not seem to diminish.
At late hour tonight 285 bodies have been
recovered. q,n E
The city authorities we're in session to-day
to make arrangements for interment in Green
wood Cemetery of the dead not identified.
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. ,.
Further Details of the Horror-Tales and
Scenes of a Character Beyond Por-
trayal.
Telegram to Chicago Tribune.l
The details of the awful calamity which has
fallen on Brooklyn it is almost impossible to
write tonight. Confusion is worse confound-
ed. The whole city is not merely in state of
fear and anxiety, but in state of alarm. Every
street approaching the scene of the disaster is
filed with crowds at once anxious, excited and
almost violent. About the rnorera where