The New York herald., 1876-12-07
though. of tho ezsD. Of the tragedy they were Wit
~ rHx srnxKr purrxo rux yrRg.

the street. and many OF who gained open air
were hatlcss coatiess. Ladies' reduced TO a
state OF complete dcshabe. The ordinations OF
grief were universal and incessani and the unavaiing
search tor missing friends kept up. Soon the
police came and swept them mercessly aside TO make
room for the hrcmen, who Wed with their
aud prototypes SO ielcitously described by Horace
Smith in the verse OF Sir Walter Scott when the ''old
Drury" burned. The flames leaped into the air.
and Kissed and cracked as they eaped. They seemed
to be mad witE JOY, and embraced and kissed each
other. For many BLOCKS tie neighborhood was brill
iantly illuminated In exactly twenty-five minutes
from tho the forked tame OF IRE shot from
the broken light In the dies the walls fell IN, and al
| over. Notwithstanding the excitement and
alarm and anxiety, tho full scope Of the disaster was
not imagined Il only In the morning, when
the dead began be unearthed that the calamity
revealed in all its awful ,mmensity.
RECOVERING
When tho fire got under control the dremen
tinued pour tho OF icy water through every
possible orhcc on the burning OF furniture, up
holstery, hgrec work and scenery piled Up together
within the ruins and the vesti5ue flooded through
the Washington street entry the cndeavor cool
the nooring and render Is safe for the police and
6rcmen. anxious TO seek for those
who thoy feared burned Even at
this time scarcely any one dreamed
o! The great loss offe, and strange 10 say the whole
calamity regarded disastrous 10 property rather
than life The crowds that could hardly be kept at
safe distance from the condagraton by the police,
surged TO and fro In breathless expectation OF some
news as TO casualties.
the FIRsr BODY
They had not long wait Before two O'Clock
ambulance broke through tho living throng and halt
Ing before the Washington street door, received
something wrapped up In cloths from
the hands OF four nvo mon, who bore
Il out Of tho ruins the vehicle II
was the body or woman who had been found inside
tho ves,bulo standing up against a portion OF tho
framework which sho had cutched In her death
throes convusivcly. She was almost naked and
tcry unrecognizabe and had died the very thresh
old OF safety, one knows how II IL supposed that
she bad been jamincd against the partition by the
panc-strcken audience who dicd around her and
buried beneath tho debris few moments later. Tho
| remains carried to the Morguc IN the vehicle
which passed along Washington down a narrow
lanc From this timo until after daylight tho Hremcn
| continued their efforts to put the are out
DAYLIGHT
Il was not until after six O'Clock in the morning
however that anything like work could be begun for
tho recovery Of the bodies 1t commenced by
Chief Engineer Novins District Engineer Farley Gil
Burns and squad OF 6remcn They entered tho
building from Washington street and began 10 tear
away the timbers charred beams fragments OF brick
and tho rubbish which blocked tho passage way.
These had all fallen from the galleries and floor
ing above and hid from what lay bo
yond and beneath. Tho main body Of tho theatre
complete ruin. Three Of the walls had partially
fallen tn, and nothing visible but : stcaming,
smoking heap, through which here and there lcaped
Jets OF aame yc. subdued by the sheets OF water
Wit vi ad beer do Outnr hnf 0f
hallway leading from the principal entrance was
charred and shaky, so that tho utmost caution had
to be exercised by those who nrst trod upon It.
Then, too ii was evident that the basement below 1t
had been gutted by tho dre, and there way OF
learning to what extent the cross pieces and sup.
portcrs had been injured. Nevertheess tho chief,
his Aremen and the police venturcd along the danger
spot. and work upon the ruins OF the
| galleries moments labor sufhced 10 disclose to
+; them tho dread effects OF the confagration.
Az APPALLING SIGHT,
Through ,he ashes and wreck protruded arms and
| limbs. half burned heads and pieces OF clothing IN
every direction The sight appalling and the mon
Mortified by It that they paused for instant
almost afraid to investigate any further II
plain TO all now that Of human beings lay
buried In this vestibue Tho shocking discovery was
quickly made known 10 tho thousands IN
the streets, and il required the most rigid
enforcement Of the rulo TINT should pass
tain point within hundred yards OF tho building on
eithor sde to keep the swaying, excited mass from
forcing their way into tho charnel house.
Work resumed BY the nrcmen. Beams and
timbers handed out and carted away and under
takers were sent for They came with their black
spring carts and ordinary trucks, leaden-lined
shells without tops, and ready for the
sad duties they called upon to fulfil Tho
ttoir tboh
which they did after some hours Of labor When every
obstacle from the surface OF tho dead and
around them, they found tier upon tier fifteen
feet Deep packed above tho othcr. Heavy clouds
OF steam from tho terrible holocaust The spot
wherein these unfortunate beings were killed
was about fifty feet long, twenty feet wdo
aud full story deep. They had fallen tho ground
floor from the upper story, and the hre had burned
through them TO the basement, into which the sno,d.
cring mass OF assh and bono had settled when the
flooring was eaten from undor IL And 80 thcy we're
found yesterday morning burned TO cinders OF ali
their former scmbiancc, blacKened and nudo Tor tho
most part, and dishgured in the irigntu manner
One could help wondering whether they had ever
really looked like the living engaged In their
recovery.
rHRY wKRR uyxARrHxD.
The nremon were provided with shovcls, hoes and
other utensils for the removal OF the stu tha. wcdgcd
IN the bodies and they plicd them vigorously The
stand upon the pyro regardless OF tho dead
they stepped upon, dragging them out one alter
another and sending them TO the Morgue. 1t was
found that the shovels could not be without mutt
latne the romans; therefore the men we're
constrained work only with their hoes
which better adapted for removing
the ashes and cinders from the bodies under
their feet Once tho work was well under way tho
dead constantly being handed out, placed in
shells and carried TO the trucks and carts awaiting
them without II was a slckcning spectacle The
nrencn in hcavy rubber ana leather boots, waded
among the corpscs hoe In hand, trying dlscngago
tho hidcous remnants, which In many instances wcro
so consumed that it difficult raise body WITH
out dismcmboring It Tho strovo hard, however
TO do their duty carefully and woli, feeling, no