New-York tribune., 1876-12-07

and believed its means of exit quite ample In ordinary
times the house would be emptied in fve minutes"
ADNER c. KEENEY's TESTIMONY.
Abner c. Keeney testified as follows ~ live at No.
I75 Cumberland-st Brooklyn; am the treasurer OF the
Brooklyn Building Association, which built and owned
the Brooklyn Theaer The building was erected In 1871
and cost about 500 0OO Mr. Thomas Jackson OF Broad
way EewYork was the architect; he also built Wal
lacks Theater the Albany Academy OF Music ana the
Boston Theer and recommended TO us as the Dess
architect In this country for the construction OF heaers
The OF building was under his exclusive c0htro,
assisted by myself and it done entirely by Gays
work Tie walls were from TO 20 inches thick, rest
ing en- concrete foundations, carried up solid, ana
groued throughout The cross walls and supporting
columns all capped and bound together with sone
insure much strength as possible. The timber was
all sawed at mill, the New-York and brooklyn
sawra as ordered by the architect 1t all properly
seasoned and dried The bulding designed to seat
about GOO comfortably. The means Of egress were
carefully discussed by the members OF the association In
order that the theater might be made safe possible
With that view the theater built adjoining FLOORS
alley, small street running from Myrteaye TO John-
son-st, and three different means OF exit, WITH large
capacity and dube doors were provided on inst sac Oh
the building These to FlOOdsaIey led from the
vestibe opposite the main entrance from the parquet
in the middle OF the building. and asO from the lower
part of the parquet next the stage These passages were
about 7 feet wide, aud were connected Win the
second gallery well with the first floor or parquet
The front was provided with a main entrance
from WashngtOn-st, leading to the parquet
and also with wide stairway to the dress circle on the
second GuOr These stairs about II feet wide ana
led down the main vestbule. There were two pairs
OF dOora fOur-dOOr and twod00r entrance 1rom TINS
vestibGle the paYquet. Besides this there was
separate and distinct Of egress from the gallery INTO
washDgton-st. This stairway was about 10 feet WIDE
throughout and IN no case could this passage become
Ohio II "a ply
to or from the gallery, and had communication with
other parts of the house. There still another mode
OF oXit-a private entrance 10 tine apartments occupied
By the stag manager, Mr. Thorpe ever the vestiDue
The stage provided with two seta OF doors, one
large set opening JonsOnt and the other opening
on the same street to Westinghouse There was
private passage from the stage entrance to the main
under the stage and pargnet We estimate our
loss the building and fixtures at about Sl2OOoo the
insurance ia about $4,000"
THE CHIEF UsHERS ACCOUNT
The CHEF usher, Thomas Rockford, made statement
rs follows IL live at No. $50 Westinghouse ana was
chief usher at the Brooklyn Theater and IN the
building at 1923 last night when the lire broke odt
r saw IL on the left-hand side Of the stage on the ny
stood outside the orchestra door, and heard the cry OF
fire. rushed in, but the people crowded ont, ana
tried 20 quiet them, and number OF them sat down
again. Mr. Studlcy and Mr Murdoch made similar re-
quest from the stage. then though IL coud be put out
whom were in the orchestra and the balance about SOO
ND stairs ou the other floors there must have been
iu the gallery, and these were mostly the persons
who could not get out There was one entrance ony
from the gallery 20 Westinghouse. The door from the
dress circle was open; II It had been 1t would have
blocked UP the passage-way and made matters worse
remained there until was driven out by the fire.
had then cleared the orchestra and the parqet out to
FloodsalIcy IN the am pretty positive thIt there
was no one lost I'm either of those apartments Invent TO the
foot ~ the stairs OF the dress circle hut could go no
further The crowd then rushing down on the top
OF each other and several trGEped on IRere were
20 officers helping the people out The stairs are
about six or eight feet wide c9ch Night ana seeed 20
give ample accommodation heretofore The whole dH
Icty seemed 20 arise from the desire OF the people up
stairs 20 get cut all at IL takes usually about SIX
or seven minutes empty the house Froin the time the
fire Was first seen till the theater envcoped in lames
was not over Ave minutes. There were three available
pasngo last night 10: the auticnce and three Tor te
actor We opened passage door El0Ods-alley last
night vhirh only opened in of re and had never
BEEN used by an audience before II 1t had not been for
this there would have been 200 more lives lost opened
that door ami have the key in my pocket now; 1t was
hung beside the door"