The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1876-12-14

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could extricate comparatively few, and
these were all bruised, bleeding and
manned. The firemen got to work on
the ruins shortly after daylight this
morning. They succeeded in getting
as far as the fall of the dress-circle,
where they found a great number OF
bodies. Immediately began the work
of removal, and up to II o'clock 65
bodies had been removed, and what
appeared to be 20 or so more were seen
In the basement, into which they had
been precipitated by the falling of the
burning floors.
ORIGIN OF THE FIRE.
Kate Claxton, at the preliminary in
quiry of the Fire Marshal, said: "At
the beginning of the last act, just as
the curtain went up, heard rumbling
noise on the stage, and two minutes
after / saw the flames. The fire seem
ed to be all on the stage. Mrs. Farren,
myself, Mr.. Studley and Mr.. Murdoch
were on the stage at this time. We
four remained there and endeavOred,
as best we could, to quiet the audience,
and prevent panic. said to the peo-
pie, 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 were then coming down on US
I ran out and jumped over several peo-
ple."
Mr.. II. S. Murdoch, after endeavor-
ing to calm the fears of the panic strick-
en- people, went to his dressing-room to
get his clothing and must have been
sufiocated.
ESCAPE OF THE STAGE PEOPLE.
Actors and actresses escaped from
the stage into johnson Street. j. w.
Thorp, stage manager, states that the
fire occurred in this wise: A drop was
ignited from border light by some
means inexplicable, as one was guarded
from the other. He Immediately direct
ed the stage carpenter, Weaver, and
two supernumeraries, to endeavOr to
extinguish the flame, but the difficulty
was to reach the part on fire. The
stage carpenter with the supernumera-
ries essayed to effect the object by low
ering the drop, and in so doing added
fuel to the flames. The scene, the last
in the play, embraced ceiled apart
ment, and the instant the burning drop
came in contact with it the infiamma-
bic ceiling served to spread the exist
ing flames in a flash, as though powder
had previously been scattered about the
scenery. The entire properties were in
blaze. The usual avenues of escape
were thus summarily closed at the rear
and an exit, if at all possible, had to be
made by way of the box entrance. All,
except perhaps one or two, thus es-
capped.
SCENES OF HORROR.
Wagon-loads of rough boxes were
brought in front of the theater, and
corpses are placed in them and cover
ed with tarpaulins and carried to the
morgue.
The scene grew more terrible every
minute. Men and women were crowded
around the station house and theater
entrance, making inquiries for missing
friends. In some instances whole fam
lies have persisted.
The bodies present every form of con-
tortion, just as they stifened in their
last agony, when the floor gave way,
and they plunged down in binding
smoke and flames. Arms and legs are
bent and twisted in every way. Hands
are clenched and reached out, as if
grasping for help.
The Post says that about II o'clock a
horrible discovery was made. Ia the
midst of what was the lobby of the the
alter lay an immense pile of rubbish,
smoldering beams, fragments of girders
and other things. This heap was near
ly opposite the principal entrance to the
auditory of the theater. Beyond it was
another heap, marking the place where
the stairs leading to the gallery fell.
Under the heap first mentioned dead
body was found, and the tiremeR dill
gently prosecuted their search in this
direction. With much labor some of
the heaviest lumber was removed, and
a horrible sight was revealed. Beneath
that mound of eorpses lay in rows
heaped one upon the other, packed to-
gether with a fearful solidity, which
told of the great pressure to which they
had been subjected. How many lay
there, what their sex or age, no man
could tell, and at noon only guesses
could be made.
RECOVERING THE BODIES.
At2 O'Clock 115 bodies had been re-
covered, and there are probably as
many more within the ruins. Some
persons assert that none in the upper
gallery of the theater escaped. The
last man that left the stairs before they
fell says that behind him was a helpless,
half-suffocated crowd.
On Washington Street line of horses
and wagons were ready to remove the
bodies. Great crowds of persons were
gathered in the neighborhood of the