Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1876-12-13

'ho 9''So' " .n'se In the FAMILY circle
dress circle and galleries there was
way of escape except by Washinp,on
street.
The panic-stricken people rushed neu
nell toward and down the stairwa,s m.
main exit became Immediately choked M
and scene of terror, confusion and dis
tress ensued which beggars description
just above the landing place of the stair
way, woman in the crush had her foo,
pushed between the balusters and fan
The crowd behind, forced forward nv ,ho
terrified people still further behind, feT
over her and piled on top of each o,han
four and five feet deep.
The police from the station house nov.
door, were promptly at the scene, but ow.
ing to the manner in which the peonio
were piled upon top of each other and
massed together, they could extricate com.
paratively few, and these were all bruised
bleeding and manned.
The tiremen got TO work on the ruins
shortly after daylight this morning
Although the fire originated on tbo
| stage, the loss of life among the theatrical
company was not as extensive as migb,
have been imagined Two lives were lost
two young men in the flower of tbeir
professional life, Henry s. Murdoch and
Claude Burroughs. These two yonns
mer were playing respectively, Pierrs
the cripple, and Picard, valet 70 the Cher,
utter. AT half past ten this evening the
bodies of the two men were digged from
the ruins, and both were identified ly
remnants of dresses worn On the stage
Only the trunk of Murdoch remained.
There were l 200 people in the theater
500 in the galleries.
When the panic occurred on the main
floor of the theater, Thomas Rockford
chief usher OF the establishment, was in
the lobby. The performance was almost
over, and he was about making arrange.
ments for the departure of the audience
AT the cries of "Fire' he rushed into
the auditorium and, taking in the terrible
| situation, endeavored to quiet the people
VITO were about him. Seeing they were
too thoroughly alarmed, he ran to the
| doors leading into Floods alley, which
connects johnson street and Myrtle av-
enue, and opened them so that the people
might escape that way. This diverted
many from seeking escape through the
main entrance.
| All who were on the right hand side of
! the parquet and balcony escaped through
| these doors. The opening of the doors
created a tremendous draft, which so in
creased the flames that the players were
compelled to abandon the stage, and es-
| cape as best they might. They had re-
| manned there to the last, but, seeing that
| it was now a question of life and Death
they retreated. The flames shot outon all
| sides of the stage and enveloped the pro-
| hp l1
| in volumes into the parquet Stud
| ley and Murdoch were the last to leave.
! Probably not more than five minutes
elapsed between the beginning of the
| panic and the complete development of
| the stage and parquet in flames. By this
/ time nearly all those in the lever part of
the house had escaped. The crowd from
above came pouring down into the lob
| bies, which were soon densely crowded.
| Stalrways We're choked up, and there
| seemed TO be no way in which they could
be relieved. Many succeeded in escap-
ing by the regular means of egress into
| Washington street. but that staircase was
also soon crowded, and escape by that
way was next to impossible.
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 num-
Der mounted to $50 and 1850, the belief
that the number would reach 200 grew
into certainty, and, finally, at 4;30, the
two hundredth body was removed. Some
were found with limbs and hands burned
off, and nothing left but a CHASTITY, black
ened trunk.
AT late hour tonight 2S5 bodies have
been recovered.
The Times says that Fire. Marshal
Ready, who has made an exhaustive ex-
animation of the circumstances attending
the fire, is of the opinion that at least $50
persons persisted in the flames.
SOME OF THE SAD SCENES.
4 young man named Delz was iden-
titled by his sister and a friend, who on
discovering that ii was the body they were
in search of, were so overcome that 1t was
all the authorities could do to keep them
from falling on and embracing the
corpse. The sister stood near il crying, and
giving vent to such eNClamatious as, Poor
Abe! Oh, if mother can only stand this
blowi"
The body of one young man was discov-
cred by his sister, who, casting one glance
al what was left of his coat, gave a cry
OF . My Tom" and fell fainting in the
arms of her father, and was carried insen-
sible 10 the street. 1t was afterward found
that this young man was the only su pport
of his mother and sister, his father being
a drunkard, who had not contributed
toward the support of his family for two
or three years.
A temporary wooden inclined plane
was built from the horrible pit in which
most Of the bodies were found. Along
this they were carried in boxes covered
with blankets. They were then placed
in the undertakerS' wagons, which were
in waiting to carry them to the Mcrgue.