Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1876-12-21
The Brooklyn Mountaineering In.
cidents.

ONE gentleman who cOnspicuOusly oc-
cupied a 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 perishcd This would
be called cowardlv under ordinary cir
cumstances, 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 then1-
selves 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 entirely, and, for the time being, was
as much out of his mind as any lunatic on
Blackwell's Island, and hence not re-
sponsible for his action CONSERVATION
seized on one and all upon the instant
they saw the flames blazing up among the
scenery; reason WINS unseated, and it was
simply instinct that taught most of them
to fly to the street for safety. In doing so
the ladies abandoned their seal-skin
cloaks, muffs and other outside garments,
while gentlemen forgot their over
coats, hats, canes, etc. Under such cir
cumstances of universal terror, it would
be cruelty to charge anyone with inhu-
manity.
A 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 on me, and | will save
you.' He guided her into and through
the surging crowd, till finally they
reached the street in safety, but with their
| clothing torn into shreds. While pressing
| forward into the frantic crowd, this young
! lady was conscious of stepping on a
| female form lying upon the floor and be-
| ing trampled under foot by the crazy
multitude. The PROSTATE woman was
struggling, but in vain, to regain her foot
ing, and crying frantically "save 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 tor
rent of Niagara as to force his way
through that struggling mass of human
| ity. Other young ladies were abandoned
| by their escorts, and left to fight their
way out as best they could, or remain and
perish, as so many of them did.
| A prominent insurance officer in New
| York was present with his daughter, sit
| ting 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
carried forward by the surging of the
| crowd and the support of her father. He
left hpr wifi in Irbh n
drug store, and returned to the theater,
| hoping to be of assistance to others. Just
as 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 doubtless when
| the gallery, with its load of human freight
and the stairs leading thereto, fell in, car
rying with them the dress-circle and part
of the flooring of the lobby. All this
| debris, and the 200 or more human beings,
we're thus plunged into the basement of
| the building, where falling and acc1mu-
| lated rubbish made for those poor suffering
| souls funeral pyre. The positions where
/ the bodies of the victims have been found
! show how clearly that the great loss Of
| life occurred when the gallery fell. They
| had all got as far as possible toward the
only means of exit-one door and two
! llHIlIS O1 StdlTS-NHtH overt tdhtH ny tllC
| smoke and flames Struggling here upon
the stairs and cropping their way along,
blinded by smoke and dstifed by the seeth-
| ing flames, the gallery gave way under
their weight and the destruction Of some
of its supports, and they were all plunged
! into eternity together.
With the recital Of startling incidents
and hairbreadth escapes might fill the
paper. Every person who escaped has an
interesting experience to rei&te.-K. J,
Cor. Chicago tribune,