The Cairo bulletin. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1872-1878, 1876-12-08
Over Two Hundred and Fifty
Bodies Removed from the
Ruins.
Burned or Crushed to Death in
the Horrible Rush.
A Fearful Scene of Confusion
Terror and Panic.
Shl ieks and Cries of Women and
Children.
CHASTITY Work Of Recovering the
Blackened Bodies from
the. Ruins.


NEW YORK, Dec. G.--The fire in the
Brooklyn theater last night was attended
by an appalling loss OF life, and it is
thought not less than one hundred per-
sons were killed i'm the rush to the exits,
or burned to death, being unable to es.
cape. The fire broke out during the
performance of the last scene OF the
"Two Orphans, in which Miss ClaNton,
who plays the part of the heroine, was
on the boat-house floor. In five minutes
more the audience would have been dis
missed, and there would have been moth
ing more serious to record than the de-
struction of the property.
The house was about two-thirds filed,
those below sitting well forward toward
the stage. For those in the family circle,
dress circle and galleries there was no
way of escape except by Washington
street.
The panic-stricksn people rushed pell.
nell towards and down the stairway, and
the main exit became Immediately
choked up. and a scene of terror, con1u-
sion and distress ensued, which beggars
description. just above the landing
place of the stairway a woman in crash
had her foot pushed between the bannls-
tiers and fell. The crowd behind, forced
forward by the terrified people still fur
Their behind, fell over her, and piled on
top of each other foor and five deep.
The police from the station house 1ext
door were promptly at the scene, but
owing TO the manner in which the peo-
pie were piled upon the top of each other
and massed together, they could extri-
cate comparatively few, and these were
all bruised, bleeding and manned.
The firemen got to work On the ruins
shortly after daylight this morning.
They succeeded in getting as far as the
fall Of the dress-circle, where they found
a great number of bodies. Immediately
began the work of removal, and up till
II o'clock sitxy.iive bodies had been re-
moved, and what appeared to be twenty
or thirty more we're seea in the basement,
into which they had been precipitated by
the falling of the burning floor.
| .:yr" Tonk, Dec, U.-fiarry Murdoch,
one of the leading actors i'm the Brooklyn
theater company, Is missing and Is
thought to have persisted by the burning
of the theater last night. Several resi-
dents of Brooklyn, who are supposed to
have attended the performance last night,
have not returned to their homes, and it
is feared an examination of the ruins to-
day will result in finding the charred re-
mains of some of these missing persons.
FURTHER PARTICULARS.
BROOKLYN, Dec. G, Noon.-The mum.
Der of bodies thus far recovered from the
ruins is about IS, and it Is believed that as
many more are still in the ruins. They
are mostly of the occupants Of the family
circle.
The police station adjoining burned.
The names of sixty-six persons missing
from their homes have been registered.
Kate ClaXton, at the preliminary in
; quiry Of the fire marshal, said: At tho
beginning of the last act, just as the cur
tain went up, heard rumbling noise
on the stage, AMI two minutes after saw
the flames. The fire seemed to be all OF
the stage. Mrs. Farren, myself, Mr.
Studley and Mr. Murdoch were on the
stage at this time. We four remained
there and endeavored, as best we could
to quiet the audience and prevent panic
| said to the people, "Be quiet; we ar,
between you and the fire the front dool
is open and the passages are clear" No
one of the audience jumped on the stage
The flames were them coming down OF
us. ran out and jumped over severa
people.
, Mr.. ii. ). Murdoch, after endeavorin,
to calm the fears OF the panic.strickel
people, went to his dressing room to &c
his clothing and must have been suffo
. Gated.
The Brooklyn Eagle furnishes the fol
, lowing in advance of publication: Tn
? work OF Identifying the deal will be diff
cult, for most OF them are burned beyon
recognition. The only mode OF identity
1 ing will be by the personal propert
+ found attached to the bodies. Thus ia
o 1t is only evident that the flames mad
5 common havoc with men, women am
/. children.
a Shortly before nine O'Clock Rev. Fathe
e hanley visited the theater, and anon
y the bodies recognized the brother OF Rel
Il Father kyle. Father kyle was preser
n and identified the body Of his brother
: The body was taken from the ruin
y charfed and blackened beyond recogn
h ton In the breast pocket Of the cos
u were number Of cards bearing the nam
OF Abraham Barnett in German text.
The bodies are constantly being I,
l. moved from the ruins and are taken |
he The morgue as fast as possible. 1t is r,