The Leavenworth weekly times. [volume] (Leavenworth, Kan.) 1870-1880, 1876-12-14
and hands burned Of, AID nothing lett but

220. Twenty bodies were taken OUT II 1sll
an hour, and look into tie pit q. this
time still showed considerable pile OF
corlses lying crosswise like sticks OF wood,
and there were apparently stiil 90 Oh %
more.
This was in the cellar under the inner
vestibule, from where all the bodies taken
out to-day were removed. They lay il
pile, apparently where they had been
pitched into the cellar when the floor and
stairway gave way. At late hour to-
night 2s5 bodies had been recovered and
the Fire Marshal who had made an ex-
animation of the circumstances attending
the fire, is of the opinion that at least $50
persons persisted in the flames.
TRIBUTES OF RESPECT.
BROOKLYN, December G.-The courts ad
iourned this morning, without transacting
any business.
There il intense excitement in the city,
and business is partly suspended.
The Park theatre has been closed for
week.
LATER PARTICULARS.
NEW York, December The dimen-
sions of the awful calamity which has be-
fallen the city of Brooklyn in the destruc.
ton of its principal theatre by fire, and
consequent loss of life, have not yet been
realized. Enough is known, however, to
make it certain that
THE CATASTROPHE
ranks among the most fatal OF the kind
ever recorded. According 10 the statements
Of all the parties who profess to know any
thing as to the origin of the fire, it began
on the stage. The business manager, Mr..
Rogers, says that a piece Of canvas, ont OF
which trees, &c. are made, was broken from
it, fastenings and hung from the flies i'm
mediately over one of the border lights.
rear the center of the stage. The canvas
had begun to shoulder, and tie paint On it
to crack, when the carpenter was directed
to ascend to one of the grooves and remove
the dangerous object. He could barely
reach it with his hand, and he drew it
hastily up. The rapid motion through the
air ignited the highly infammable canvas,
causing it to
BURST INTO FLAME,
which rapidly spread to the adjoining ma
terial, equally susceptible. All efforts to
extinguish the flames were aboYtive, and
the Carpenter had to retire to save his own
life. The scene in the galleries, after the
alarm was raised, is described as
SOMETHING HORRIBLE
even to contemplate.
Up to noon to-day 3l5 bodies had been
removed. o. these SO are identified, some
by remnants of clothing. watches, chains,
and such articles, but few by their features.
The actors, Claude Burroughs and Harry
s. Murdoch. are among the identified.
CLEARING THE WRECK.
This afternoon, number OF men will be
set TO work to clear away all the wreck in
the auditory. Hitherto their labors have
been chiefly con6neI to the epace formerly
occupied by the lobby and stage. it is
feared that when careful search is made
in the auditory, that the bodies of a good
many men, who leaped, in their frenzy,
from the galleries, will be found. The po-
lice allow no person TO enter within the
walls Of the theatre, with the exception of
those engaged in the search for the dead.
The small parts of the ceilings and floors
of the theatre Jet remaining, are in Tn I'M
safe condition.
A corr EER's JURY
was impanelld this morning, adjoining the
burned theatre. They took no evidence,
and at noon adjourned till Saturday even
the theatre, gives the following statement
of the number of persons in the theatre,
Tuesday evening: 405 persons in the up
per gallery 800 persons in the dress circle;
$50 persons in the parquette; q actors and
speaking people; 20 supes, l6 stage hands
and II musicians; total 1,0lS; or includ-
ing dressers and other subordinates, 1850
persons.
in the construction of the burned building,
and one to which there is reason to believe
the dreadful loss OF life in the gallery is in
large measure attributable, was the use
of painted cloth for the ceiling. The can
vas caught easily and burned rapidly. Of
course the flames followed it to the yenti-
lator at the top, making the dome
A FUNNEL OF FIRE,
right over the heads of the people in the
gallery. 1t seems more than probable that
the smoke and fire, in the midst of which
they were thus placed, destroyed the lives
OF many persons who might else
have escaped, even by the made
qua.e stairway provided for them.
There was even a larger crowd
AROUND THE MoRGUE
this evening than on yesterday. A surg
ging mass OF people occupied the sidewalk
in front Of the dead house, and stretched
into the middle of the street, and men and
boys clambered upon the fences and wagons
in the neighborhood. Yesterday, the peo-
pie who congregated in the neighborhood
l. hr. ct
but to-day there was
SPIRIT OF LEvIrY
perceptible, Notwithstanding that the fire |
was an event only two days old. No per-
mits for admission were demanded of those |
persons who could satisfy the officers that
they had lost friends or relatives BY the |
fire but were allowed to enter from time to |
time, passing in the front door and through |
the room on the right hand, which contain |
ed about thirty bodies lying on the floor. |
NONE HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED
so far. The searchers then passed through |
building back TO the left hand room, in |
which some corpses were lying upon mar
bic slabs and tables, In the centre. Upon |
such bits of clothing as remain upon the |
bodies, numbers written hastily, with lead |
pencils, on bits of paper have been pinned.
and when = body has been recognized the
name and address are added to the num-
Der.
Upon receipt of the coroner's permission,
the corpse is placed in a plain coffin and
driven to the address given BY the per
sons who have claimed it. There are very
few idenuGcstions, however. 1T is impos-
sible that there can be, as many features
are, for the most part, unacceptable.
and such things. were many of
them lost in the crowd and the clothing
has been either all destroyed or burned in
10 mere rags. At the Adams street morgue,
formerly known as the old Fulton Market,
The
SCENE WAS HORRIBLE
in the extreme. On the floor lay q large
number Of charred bodies, but in many in
stances it was impossible to tell whether
hey had formerly been male or female,
human or animal. In some cases the
mass was only about handful Of
CHARRKD BONES AND FLlaH.
Without q remnant of clothing or other
that could possibly lead to identi-
ication. In other cases the clothing was
either tom from or burned off the bodies,
eavipg but charred and blackened re-
mains, which could not be called bodies.
Among the bodies not 60 badly burned, was
me Of a man who had evidently
LEArED FROM TIE GALLERY,
Is one leg was broken short of above the
mike. The remains of DIR. Frankish, q
|entis;, who resides At Portland avenue and