The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1876-12-28

instead of rosin. Instead of scraping the
bristles off, they we're compelled to skin
the hog similar to skinning an OK, to get
beyond the effects of the dye.-O,aoigsburq
PENN Times.
The Brooklyn Disaster-Digging for
Bodies.
The work of the first day after the ter
rib!e calamity of Tuesday night was con-
fined almost exclusively to removing the
great pile OF dead from the cellar of the
vestibule. In this part of the work the
poor victims lay packed together so
closely that comparatively little digging
was required until the pile was pretty we'll
removed. Ashes and cinders had sifted
down upon them, covering them as with d
pail. A few beams and timbers lay on
the top, these were removed to one side,
and the mining out of the corpses went
on. The first one taken out of that fatal
cellar was the body of woman in the
carly morning. She was found almost
standing against the wall on the right
hand side just inside the inner vestibule
doors. From that time until evening,
there was constant succession of charred
and fire-scorched bodies taken out in every
conceivable form of distortion and twist
ing, blackened and burned by the fiery
breath of the flames until nearly all re-
semblance to humanity was burned out of
them. Some were calcined to mere Gin
ders.
1t was terrible work upon the nerves as
well as the muscles of the men engaged
Strong men who were accustomed to ter
rible sights turned away from that awful
pit in horror and shuddering. Nearly 800
poor human beings but a few hours before
had crowded the doors of the fatal gallery
with happy hearts and expectant faces, in
tent upon the scenes of the mimic life that
passed before their eyes upon the stage
Little did they think that ere the night
had reached its noon they would be actors
in drama other than the one that met
their eyes upon the stage. Slowly, yet all
too fast, the hand of the clock crept on
toward the close of the play, and doubt
less the thoughts of very many turned
homeward as they settled themselves to
witness the last act A last act it was
indeed to very many of them. The drama
of their lives was drawing to a close,
and soon would end in utter blackness
and horror and agony. About 400 per-
sons purchased tickets for the gallery on
that fatal night, and of that number only
about one quarter escaped with life. The
rest, old and young, male and female, the
STRIPPING boy and the strong, broad
shouldered man, went down in that fiery
crater that leaped around them as, with
the instinct of self preservation, they madly
rushed for the stairs. Let US hope that
they were at once suffocated when the vol
umes of black smoke struck them, for if
such were the case they were saved from
the terrible agony of being burned alive.
One man tells a story of how, after the
roof and wall on johnson street fell, he
saw away up in the peak poor wretch
clinging to the sill of the window. AS
the observer gazed, horror struck, the
limbs Of the figure seemed to contract
and draw themselves together, and then
the grasp loosened, and the poor wretch
went whirling down into the deadly jaws
of the leaping flames. 1t was 81 light to
be remembered for lifetime.
The position of the pile of bodies
showed that they were massed on the
stairs and landings, lying apparently in
heaps, until the timbers burned and the
weight carried them into the cellar be-
meath through the lower floor of the vesti-
bule. The greater portion lay between
the inner doors and the center of the
lobby. Some were scattered beyond, and
the last one found in the cellar under the
lobby was away at the further end where
the toilet-rooms were located. Doubtless
it was some poor wretch who crawled out
to that end of the gallery in the hope of
reaching some windows Of exit in that d.
rcction.
In exhuning the bodies the greatest
care was used, and they were handled as
tenderly as possible. They were not
dragged roughly from the pile, but the
superintendent material was removed,
and they were carefully lifted into the
boxes in waiting and decently covered
with a blanket to shield them from the
eyes Of the gaping crowd outside. The
poor wrecks of humanity were dealt
with as carefully as possible.
After the work of clearing out the ves-
tibule was completed, the men turned
their attention to the search for the re-
mains of Claude Burroughs and Harry S.
Murdoch. But it was now dark, and the
necessary light was afforded by the means
of two brilliant calcium lights, which
shed weird and lurid glare over the
scene. Clouds of smoke still arose from
some parts of the ruins, principally
near the stage, blown hither and
thither by the night wind, sometimes
shrOuding the wOrkmen from view, and
then again blown away altogether.
Through the smoke their lanterns cleaned
with red and fitful glare, overhead the
calm stars looked down upon the
scene of woe, and around lowered
the blackened and crumbliug walls
of the ruined building. 1t was a
weird scene, and the terrible work Of the
toilers made the spectacle doubly impress
sive. The dressing rooms of the two
actors were in the same location as the
directors box-on the right-hand side.
One was above and one below the box
The site of this quarter of the theatre
was covered with mounds of ashes and
brickwork. The site of the dressing-r room
was located, the unfortunate young men
were last seen in that neighborhood. 1t
was thought that if found, it would be in
that quarter. The surmise proved terri
bly, correct. At about ten o'clock the first
fragments we're found, and in about an
hour the body of Mr.. Burroughs was dis
covered r. 81
After their bodies were removed from
under the mass of brickwork, the work
men went back to the other end of the
auditorium and began the search among
the debris for other remains. They did
not 20 over much ground, but, in the
corner near the. Washington street en-
trance, the bodies of two women and a
child were found, near together. This
was about three O'Clock on Wednesday
morning. Nothing further was found be.
fore daylight, when the men stopped
work.
During the next forenoon no work was
done in the ruins. The firemen were ut
terly worn out with their exertions and
needed rest. Accordingly Chief Nevins
made arrangements to have gang of
men outside ready for work at one o'clock,
and they accordingly began at that time.
Although the auditorium had already been
searched over, it was determined to go
over the entire interior again and then
ind out for certainty whether there
were any more unfortunates in the ruins.
The vestibule had been thoroughly
searched already and work was therefore
commenced against the party wall in the
auditorium, the men working toward the
stage across the whole width of the audi
forum.