The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1876-12-27

live q, Member 3 James street. Brook
lyn Wa 81 the thestre on the nigh.
Of the FIRE work e.. kenney & Mur-
phey, can g. 10 the theatre whenever
| like am there at least once week
+ am acquainted with the whole theatre
generally 90 in the gallery was in ,h.
gallery an Tuesday night when the
fire broks ou; | fist heard r4nh.i.
nolse back oi the stag. So,ntto g.,
cried " Fire Then Miss Claxton an!
tue inea oa the stage told the pcop!e -
be- 4ui''t that THERE WIS no fre Al the
s.ue time firc commenced falling n
the stag As soon IS the cry Of {" Fire
was raised people rushed To the door.
bu, when told by the actors to be quiet
SOME sat down again for moment
/ Then the fire became visible. and then
followed i dreadful panic. The whole
audience In the gallery. women, men
and boys, rushed for the doors. Wo-
men screamed. aud men swore and
cursed AZ each other. They piled up
III heaps in the passageway in the gal
lery. before they cane To the stairs at
all. The gallery WAS we'll filled.
was alone. There was only one opening
from the gallery out to the hall where
the stairs were. and this opening had
no door on. 1t was about six or eight
feet wide. The crowd tried to get out
of this door all At once, but the num-
bcr who got out ut the first alarm
blocked up the stairs and then meme Of
them could move looked at them a
few seconds and saw they did not or
could not move. Then l looked for
some other way to get out. went to
the windows on the east side, over
Floods alley, raised tue sash, which
was stuck fast, aud looked out, but saw
that it was q great height from the
street. and was arfaid to jump down
The crowd was still at the door inside
IN the galleries, screaming, some Of the
women rushing about through the
seats. There was still plenty Of light,
but l think it was from the fire aud not
the gas. As soon a. l turned around
from the window | saw the ceiling on
fire over US, and dropping down on the
people. 1t WAS a great sheet Of fire
1t could not have been more that two
minutes then from the time we first
saw the fire Il saw that l could get
out by the stairs snd saw Others rush
ing about. screaming went from the
window down the aisle TO the front Of
the gallery, and looked down into the
dress-circle. which was next to the gal,
lery. |, was more like furnace than
smoke. The flames were all around
the people. some Of whom were being
scorched then it was awful stood
the heat as long as could the roof
was on fire. and a. /, aest seemed to
y in the upper gailrss. A this time
did Mt sse any officer there. When
the first rush came every body was
knocked down. Even if the doors had
not been blocke i l- as airs crowded
:. not ihink the people ~ol.d nave
sot out u time to save them elves. The
fire got to the rooi os the gallery from
the scenery on the stage. The
smoke smelled of burning psiut,
and was very suffocating When
! Jumped down IN the dress cir
Gle struck one of the iron chairs, and
was severely injured about the groin.
did not notice any one there in the
dress-circle till got to the stairs. There
| found men, women and children on
their backs, about three deep The
cause Of this was woman who had
caught her leg in the bannisters, who
could not he got out. This was on the
stairs Of the dress-eircle. and had no
communication with the stairs Of the
upper gallery. There was no light in
the dress circle. When l left there
it was quite dark ON the stairs. There
may have been people in the dress-c cir
Gle when left there. l was bchiud
the crowd on the stairs, and saw that
they could not move, and Jumped over
an angle ot the stair-c on top of peo-
pies heads below. and rolled into the
hallway. and found my way into the
street. did not know where l was.
There were ten or fifteen policemen.
threatening people at the back of the
crowd, telling them they could not get
out that way. and using their clubs.
They had to do il To extricate women
from the crowd. Women we're on their
backs, with their feet twisted in the
bAnnis,ers. jumped when the police
were not looking. l had to do it. 1t
was too hot behind me and l WAS suf
locating l remained at the door near
ly an hour afterward, aud don't think
the crowd ever got out of the dress
circle stairs 1t was simply worse on
the gallery stairs. The peopic we're
rav,ng mad. md did not seem to know
or care what they were doing. ! think
there would have been loss of life
if there had been dozen stairs, the
fire WAS so quick. 1t was just like put
ting fly ia = match box and setting .
light The people had no more chance.
IL was oil owing TO the rap,dlty With
which the fire rcscicd the gallery l
think the reaues, Of the actors saved .
good many lives, because ii allowed
those who started first to get half way
down before the second rush took place
|, they had ail started al the frs. rush
there would have been more lives lost.
There ~as window for ventilation.
looking on au adjoining roof. but did
no, know how Tar would have 10
Jump. aud did not 20 there. / am the
only enc who iumls.d 10 the dress circle.
saw no one else try the window IN tile
gallery They followed each other
about, hoping that one would lind some
means OF escape. :aink there were
over tiAy In the gallery who could not
get In the stairs al A.. besides those
who were running oa.t mad, scream
ing and hslloo, bought there
ese over 400 ps. ;, peri Is 5oo. IL
the gai'sry. think probably l5o Of
the Sc cot or Ls itH-v. rave
Aot4c.si any breaAs IL i.ae cry s:asg>