The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1876-02-11
Panic and Terrible Calamity Mt
Robinson's Opera House Cincin-
natl.

/ low, the alleeory OF sterling merit, ahh
mainly performed by children and young
ladies and gentlemen from the public
schools, there was large cIowd to wit
ness its last representation The mana
0ers of the entertainment had, very un-
wisely, rs the event proved, scattered
tickets of admission broadcast, through
the agency of the ambitious school chill
dreu, without taking into proper consId-
Grafton the capacity of the house The
consequence was that. half an honr after
the doors were opened, at l o'clock, the
house was overfowing with people. and
still there were tive or three thousand
persons on the street clamOring for ad-
mission, and demanding it by virtue OF
the tickets they had bought. The per-
formance was to have commenced at
O'Clock, and at that time it is estimated
that there were $500 people in the au
ditorium, and five or six hundred chill
dren and young ladies and gentlemen on
the stage, ready to assume their several
i
ed, and at given signal (a whistle from
the stage) a red calcium light was turn
ed on to give effect 10 the Indian table
eax with which the allegory opens The
chemicals used in the production Ofthis
light cause q sort of hissinR sound, like
escaping stram, when they are brought
in contract with the gas jet, and the rud-
dy glare that Immediately illuminated
the curtain when the signal was given Is
supposed to have caused the impression
on some uninformed boys mind that the
house was on FIRE. The less charitable
theory obtains in some quarters that the
alarm was affected for the purpose of
causing a confusion in which pickpock-
eta might SAFELY ply their trade. The
best evidence that can he gathered seems
to indicate that the alarm was given in
genuine fear. At all events the dread
alarm of FIRE was shouted by boy in
the balcony, and then ensued a scene ot
frantic terror that has rarely been wit
messed in this city. The people in the
lobbies, the back seats and the gallery
made desperate rush for the main exit,
opening upon Ninth street, and most Of
the frst who reached the door fell down
the few steps descending to the vestibule.
and those who followed tumble overithem
until the inclosure was piled waist high
to a man with writhing, smothering and
crushed people. The crowd from the
street, curious to ascertain the cause Of
the commoiion, pushed into the vestibule
at this most inopportune moment, 40
that the passage was completely clogged,
and would not admit of the exit of
single peraon. until the struggling,
groaning, skrieking and dying people
had been pulled apart and conveyed into
the street. The acene in the vestibule is
described a. horrible. A few men VIII"
had started into the house, on hearing
the alarm of FIRE, were caught in the
middle of the vestibnle, and there work
ed like very Titans for ten or fifteen
minutes. pulling the prostrate peopl'
ont and f1inging them TO the door, in
danger every second of being themsel
YES pulled down into the mass by the
terrified and desperately fighting suffer
ers.
Mr.. William Eckel. who was one Of
the fir4t to rush into the fatal vestibulr
ON hearing the cry Of fire, and seeing
the crowd Of people rush out, thus de.
scribes the scene: ~ was standing on
the sidewalk talking to some gentlemen
when I heard the alarm Of fire, and a.
one of my children was inside. ! natur-
ally made an effort to force my way in.
The entrance was completely clogged
with people, however, and never got
beyond the middle of the vestibule. M.
idea is that some OF the frst crowd that
rushed ont slipped on the steps and fell.
and the immense throng that followed
them were 40 terror stricken that the,
did not think of steps or anything else
except to fling themaelves out of the
inner doorway. The consequence was
that there was a general piling up of
PROSTATE and struggling people, those
who followed the first rush falling on
top Of the others as soon AZ they got to
the steps. The people, men, women and
children, piled up around me, and the
other men who made their way into the
vestibule, waist high, and still they kept
coming. It was simply awful. Men
and women were groaning, children were
shrieking, and by the gaaps and deep
gurgling of some of the women and chill
dren, knew they were being smothered
to death. We pulled out all we could.
and worked as fast as we could; but il
seemed that they piled up "a fast as We
tightly wedged in we couldn't bulge
them an inch either way. One poor la
dy, who was killed, lay on the tilinR
with a dozen women and children on top
Of her, her face Hattened against the
floor, and her tongue, which protruded
two or three inches. being trampled on
by others trying to work themselves out.
One little white-headsd boy, who I saw
was almost smother~d to death, thrust
out his hand to me from under two os
three persons who were crowding him
down, and ] managed TO catch hold OF
his arm. He worked the other arm ont
somehow. and q policeman caught bold
nf il. We tugged and tugged at him
for several minutes, and il took our unit
ed strength TO pull him out, ani we are
both strong men, too. They would
catch me by the legs, and try to pull
themselves out that way, and we were all
in danger every second Of going down
with the whole crowd. There must have
been as many as hundred and fifty
people piled up in that vestibule a. ]
have described, and don't think half of
them would ever have issued from the
trap alive If a couple Of policemen had
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