The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1876-12-21
The stare is filed with the most

- x r.EnszseR snss,s
The stage is filled with the most
infammable material imaginable.
The "Aies"are short curtains Of
vas painted in oil, to represent
skies or clouds or what may be re-
quired, mounted on the highest pine
wood, and the swings" and the
"aats" are also painted canvas, on
the lightest possible frames, and it
must be taken into account that al
most the entire space back of the
curtain, except that shown to the
people when it is raised, is filled
with scenery of different plays,
stacked up, which makes the ODE
hind the scenes" of theatre
magazine of combustibles, almost
as dangerous as a powder house.
The play was the "Two Orphans"
and the scene was boat-house. In
this scene there are not only the
wings representing the sides of a
house, but the ceiling is represent
ed, which is also painted canvas.
The theatre was full with q delight
ed audience. BY some accident
one of the flies was blown against
gas Jet, and one of the employees
attempted to cut it loose. 1t fell,
all in a blaze upon the ceiling of
the Gene below, and in an instant
that was in a blaze. The actors
on the stage saw it, but hoped it
would be extinguishcd. and went on
with their parts, but it had to much
Roadway. In moment the paint
ed canvas was on fire, the alright
Cd audience rose, and a. wild rush
at the doors commenced. All or.
der was at an end, the only thing
for every one was to get out of the
hell that was raging. The people
in the crowded gallery precipitatcd
themselves down the tortuous pass
age, and at the landing met the
equally wild crowd from the dress
circle, and the two masses be-
came wedged in, SO that passage
was impossible, and there was q
deadlock which human strength
was impossible to break. All this
was the work of a minute. In the
meantime, the stage was lurid
furnace, the oil and the light wood
of the wings and stage sets belch-
ing OH great volumes of smoke ant
flame, filing the theatrc-and tc
add to the certainty of doom, tho
ceiling was made ola sort Of paste
board, which was as combustible II.
the canvas, and the flames raj
along that like powder, making I
furnace right above the heads o
those in the gallery. And all THU
time the only exit form the dress
circle and the gallery was blocke,
by the two masses that had met n
the landing common to both, ant
escape was impossible. The fir,
!, lcapcd from one part of tho build
ing to another, the wooden scat
caught and blazcd; the unfortunatcs
wcdgcd in and. helpless, fell suffo
Gated by the smoke and roasted b,
the fire. The supports were
burned off, and finally the mass fell
with probably three hundred ALT
, fifty burned men and women in it
, terrible embrace.
The sight the next morning wa
horrible and sickening. Whcr,
, the galleries fell hundreds of bodic
burned and Scared beyond idcnti
, fication were found, and all througl
, the debris, covered with burned
, timbers, masses of bricks, and tn
fearful remnants of onilagration
were bodies in every possible form
of designation. There were pie
ccs of bodies, legs, arms, trunks
altogether the most frighttul sigh
! probably ever witnessed by human
,. eyes. There were parents tryini
, to identify children, friends search
ing for the remains of friend.
= brothers for brothers. Tn
whole city is in mourning, and
$ general gloom ovcrsprcads it.
l saw the bodies ut the Morgut
, and where there was enough left G
one to show anything, it was notice
,, able that they all died with thci
hands before their faces, as if j
t effort to ward of the fate that wa
8 overtaking them. a more ghastl
: sight u more absolute nightmar
r than the smoking ruins of til
|. theatre and the Morgue prcscnte
! human eyes never rested upor
Z POLITICAL.
: Hayes is certainly elected, an
) the people breathe frcer. The re
i lief from the chance that the ger
). eral government would be delivere
) over to the unrepcntant rebels {
the South and the Plug Uglics {
: : the North, is immense, and wi
: be followed by an immediate rev
d val of business. The Democrat
= place hunters here in New York al
n terribly demoralized and disgrun
G led, and arc as vcnomous as rattle
K snakes. They want to bite some
g thing, and they don't care muc
4 what. They talk of war and bloot
shed, and rivers of blood, and al