The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1876-12-07

,th6dkQ ~ WHispbfcu ItVtu tlGs NJ WIEES WeuiE0
i fne. The theatre Is on l5fe. III Hsfcned
itagaia, almost dnzed, and then recognized
/ MISS Cley yis'sv voice repeating sThe theatre
lis on fire; look behind for Gods sake,
Still / did not awake I'd the peril & The iin-s
tfofnlafion Of che fire was whispered tol all
on the stage, but not one OF dis moved % 10
foE. The play cohsfnhed. The old wouaars
Pierre's mother f(1frs. II arren} rushed upon
TINE, and ii, the savage raaSraf necessary TO
| the action caught hold of my hair and pulled
/ it. AS my head went back L gfnneed up to-
fthe canvGs ceiling OF The; room jim which ne
were playing, and then saw little tongues
lof flame licking through tbe canopy. Nh.
tlIufdocl, Mr. St1dley, and Mrs. Farren
tsaw them at the same time Then we heard
q horrible roaring noise behind the scenery.
This alarmed me more than the sight of
the fire. Still none OF us moved until
the audience caught sight OF the faEles.
When the cry or fFire rang through
the body of the theatre and the audi
ence rose en- s5saasse we acted altogether
without the slightest know Wedge OF one tzl-
others intentions. We FOUR fclaspe hands
and stood almostat the lights, and cried
tout: = We are between you and the fire sic
in the front,ro heard our appeal. III saw
III
LADY, pull the gentleman beside her down
into his chair. The body of the horse
was not very & well 5iiled, 81 but the
gallery was crowded. Z am convinced
that our action prevented as panics and
enabled the people near the doors TO get
out without being pressed upon by those
from the front, seats. In sthss Rpy, too,
more persons got cut without hurt than
wouldhaye escaped IL all the gallery pe0s
pie had crowded against the Others at the
doors. As soon as we saw the people
getting out we turned to escape ourselves.
| Then we found we were hemmed IN
by fire. The flames ragea above and
around except on the side of the audi
torium.i We could see the red rnfters
above threatening @ to fall "A dashed
down stairs and got under the stage. There
/ met Miss Maude Harrison. She had gone
to her room to get some Yaluables. cried
! out to her: Let those things go, md come
on, for Gods sake. We must go QUIT
front way. The fire is gaining on us now.
Look!' AS / uttered this last exclamation
I pointed to the aceiling-tte floor OF the
stage. The flames were showing through,
and we could mark out their courses along
the cracks OF the flooring. Miss Har-
rison, Mrs. Farreu, and myself then
dashed along the ], crooked passage
ways under the stage, and after some
| trouble gained the auditorium through q
door. We had yet some distance to go; the
| fire followed us fast, and there was still o
crowd Of excited people Il, pass through.
| We got into the crowd and dashed along,
needless that now and again we felt that we
trod upon q human being. Once / looked
down and saw human face, horribly dis
torted and burned. oh, my God, IL Wasa
fearful sight. i shall never forget 1t. After
ward I saw, the injured man taken out. He
wus horribly injured, and think must be
dead. AS soon as we got into the street we
dashed i'm the police station. 3 There gem
tleman loaned me his overcoat, and after q
short stay in the station we walked around
here" S: l.s.. &. ~ Ss3.,{
tsHff M HISTORY or THE THEATRE. y.
The Brookiy Theatre Yas built in 1s7lfor
the late Mrs. F. B. Conway by w. q.
Kingsley, a. c. Keeney, Judge Alexander
McCue, and others. 1t was situated IN
4 Washington street, on the site OF the old
St. Johns Protestant Episcopal church, and
was originally called Mrs. Gonway's New
BROOKLYN Theatre. The new; house Was
fopened auspiciously on the eYening Oh sOe-
!. ltober 2, 1871, the programme consisting OF
AN opening address written expressly for
1.-THE occasion, and delivered by Mr.. and Mrs.
4 F. 3. Conway, both OF whom are now dead.
After the address, Bulwer's comedy OF
a Money - was presented In the cast were
6 Frank Roche. NJ. A. Kennedy, Edward
Lamb, s. Chippendale, Harry Eytinge, Eu-
gene Clarke, Miss Minnie Conway, Ella
4 Burns, Mrs. George Farren, Emma Howen,
May Fiske, and others. After the perform
ance the H Star.Spangled Bannef was
j Esnng BY the entire company OF tire theatre,
{ Numbering some fifty people. II rom filat
time the theatre was under the manage.
/ ment of Mrs. Conway. until her death In
May, 1875, when 1t was for Q short tins l
managed by her daughters, but unsucsess-
lfufly. Tt was next leased TO Mr.. Theodore
4 Moss, of Wallack's Theatre, but Dfr. Wat-
| lack refusing to lend, his name TO theienter-
tEprise,5 and 3Ir. Moss, not wishing 20 enter
i into the speculation without the advantage
i of Mr.. Waiiack's name, forfeited what he had
paid, and for q time the thestre went beg
i glng, though offers for It We're made By Mr..
i Charles Gay ylera and others. but the rent
asked was so. highas TO Fri ghten on aH irs-
j tending, managers. In September 1876s
4 Messrs, Shook d. Palmer took the theatre
i and continued from chat time to run it as ~
branch Of ssheT Unions SIuare Theatre.
They have brought out IN itaIl the leading
plays produced at the Unions Square, ana
have meta generous response from the ,ctik
i zeps OF Brook klyn.g H may be said shat ste
4 theatre never paid expenses, the iaes ReanS
THAT tie people Of Brooklyn prefer 70 come
4 70 New York for their an1lsaincnts ratier
/ than to take what they can get at Bona.
4 Mrs. Conway lest some 2 Y, ,008 In the thea.
tire, and nobody since her time has succeed
! ed In, making moneY out Of IT.
The theatre was u handsome structure,
4