Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1876-12-13
A Brooklyn Theatre Burns Up.

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pany was about half through with the
last act of the Two Orphans" The
fire spread with lightning rapidity and
burst out through the door on Wash
lngton street. The panic and coniu-
sion among the audience was terrible
The theatre was owned by Kinsley.
keeney and others, and was rented t.
Shook and Palmer, of Union Square
Theatre. Loss on theatre about $3.50
900. One of the actresses came to the
front of the stage and said: ga smala
accident has occurred, but don't be
alarmed, only small fly on fire." At
the mention of fire the audience arose.
to their feet and made wild rush for
the door. Smoke soon became suffo
eating and women fell to the floor il
the alsles and were trampled over
Numbers jumped out of the windows
and were severely injured. Three.
were picked up and sent to Long Is,
land College Hospital and are not ex-
pected to live. A young man whv
jumped out Of window says another.
was with him and got to the window.
and while holding on with his hands.
and endeavoring to get out became:
overpowered with smoke and must have
perished in the flames. Dresses we're
torn from ladies while lying in the
aisles and on the sidewalk outside a
large pile of dresses, torn from the
owners backs and picked up by the
police, were in the police station next
door to the theatre
New York, Dec. 6.-The fire ia
Brooklyn Theatre was attended by ap
palling loss Of life, and it is thought
not less than 100 persons were killed
In the rush to the exit, or burned to
death, being unable to escape. The
fire broke out during the performance
OF the last scene of the 1.-TWO Orphans"
In which Miss Claxton, who plays the
part OF heroine, lies on the boat house
floor. La five minutes more the audi
ence would have been dismissed, and
there would have been nothing more
serious to record than the destruction
of property. The house was about
two thirds full, those below sitting wed
forward toward the stage, before those
in the family circle. The fremen got
to work on the ruins shortly after da,-
light They succeeded in getting as
far as the hall of the dress circle where
they found great number of bodies.
and Immediately began the work of re-
moval and up till IL O'clock IS bodies
had been recovered, and what appeared
to be 20 or 80 more were seen buried
in the ruins into which they had been
precipitated by the falling of the burs-
ing floors at the point adjoining the
burning theatre. The names of Sc
persons are missing from their homes,
they having been registered
BROOKLYN, Dec. 7.--Horfor upon
horror accumulated yesterday, as the
day advanced. Corpse after corpe,
charrel and blackened was passed out,
and still the pile of bodies in the cellar
did not seem to diminish. As the
number mounted to $50 and 100, the
belief that the number would reach
zoo grew into a certainty, and, finally,
at 4:30, the two hundredth body was
removed. Some were found with
limbs and hands burned off and moth
ing left bat ghastly blackcned trunk
At 5 o'clock the number had leach-
ed 220. Twenty bodies were taken
out in half an hour. A look into the
pit at this time still showed a consid-
eratle pile of corpses lying crosswise
like sticks of wood, and there was ap-
pa!ently still SO or so corpses remain
ing. This was inte cellar under the
vestibule, from where all the bodies
taken out to-day were removed. They
lay in pile, apparently where they
had bsen pitched into the cellar whea
the floor and stairway gave way. As
night approached two calcium lights
we're placed in position, and the work
of removing the CHASTITY forms of fhe
dead (made more SO by the light) ~as
continued. They were under the gal
leries, but no estimate could be made
of the number. The charred remains
of the victims were taken out In fraat
and rear of the theatre and rapidly
loaded in boxes, and placed upon under
takers wagons. Still tie pile of bodies
in the cellar did not seem to diminish.
Latest accounts state that the num-
ber of persons who lost their lives In
the burned Brooklyn Theatre is 295,
and that of this number 100 have been
identified. Of these last, all but forty
two were males.
A Observation-Disclosures Grant
said to new England Senator on Mon-
day that he counts the days that mnst
pass before the expiration of his term
of Office as he counted the DAYS that
must pass before he would graduate
during his last year at West Point
He added: "Less than one hundred
days of Presidential service remain,
but I confidently expect that before
half of those days will have passed this