Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1876-12-20
Interesting Incidents Of the Brooklyn
Disaster.

One gentleman who cOnspicuously
occupied private box with his wife,
throughout the evening, at the first
cry of fire abandoned his wife to her
fate. and sought his own safety in
flight. He was saved, but his wife
perished. This would be called cow
ardly under ordinary circumstances,
but the testimony of many of those
who were saved is that they had no
knowledge whatever as to what they
were doing from the time the terrible
cry of " fire" was given until they
found themselves in the street. Men
were found bleeding from serious
wounds who had no idea of how they
were injured. So it is probable that
the man in the box lost his head en-
tirely, and, for the time being, was as
much out of his mind as any lunatic
on Blackwelps Island, and hence not
responsible for his action. Consterna-
ton seized on one and all upon the
instant they saw the flames blazing up
among the scenery; reason was I'M
seated, and it was simply instinct that
taught most of them to fly to the
street for safety. In doing so the la
dies abandoned their seal-skin cloaks,
mufiS and other outside garments,
while gentlemen forgot their over
coats, hats, canes, etc. Under such
circumstances of universal terror, it
would be cruelty to charge anyone
with inhumanity.
n young lady of my acquaintance
was saved by the GOODNESS of her escort.
They were sitting near the orchestra,
and when the alarm was given he said
to her: keep cool; rely Oh me, and |
will save you" He guided her into and
through the surging crowd, till final
ly they reached the street in safety, but
their clothing was torn into shreds
While pressing forward in the frantic
crowd, this young lady was conscious
of stepping on female form lying
upon the floor and being trampled
under foot by the crazy multitude
The PROSTATE woman was struggling,
but in vain, to regain her footing, and
crying frantically "saye my mother"
SO pathetic was her appeal, that the
clear-headed escort OF the young lady
determined to rescue her if possible,
and after leaving his charge in safety
in the street, he did actually attempt
to re-enter the burning theater. But
as well might he have attempted to
stem the torrent of Niagara as to force
his way through that struggling mass
of humanity. Other young ladies
were abandoned by their escorts, and
left To tight their way out as best they
could, or remain and perish, as so
many of them did
\ prominent insurance officer in
New York was present with his
daughter, sitting well down in the
parquet. At the first alarm he
joined the crowd pressing for the door,
having his arms tightly clasped around
his daughters waist. But for this she
would have been torn from him and
trampled under foot, for she tainted
before reaching the door, and was car
ried forward by the surging of the
crowd and the support of her father.
He left her with a friend in a neigh
boring drugstore and returned to the
theatcr, hoping to be of assistance to
others. Just rs he reached the middle
of the street in front of the theater.
there was a terrific crash from
within. followed by a terrible
wall OF agony. This was doubt
less When the gallery, with its
load of human freight and the stairs
leading thereto. fell in, carrying with
them the dress-circle and part of the
flooring of the lobby. All this debris
and the 200 or more human beings
were thus plunged into the basement
of the building. where falling and ac-
cumulated rubbish made for those poor
suffering souls a funeral pyre. The
positions where the bodies of the vic
Tins have been found show how
clearly that the great loss of life oc-
CURED when the gallery fell. They
had all got us far as possible toward
the only means of eXit-one door and
two flights of stairs when oYertaken
10y the smoke and flames. Struggling
here upon the stairs and cropping their
way along, blinded by smoke and Sti-
He'd 10y the seething flames. the gallery
gave way under their weight and The
destruction Of some of its supports,
and they were all plunged into eter-
nifty together.
With the recital of startling Incl
dents and hairbreadth escapes | might
NIL the paper. Every person who eS-
capped has an interesting experience 70
relate.-N ". Y. Cor. Chicago Tribune.
While the fire was III progress, a fire
man near the entrance on Washington
street, saw strange sight. An
understood, delicate-looking woman
came staggering out, carrying literally
on her back and shoulders a man
weighing apparently $50 pounds.
Thinking the man WAS hurt, assistance
WAS offered. Ii appeared, however,
that the man gwho WAS the father of