The Weston Democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1875-current, 1876-12-25
TIE WORST OF CALAMITIES.
Three Hundred PIcnsuro Secksrs Harmed
IiIve-Ths Horrors Of the HurnlnE Of
Tho ItrOuLIyp ThenIeF.

, WV
By the firc in the Brooklyn Theater
the sacrifice OF liie was terrible. Three
hundred people miserably perished in
the smoke and flames. The large ma.
iJtity OF them were young men aud
boys; only n few women and children
suffered death so far as known. Most
OF those lost were occupants OF the gal
Iery, or third tier OF tho theater. In Dc,
scendiug the stairway they were met on
the second landing Or second tier OF tho
theater by q binding aud sufIccating
volume Of smoke, and fell in heaps on
| the stairway. This wGs broken down
ulder their accumulated weight, and
they werc rrecipitated upon the lobby
on the first floor Of the building. Tho
flooring Of tho lobby in turn gayo way,
and the entire body OF men thus en-.
trapped by tho smoke iu their pathway
to the street, Etraugled and blinded, fell
victims to tho flames. OF those who oc-
cupied tho dress circle (ground aoor)
and tho family circle (second tier), only
q few appear 10 have been lost. Two
actors wero burned alive, three scene
shiltera aud other assistants were seri.
onsly if not fatally injured, and several
supernumeraries on duty behind the
scenes perished. The Brooklyn norgue
was early oyertaxed in aiIording space
for tho eorpses, and ono OF the unocou-
pied market places was converted iuto a
Temporary morguc. The scenes at both
these places were heartrending; Of the
place Of the disaster itself the excitement
was intense.
Tho play nt tho theater was the 1.-Two
Orphans" presented by tho Union
Square Theater company, OF New York,
and fully twelve hundred people had
gathered to witness it. Tho last act was
being played, when the fro was discov.
cred, and tho sceno Of excitement among
actors flrst, and through them given to
the audience vGs terrible. In less than
a minute the passages we're checked up,
the theater was filed with shonts Of
maddened men md tho piteous and fran.
tic screams OF women. Men forgot that
they were trampliug on their fellows,
and, indifferent to all but their own
safety, scrambled upward and outward.
Husband became separated from wife
or child and friend from friend. The
parquet was quickly emptied Of oil save
those few who must have been trampled
down and suaocated near the lobby.
The fire had spread with astonishing
rapidity from tho proscsuium 10 tho
Cling OF the dome, and tho black
SMOKE, drawn by draft like a steady
wind, rolled in upon the galleries and
added another terror TO the gasping men
and women who, still FREQ ircm the jam
on the atairway, dropped 10 tho pRrquet
floor to perish in tie heat and smoke.
There was great peril and loss OF liie on
the lobby stairs loading to the dress cir
clio. The stream Of people flowed on
swiftly, crushing some. carrying others
out on shoulders from tho dross circle,
until stout lady caught her foot at the
landing in Tho stair rail and foil. The
way was blocked. Crushed and manned
men were piled one above the other.
Three policemen, one OF them stripping
off his coat, extricated tho lady and
opened the way again. Those who
could extricatc themselves run over @
lnass OF PROSTATE beings to The door.
At about three O'Clock in tho morning
the Tire had been nearly o1tinguished,
and the major part Of tho throng Of
sightseers hGd gone to their homes,
| ignorant Of the fatal consequences Of
the corAagration.
The flames had subsidel sufficiently to
pernit the 1rcmen to make m investi-
cation near the main entrance OF the
theatet. Chief Nevins passed over the
trembling floor OF the hallway toward
the inner doorway. Inside the doors
the flooring had fallen in, leaving deep
pit OF fire and fame, from which dense
smoke aud steam assembled. Hero a
sickening spectacle met his Mortified
gaze. Close up to tho flaming furnace,
and clinging to the splirtered verge OF
tho demolished flooring, was tho body Of
n woman, burned to crisp. Her hands
clasped the framework OF the door in n
desperate grasp. She had fought hard
for life. Evidently she would have es.
capped had not t4o flooring given way
beneath her. all tho clothing was burn.
oil of, and tho features were so black.
ered that she was unacceptable, and
the body was removed to the morgue,
where il awaits identification.
At four o'clock in the morning the
flames werc put out, aud the heap OF
debris was black and cold. From the
yestibule platform tho lremcn saw q
most horrible 81 ectacle. The mound
that had ut first appeared to bo simply
n heap Of ashes proved to be almost
wholly composed OF human bodies.
Heads, arms, legs, shoulders, shoes,
and here and thcre entire human ro.
mains protruded through the. surface
OF Tue mound. Policemen and firemen
hesitatcd for moment before lehping
down upon the sickening heap. An in.
clined plane Of plain deal boards was
hastily constructed to reach from the
tender vestibule platform to tho pit. and
upon this o ladder was rested. Upon
the ladder the men went TO and fro.
Upon the planc, collins were hauled up
and down. At first tho tiremen lifted
the bodies from the debris, after having
carefully dug around them and loosenetl
them, and ton minutes was consumed in
examining each body. Butas itbecame
apparent that Lhero wero scores and
scores OF human remains. and that O
day, and perhaps q night, would end be-
fore the last corpse wls taken out, less
tender means wcrc used in the opera
ton, aud tho work assumed a more
earnest and energetic character. In
stead OF i've men, ten men set at work
among tho ruins, while on tue yestibule
platform dozen sturdy fremen manned
tho short ropes by which tho collins,
laden with human remains, were drawn
| 49, L.. LII. a.la.uaM. AllAls