The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1876-12-14
AisfeAaneuns.
THE BROOKLYN FIRE.
Stories of the SurvlvOrs-Statements
from Actors and Members Of the Audi
ence-HOw Many People were In the
House.
Statement of Mr. J. II. s.udIoy.

lidu ~ hhUi 'N'NSay
escape, and will carry for many a day the
marks of his struggle to gain the exterior
of the burning building. "I was engaged
in the play, and was seated on the stage
when il broke out" he said. "The first
inhmation had of anything wrong was
noise which seemed to come from the
rear of the stage. supposed it was oc
casioned by the stage carpenter shifting
the scenery, and accordingly spoke to
the prompter. Just then Mrs Farran,
who was also on the stage, evinced evil
dent signs of nervousness, and the audi
ence also became perfectly restive. up
to this time / had heard no cracking
noise such as usually accompanies fire,
nor did smell any smoke. My back
was to the fire, as I was facing the audi
ence, and therefore did not appreciate
the danger of the situation. / adjured
the audience to remain quiet, assuring
them that the danger was more imagina-
nv than real. On turning around | saw
the fame overhe ID, but still / thought
there was no occasion for immediate
alarm. Fearing a general stampede in
the audience once more stepped to the
footlghts and advised calmness. sta.
ted that the play would have to stop at
once, but urged the people to go out
quietly, telling them there was time
enough and l really thought there was
until the cnders began to fall on the
stage, and then concluded it was time
to be moving. ran down to my dress
ing room, but as l. was unlocking the
door the flames seemed to come upon me
from every direction. / now, for the first
time, saw the real danger. There was
no time to change my clothes, so, catch
ING up nv overcOat, I made break for
the stairway to ascend TO the stage. Here
I was met by volume offire and smoke
that drove me back despite all my efforts.
Lest | should be smothered, | covered |
the lower portion of my face with my |
overcoat and instantly ran across to the |
other staircase; but whittier it led knew |
not. Cropping my way along through al
most suffocating smoke, reached pas
sapeway, and followed it. By this time
some halE-a.dozen or more people were
following me, imploring assistance, and
struggling along as best they could.
saw a window hard by, and calling to
the people behind me to follow on, push
ed forward and burst it open with my
hands. You see here the result. My
hands and wrists are cut in twenty plac-
es But imagine the CONSERVATION that
seized me when, on knocking the glass
ont, | beheld solid wall cared up be-
fore me- 1t was wellhole through
which wood and coal used to be drawn.
I thought the last avenue OF escape had
now been cut off and so told those about
me. We were all on the p int OF des-
pair, when, turning in another direction,
7 saw a door some ten or fifteen feet
away. Against this threw myself with
the strength of despair and finally sue
ceeded in bursting it open, although in
doing 40 | now find that | have injured
myself considerably. Heaven be praised,
# led to place of safety Soon we were
all out in the street, the door having
opened into passageway leading to the
front entrance"
In answer 10 a question in regard to
the probable fate Of Mr.. Burroughs,
fellow actor, Mr.. Studley said he had no
hope ofe again seeing him alive. He
was in his dressing-rOom, up stairs, and
could not possibly have escaped, as the
flames spread in that direction from the
verv first, and cut off all chance of escape.
Story of One of the Audience.
It was the last act of the 1.-TWO Or
phans," and Miss Claxton, Mrs, Farren
and Messrs. Murdock and StudIey were
on the stage. Mr. Studley had just flung
his working apron to the ground with the
words, "There, I've done enough work
for the day." when sparks were seen to
fall from the flies at the right of the I
stage (left from the audtorum.) There
was Immediately an exclamation ofalarm t
but there was no cry Of fire, and the au.
dienCe began to rush from their seats, '
The attaches of the theater and few I
others endeavored to calm the excite |
ment, and Miss Claxton came to the foot
lights and appealed to the audience to {
keep COOL No sooner had she done 6
speaking than one of the "fats" fell to '
the stage in a blaze, which was the sig
nal for general stampede, and in the a
meantime the flames burst forth in one
vast sheet and dense volume of smoke, s
as if blowing from a bellows, and filled I
the theatre, making confusion worse
confounded." 1t became as dark as Ere /
bus, and '
The ShriekS of Women
were heard in the gloom as they endeav- j
ored to reach the open air. Those who :
to render assistance to the y
people in the orchestra chairs and circle i
became entangled with remains Of dress Q
es and other wearing apparel, and in the 4
confusion failed of their purpose. Nearly 4
all the occupants of the lower part of the !,
house succeeded in escaping, however, a
and as the smoke was rushing into the 4
lobby, the doors were closed in order to a
save the people in the dress-cirGle, who n
were tumbling down stairs in heaps, and /
who would have been cut off from re- A
treat. The fainting women and children y
we're carried to the station house next q
door, and taken care Of but it was i'm i
possible to save all, for the smoke began y
to gil the lobby as it issued in a vast vol y
ume through the dress-circle doors and n
sufoCated the poor unfornates who were {,
above. Not minute and a half had a
elapsed after the discovery of the fire, Il
when the entire theatre was filled with u u
fame and smoke, and the four hundred /
people in the gallery, having only mar, a
row stairway for egress, were cut of from j
any assistance. 7
Story OF Mr.. Kingsley. o
Mr.. VIM. c. Kingsley, one of the prin- ,
cipal stockholders, was in the auditorium =
on the evening Of the fire with his fami- !! y
ly. When the panic began he was sepa- 2
rated from them. and for time was un. \
able to fipd any trace of them, but when =
his anxiety was at the highest be learned Q
that they had all escaped and arrived '
home in safety. All those who were pre- U
sent testify to scenes of the widest ex- Y