Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1876-12-15
The Brooklyn Holocaust.

cuplGd ~ the time by the Union Square
New York; Company, and when the fire
nrst originated the company were about half
through with the last act of the 1.-TWO Or
phans." The stage manager says the fire
occurred in this wise: A drop was ignited
from border light in some unexplainable
manner, rs one was guarded from the other.
He ordered the carpenter and assistants to
endeavor to extinguish the flames, but the
difficulty was TO reach that part of the fire.
They essayed to effect this object by lower
ing the drop, and in so doing added fuel to
the tames. The scene embraced a ceiled
apartment, and the instant the burning drop
came in contact with the infammable ceiling
the flames spread as though powder had
previously been scattered about the scenery
and the entire properties were in blaze.
When the fire was first discovered one OF
the actresses went TO the front of the stage
and said: "a small accident has occurred,
but don't be alarmed; only small piece o.
fly is on fire." At the mention Of the
word fire" the audience arose to their feet
and made a rush for the door. Panic
stricken, each one tried to reach place of
safety in advance of his neighbor. The
smoke soon became suffOcating, and men
and women, fainting in the aisles, were
trampled down. Numbers jumped out of
the windows and were seriously injured
These were picked up and sent to the hos
pitfalls, many of them in dying condition.
Dresses were torn from ladies while lying In
the aisles and on the sidewalk outside. The
actors themselves had great difficulty in ef-
fectng their escape. The usual avenues
were closed by the fire at the back of the
stage and an exit had TO be had by an un-
derground passage to the box Office in front.
Harry s. Murdock and Claude Burroughs,
actors, were unable to escape and perished
in the flames. A fiy-man named Cumberson
was badly burned and threw himself from a
window, receiving fatal injuries
The tiremen were promptly on hand, and
the utmost endeavOrs were made to ex-
tiLguish the flames and assist the audience
in escaping from the building. AS soon as
possible search was begun in the ruins for
the unfortunates who had perished. When
taken out they were removed to the
Morgue. Most of the bodies first re-
covered were burned beyond recognition.
They presented every form of contortion,
just as they stiffened in the last agony when
the floor gave way and they plunged down
in binding smoke and flames. Arms and
legs were bent and twisted in every way;
hands were clenched and reached out as il
grasping for help.
The scene around the theater aud in the
of the morgue from early
morn was terrible. Great crowds of persons
were there making inquiries for missing
friends and relations, and their lamentations
were truly pitiful. 1t required force of po-
lice to keep them from crowding over each
other.
At about eleven o'clock in the forenoon of
the 9th horrible discovery was made. In the
middle of what was the lobby of the theater
lay an immense pile of rubbish, smoldering
beams, fragments of girders and other things.
This heap was nearly opposite the principal
entrance to the auditory of the theater.
Beyond it was another heap, marking the
place where the stairs to the gallery fell.
Under the heap first mentioned dead body
was fOMn1 and tha an
prosecuted their search in this direction.
With much labor some of the heaviest lum-
Der was removed and horrible sight was
revealed. Beneath that mound corpses lay
in rows, heaped one upon another, packed
together with fearful solidity, which told of
the great pressure to which they had been
subjected. How many lay there, what their
sex or age was, no one could tell. BY noon
ninety bodies had been taken from the ruins,
and others were still visible, lying in LAYERS
of four deep. The Morgue had been filed
with dead bodies and another building had
TO be procured.
A dispatch on the evening Of the 9th said
u Horror upon horror accumulated as the
day advanced. Corpse after corpse, charred
and blackened, was passed out, and still the
pile of bodies in the cellar did not seem to
diminish. AS the number mounted up to
l5O and 100, the belief that the number
would reach over 200 grew into a certainty
moved. Some were found with limbs and
hands burned off, and nothing left hut
chastity, blackened trunk. At five o'clock
the number had reached 220. Twenty bodies
were taken out in half an hour A look into
the pit at this time still showed considera-
bic pile of corpses lying crosswisc like sticks
Of wood, and there were apparently still fifty
Or sixty cOrpses remaining. This was in the
cellar under the inner vestibule, from where
all the bodies taken out to-day were removed.
They lay in pile, apparently where they had
been pitched into the cellar when the floor
md stairway gave way. As night approached
.wo calcium lights were placed in position,
md the work of removing the ghastlv forms
If the dead was continued. They were un-
Ter the galleries, but no estimate could be
made of their number. The charred remains
II the victims were taken out in front and
ear of the theater, and rapidly loaded in
boxes and placed upon undertakers wagons
still the pile of bodies in the cellar did not
eem to diminish"
Late in the evening the bodies Of Murdoch
md Burroughs were dug from the ruins and
we're identified by their dress. There were
200 persons in the theater when the fire
ire originated; 500 in the gallery. BY mid
light, 2S5 bodies had been recovered.
BRooKLrN. Dec. 7
Up to noon to-day 295 bodies had been re-
moved from the ruins of the theater; SO had
,een identified. The lessees of the theater
rive the number of persons in the building
i the time of the fire as about 1,050. At the
Fire MarshaPs investigation this morning,
J, A. Wessman, an officer, testified.
He was in the theater in citizens clothes
when the fire occurred; was up in the dress
ircle and saw the flames burning the scenery
IN the stage; he ran to the front to get the
loors open, and the actors quieted the
audience for moment; he waited at the
,losed the doors to keep the draught out; |
he people were then coming down from the |
,allery, but, all at once, they stopped coming |
lown, and he ran to see what was the |
natter; he referred TO the first gallery; |
here were two separate stairways lead |
ng up. there; as l got to the first |
light Of stairs there was a lady, who, in |
oming down, got her leg caught in the bal
Ister; large man fell over her, and others |
alling over him made heap which those |
n the rear could not pass; there were fully |
lfty or sixty persons packed in the heap at |
he foot of the second flight of stairs; the |
tairs were open all the way down from that |
acant four or five steps from the top; at |
his time the smoke was very dense; it was |
Ot three minutes after the fire broke out be- |
ore the curtain was lowered and took fire, |
nd this had the effect of sending the flames |
Up to the gallery; looked at II for about |
nTee seconds, ana Inen closed the door OF /
he parquet; the persons who were piled |
p in heap cried to me TO help |
hem, and did get some in the |
ear to fall back until got the man and |
roman out; seeing those two get out, they all |
ushed forward again and blocked up the |
assage; tried TO extricate the woman whose |
ag was caught in the railing, but she was |
eld fast; an usher came up TO assist me, and |
re made a small place among them; we tore |
he dresses off some of them but we got them |
Il out; then | went up in the dress.circle;
found woman there, and took her out; |
here must have been other persons there, |
Or l heard cries, but / could not see them |
n account of the smoke; / know there |
lust have been several other persons In the |
ress-circle who were overtaken by the |
re; was then getting weak from |
moke and l dropped TO the floor 10 |
ct fresh air; the smoke was black and had a |
cry sutfocating smell; / am an old fireman |
nd never experienced smoke so suffOcating; |
was not In the smoke more than a minute, |
nd yet | could not breathe; the first and |
econd galleries and even the stairs were at |
hat time filled with suffocating smoke; no |
uman being could live In that smoke two |
linutesi heard humping noise as IL |
ome persons were jumping out OF the win
owsi at that time 1t was utterly impossible /
0 get in the top Of the gallery, and was
early suffocated when got out; l know that |
he people were all taken from the dress-cir-