The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1876-12-07
By eIegraph
ASSOCIATED PRESS REPORT
70 THE DAILY IN1ELLIGENOEE
TERRIBLE CALAMITY.
Burning of Brooklyn Theatre
HORROR UPON HORROR
An Appalling Loss of Life.

New York, December G.-Ths Gre il
the Brooklyn theatre last night was at
tended by an appalling loss Of life, and l
is thought that not loss than one hundred
persons were killed in the rush to tht
exits, being unable to escape. The fire
broke out during the performance Of til,
last scene Of the Two Orphans, in which
Miss Olaxton, who plays the part Of thu
Heroine, lies on the boat house floor. II
five minutes more the audience woulG
have been dismissed and there would hav.
been nothing more seriousto record thar
the destruction Of property. The house
was about two.thirds filled, those below
sitting we'll forward the stage. For those
in the family circle, dress circle and gal
leries there was no escape, except by
Washington street. The panic stricken
people rushed pell nell towards and
down the stairways. The main entrance
becoming choked up, scene ol
terror, confusion and distress ensued
which beggars description. Just
above the landing place Of the stairway
woman inthe crush had her foot push.
cd between the banisters and fell. The
crowd behind, forced forward by the
terrified people further behind, fell over
her and piled on to each other four and
FIVE feet deep. The police from the sta.
tiou house next door were promptly on
tie scene, but owing to the manner in
which the people were piled upon each
other and massed together, they could
extricate comparatively few, and these
we're bruised, bleeding and MANNED. The
firemen got to work on the ruins shortly
after daylight, this A. NJ, they succeeded
in getting as far as the fNll Of the dress cir.
Gle, where they found great number Of
bodies, and Immediately began the work
Of removal, and up till II o'clock
sixty.tivc bodies have been recovered.
And what appeared to be 20 or 80 men
were seen in the baseucnt into which
they had been pecipitdted by the falling
OF the burning floor. Al the police sta.
ton adjoining tho burned theatre, the
names Of Sc persons missing from
their homes have been registered.
Kate Claxton, at the preliminary inquiry
Of the Fire Marshal, said:. AT the begin.
ming Of the last act, just az the curtain
went up, heard a rumbling noise on the
stage, and, two minutes after, l saw
flames OF fire which seemed to be all on
the stage. Mrs. Farren, myself, Mr..
Studley, and Mr.. Murdock were on the
stage at this time. We remained there
and eudeavorcd rs well as We could to
quiet the audience and prevent a panic.
l said to tho people, "Be quiet. We are
between you and the FIRE; the front door
is open, and the passages are clear" Not
one Of the audience jumped on the stage.
The flames werc then. coming down on
us. Iran out and jumped over several
people. Mr.. H. S. Murdock, after en-.
deavoriug to calm the fears OF the panic.
stricken people, went to his dressing
room 10 get his clothing and must have
been sufIocated.
BROOKLYN, December 6.-The number
OF bodies thus far recovered from the
ruins is about rs, and 1t is believed that
as many more arestill in the ruins. They
are mostly those Of the occupants OF the
family circle.
The Brooklyn Eagle furnishes the fol-
lowing in advance OF its publication:
The work Of identifying the dead will
be difficult, for most Of them are burned
beyond recognition. The only mode Of
identifying will be by the personal pro.
perty found attached to the bodies. Thus
far IT is only evidentthat the flames made
common havoc with the men, women
and children. Shortly after nine o'clock,
Rev. Father Hawley visited the theatre,
and among the bodies recognized a
brother Of Rev, Father kyle. Father
kyle was present and identified the body
OF his brother. The body was taken from
the ruins, cllarred and blackened beyond
recognition. In the breast pocket Of his
coat we're number OF cards bearing the
name OF Abraham Barnett, in German
text. The bodies are constantly being
removed from the ruins, and are taken to
the Morgue as fast as possible. It is ru.
mored that number OF the attachees OF
the theatre are burned. Itscems certain
that Charles Lott and his son, who were
Itationed in the upper gallery, are among
the lost. The actors and actresses escaped
from the stage into johnson street. J. W.
Thorp, stage manager states that
tho fire must have occurred in this wise :
A drop was ignited from a border light
by some means unexplainable, as the one
was guarded from the other. He imme.
diately directed stage carpenter Weaver
and two supernumaries to endeavor TO
extinguiSh the fame, but the difficulty
was to reach that portion Of tho fire.
The stage carpenter, with the supernu.
merarics, CsSayed to effect the object by
lowering the drop, and inso doing added
fuel to the flames. The scene in the last act
Of the play embraced closed apartment
and the instant the burning drop came
in contact with tho inlammable matter
ii served to spread the existing flames. In
a flash, US though powder had been scat.
tered about the scenery; the entire prop
critics were in a blaze. The usual ave.
nues OF escape were thus summarily
closed at the rear, and an exit, If at ali
paSsiblc, had to be made by way Of the
box entrance. All except, perhaps, one
or two, thus escaped. 1t is our belief
that the number OF dead will be abou.
one hundred and thirty.live.
One hundred aud seventy.fve bodies
have been taken from the ruins OF the
theatre, which is still burning, making
tho work OF removing the bodies very
difficult. Flags are at half mast through.
out the city, and the theatres are draped
in mourning.
RRnoEIYY Daremher 6--Tba oourt