Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1876-12-08
Additional Particulars of the HOrrifying
and Seul-HarrOwing Eysnt-Three
Hundred and Fifty Persons
Supposed to Have
Perlshed.
The Remains Taken from the Ruins, In
Most Cases, are so Distorted and
Burned as to he Wholly Tn.
recognizable by Friends.
Sad Scenes at the MOrgue-Statements
Of Leading Employees of the Theater
Cause of the Fire-Alleged
Inhuman Conduct of the
Police.


Police.
New York, December THE dimensions
of the awful calamity which has befallen the
city Of Brooklyn in the destruction of itS
principal theater by FIRE, and the consequent
loss Of life, have not yet been fully realized
Enough Is known however, TO make it certain
that the catastrophe ranks among the most
fatal OF the kind ever recorded. According
to the statements of all the parties who pro-
tess to know anything as to
THE ORIGIN OF THE FIRE.
it began on the stage. The business mana
ger, MIR. Rogers, says that a piece of the
canvass, out of which the trees, etc, are
made, was broken from its fastenings and
hung from the flies, Immediately over one OF
the border lights, near the center of the
stage. The canvass had begun to shoulder,
and the paint on it to crackle, and the car
penter was directed to ascend to one OF the
| grooves and remove the dangerous object.
He could barely reach it with his hand, and
he drew it hastily up. The rapid motion
through the air of the half ignited and highly
mttammable canvass, caused it to burst into
a fame, which rapidly spread to adjoining
material equally susceptible. All efforts to
extinguish the flames were abortive, and the
carpenter had to retire to save his own life
The scene in the gallery, after the alarm was
raised, is described az something horrible
even to contemplate. Up till noon to-day
| THREE HUNDRED AND FIFTEEN BODIES HAD
BEEN REMOVED.
if thaca hftv.Yiya a,-n ;1or4,EoJ ,.o,,,o H.,
remnants Of clothing and others by watches,
chains and such articles, but few bv their fea-
lures. The actors Claude Burroughs and
Harry S. MurdOck are among those identi-
| fed. What are accepted as the bodies of the
two actors are simply few black cinders.
Around the trunk of one was a scOrched
buckskin undershirt, and beside the other
was piece Of braid, apparently portion of
his stage dress. This afternoon a number of
men will be set to work to- clear away the
wreck in the auditory Hitherto their labors
have been chiefly confined to the space for
merly occupied by the lobby and stage. 1t is
feared that when a careful search is made in
the auditorium the bodies of a good many
men who leaped in their frenzy from the
galleries will be discovered. The police al
low no person to enter within the walls of
the theater except those engaged in search
OF bodies The small parts OF celEng and
floors OF the theater yet remaining are in an
unsafe condition. The BROOKLYN EaqIe pub
fishes the following
A coroner's Jury was impaneled this
morning and held private session in the
| statiOnhouse, adjourning to the burned the
| ater; they took no evidence, and at noon ad
Journed to meet at the coroner office Satur-
day evening. A. NJ. Palmer, one of the les
sees OF the theater, gives the following
statement of the
NUMBER OF PERSONS IN THE THEATER
Tuesday night: 4O5 persons in the upper gal
| lery, 300 persons in the dress-circle, $50 per-
sons in the parquette, q actors and speaking
| people, 20 supernumeraries, 10 stage hands
and y musicians; total, l0lS; or, including
| dressers and other subordinates, in all about
| 1850 persons. A fault in the construction of
| the burned building, and one to which there
is reason to believe the dreadful loss of life
| in the gallery is In a large measure attributa-
| BILE, was the use Of a painted cloth for ceiling
| The canvas caught easily and burned rapidly.
| Of course the flames followed it up to the
top, making the dome funnel of fire right
over the head of the people in the gallery.
1t seems more than probable that the smoke
| and fire, in the midst of which they were thus
| placed, destroyed the lives of many persons
who might else have escaped even by the in
adequate stairway provided for,
FIRE-MARsHAL's INVESTIGATION.
Fire Marshal Ready resumed his investiga-
| ton this morning. G. A. Wessman, an
officer Of the mounted squad, was examined.
He was in the theater in citizen clothes when
| the fire occurred. He was up in the dress
circle, and saw the flames burning the
scenery on the stage. He ran to the front to
| get the doors open, and the actors and audi
| ence quieted for moment. He waited at the
| doors till the spectators were all out, and
| then closed the doors to keep the draught
| out. People were then coming down from
| the gallery, but all at once they stopped com
| ing down, and he ran to see what was the
matter Che referred to the first gallery. There
were two separate stairways leading upthere,
and as got to the top Of the first flight OF
| stairs there was a lady who, in coming down,
| got her leg caught in the ballisters. A large
man fell over her, and others falling on him,
made heap which those III the rear could
not pass. There were fully fifty or sixty
| persons packed In a heap at the foot
| Of the second fight of stairs The stairs
were open all the way down. From that
point, and above that point, the state stairs
were vacant four or FIVE steps from the top.
At this time the smoke was very dense. 1t
was not three minutes after the fire broke out
| till the curtain was lowered and took fire, and
this had the effect of sending the flames up to
the gallery. | looked at it for about three
| seconds, and then closed the door of the par
| quette; the persons who were In heap cried
to me to help them, and did get some in the
rear to fall back until | got a man and wO-
man out; seeing those two get out, they all
rushed forward again and blocked the passage
up; tried to extricate woman whose leg
was caught in the railing, but she was held
FAST an usher came up to assist me and we
made a small place among them; we tore the
dresses off of some them, but we got them all
out; then went up IN the dress circle; | found
a woman there and took her out; there must
have been other persons there, for ! heard
cries, but | could not see them
on account Of smoke; know there must have
| been several other persons in the dress circle
who were overtaken by the fire; | was then
getting weak from the smoke, and dropped
| to the floor to get fresh air; the smoke was
black smoke, and had a very suffocating
smell; | am an old fireman, and | never ex-
perienced smoke so suffocating; was not in
the smoke more than minute, and vet could
not breathe; the first and second galleries
and even stairs, were at that time filed with
| suffocatlng smoke; no human being could
live in that smoke two minutes; heard a
humping noise, as if some persons were
jumping out of the windows; at that time il
was utterly impossible to get up in the tOI
gallery, and was nearly suffocatcd when
got out; | know that the people were all
taken from the dress circle stairs, but heard
the cries inside; called out, where are
you?" but | got no answer; ever
when got down on the floor | heard 3
humping noise as though they were jumping
out Of the upper gallery; if they had jumped
from the gallery to the dress circle the smok,
was so dense could not have seen them
there was no breaking of the stairs while
was there; am pretty sure that all in tht
dress circle did not get out alive.
The evidence of this officer is the cleares
description of the terrible struggle by tn.
audience to escape from the burning building
which has yet been given.
Samuel w. Hastings, ticket receiver, Geo
Heeny, property man, and Charles Straub
one of the parties who made their escar-
from the gallery, were all examined, ant
gave their versions Of the calamity.