The New York herald., 1876-12-07

they had been standing enve!oped In sheet OF
Ore. moments longer delay would have probably
cost them their hves Owing 10 my momentary delay
my wife and friend separated from me and
reached the street IN safety At this moment when
looked up and found alone the theatre. tre-
mendous gust Of hot air. flied with smoke cnders and
fame rushed from the stage through the auditorium
and compelled 10 hasten my retreat When !
gained the long corridor In which the ticket ohcc is
located It ded wilh the screaming, lighting crowd
OF men and women, all madly seeking safety for them
selvcs Men and women were being tramped upon by
those behind and above them. The seemed to be
fully as terror stricken as the women The glare in
the street ana The smoke in the corridor enhanced the
terror OF those seeking an exL In spite OF all my
efforts lorced into the crowd, lifted of my feet
and carried into the street with the surging
] found my wife and friend saio In Kitchens drug
store. believe II impossible TO commend too highly
the coolness and the noble efforts OF Messrs Studley
and Murdoch ailay the unreasoning impulse OF the
audience rush pelme from the building, aud these
efforts braveiy seconded by the quiet seliposses-
sion of Miss Ciaxton Mrs. Farrcn lfMr Murdoch
has lost his life he has sacrificed 1t to his heroic efforts
10 save tho audence from the results of their own
terror.
MR. JOHN uARrMAS's STATEMENT.
Mr. John Hartman, employe OF the Department Oh
City Works. who at Tho theatre with his wisc and
chld occupyng seats in the balcony, made tho fol.
lowing satencnt:The hrst suspicion that had that
there trouble when the orchestra was playing
between the fourth anu NTH acts. heard curiou1
noise on tho stage resembling the loud talking OF
number OF men, which thought very unusual Tho
orchestra got through their playing and the curtain
for the last act. When they had got about bali
through tho act noticed the noise again, only II
was louder and they seemed TO be hurriedly moving
the scenes behind then a namo moving In tue
top part OF the hut and in moment aferward soma
sparks fell upon the stage. They kept playing but
the people began to get excited. Some behind me
shouted "sit down; there's rushing; it's all
right" OF people thought the lire all in
tho play. As the excitement Increased Mr.. Studloy
came forward and asked the audience to leave as
quietly possible Then some cried ''Firel" and
you know the rest. found myself out in the lobby,
where was Knocked down two or three times My
wife and child got out before How got out don't
know From the time was last knocked down until
found M yseIf tho station house It is all blank.
think the lro burning before the curtain went
up.
GEORGE g. pLAisrED's STORY.
Mr. George J. PIasred, leather dealer, whose place
OF business at No 75 Gold street. in this city, adds
the following TO tho story Of the disastcr:-ln com
pany with lady occupied seats As94 in tho front
of orchestra chairs, on the centre aisle. There
cry OF fire In tho last act Mr.. Studley, think,
in response to the cry, turned to tho audience and
said, ''kecp quiet; there is no fre!" Then Mr. Mur
doch stepped forward, and alter quieting the au-
dence with his emphatic gestures said, '.Ladies
and gentlemen, keep your seats; there Is
no fire; it all In the puy" That quioted
them for q moment. and but for moment
Ny companion had become excessively nervous, and
looking up, said, "Thcre Is nre here; let us go" l
looked up in the lies ms my position enabled me to dd
so, but nothing but what took for heavy dust
reelected by the light, but now think 1t was smoke.
She rose from her seat, and, pushing me of mine,
started down the aisle for tho door quickly fol.
lowed her. and this movement seemed to me to bo the
signal for tho whole audience to rise and
start for the door. We got a little than
half way down the aisle toward the entrance
before It chokcd up by those ahead;
but we experienced difficulty getting through.
On reaching the outer door of the vestbuc, however,
the crush from behind throw her down, and in at
tempting to her fell myself, and for moment
or two We were tramped on aud crushed. both
taning numerous but slight bruises. She was immc.
diatcly taken to adjoining restaurant, where there
were several ether ladies the same situation some
being in Mysteries. She taken home soon as
able co. noticed while in the vestibue that the
red glare Of the fire had completely illuminated tho
street, and state positively that from the time the
nrst alarm given to the time the building was
blazing like torch was not over four minutes
IN THK DRESS CIRCLE
An occupant OF a seat In the dress circle who mar.
rowly escaped with his life, tells the following story Of
the frightiul position he placed in:-When the
frat cry OF "Frei" rang through the house not
alarmed, and only when the actors, who had behaved
bravcy, retired from the stage and the flames showed
above the scenery did realize the Of the
nagration. Then that cry Of sFire' taken up
and echoed by hundreds, and only thought seemed
to animate the people around me, and that the
suicidal one OF crowding through the doorways In
tumult and disorder. Once on the stairs headway
made rapidly, and was about half way down whom
a cry from below that drove the uppermost back
again aud left the timid laundering from stop to step
"For Gods sake, turn back; cannot get out"
called from tho bottom of the blocked and creakna
stairway aud Immediately there momentary re.
taxation of the downward pressure Of the crowd Al
this moment managed to extricate myself and hur.
ricd back into the dress circle. The parquet below
almost empty and people were dropping from tho
gallery into it and lowering themselves from tier to
tier The stage mass of flames and the smoke
was filling the auditorium and rushing tho corri-
doris hurried to the front entrance of the dress
circle and there foun1 a OF and women
shricking, shouting and crowdlng mady down upon
the living below. For who the passage seemed
blocked by human barrier which could neither
OF itself nor give way to pressure from above Bury
men and weak women seemed alike powerless in that
throng and to aggravate the panic people tho
Of the stairs kept calling. "Go back 60 backi
You cannot get out this way" This may havc
been intended to restrain tho crowd above
from forcing their way down. but it had different ef.
feet People madly urged each other forward, men
and women shricked and to hcghton the horror
of the a volume OF black smoke burst into the
passage and rolled along, binding the eyos and parch
ing the throat In this dreadful moment, when the
horrors OF death seemed those people In the
faco and ovcrshadow them like pail, desperate
fight for lifo began. Women tainted and men Iel
der foo, and trampled down, and through that
writhng, struggling mass, amid tumuit OF and
shrieks and groans the lower vcstibuc reached,
and II was indeed relief find the rc had noe