, 1876-11-28
4 TERRIBLE FALL.
The Concert Hall Disaster at Sac
rarnento.
Seven Persons Killed, and About
Two Hundred Injured.
Incidents Of the Catastrophe.-.T Cues.
ton Of Responsibility.

Incidents Of the Catastrophe.-.The Cues.
ton Of Responsibility.
sdcransnis fcal.} Rteos<. Onion. Eoe. 10.
Al half.past o'cloek last evening tho 6re-
alarm bells rang out a s!gnhl which aroused the
people III tllclr homes and sent the throngs
npou the streets surgtng toward Second 4treet,
between X and l. streets. It WA not fire Rlone,,
but more fearful disaster, which caused the
alarm.
TIE 0REAT CALAMITY.
On the west silc Of Sccond street, midway
between X and l., and next to the Hutel dc
France, there stands large two story structure.
The building IS forty by eighty feet Ia s!zc. The
basement und main floor are occupied by j. ".
Wilson ~ livery stable. The upper story has
been devoted TO various uses. Formerly II WAS
the State Armory, recently the hall Of All Olyrn.
pic Club and ~ the time Of the disaster Of last
night II was concert or melodeon hall. The
floor Of this hall was Of equal slzo With the
building, forty by eighty feet, with light parti-
tfon ut the front cutting OF two rooms some
twt1yc or fourteen feet deep. This floor WIS
reached b. d four.foot stairway running up along
the north wall. This door Itself WAs OF tue kind
known Is
bELF.suProRTlHG.
1t consisted Of usual tonguca and grooyed stu1t,
nailed upon three lengths OF ioisit. The vail
lengths entered mOrttses 10 the brick vnlis eome
three inches, and the other ends Of these Joined
10 the ends Of tho middle row Of toists were so
attashed and bFaeed al 10 form what Is called
srlf-supportlng foor. Beneath this floor there
was No central support save such as might be
afforded by the twciye or fourtccn-fodt parti-
t1ons III front, inclosing tue robc.room and office
Of Wilson. livery sta6e, and this part Of the
hoorinE still rctnatnf, as docs that OF the 1rper
fUOIns lnfere mentioned.
upon TIE FLooH
there has been stored, while used as Btate
Asuiory, military stores and guns which aggrc-
gated iii weight 100 tons. Here, also, 1t Is al
legged, Two full companies Of troops have
drilled a,ld moved at the double quick, without
any apparent effect upon the floor beyond The
natural sprtng, to be expected. lew weeks
ngn George +. Atoorc, who was formerly manager
Vi what Ii now known o. Woods Opcra-liuusc,
nt Los Angeles, came to this city and rented al
$40 per month the cnttre upper q oor of the
tnldng, for the purpose OF converting It into
n n'usl,.ha,l OF ine!u!co!L It WAS understood
that he represented the Peal; Family, a troupe
OF twelve persons, travelling rs Swiss Bell-Rlng-
era, and concert s!ngcrs and performers.
The landlords maine Is Magec, and he Is
ts ss .ae e s f 5 a. A. @ III Witt Wit ca & e ss
room, and some fifteen feet deep. THIS wns
filled With appropriate iitcs, wings, cte-, and II
space On each side and rear reserved fur Dress
ing~ruuns Along tho side walls, and across tho
oblung, scmi-circu'ar form u uu1nher Of private
boxes, resting upon supports rising from the
floor, aud built np against each side wall, being
attached thereto BY narrow eleats. Tlcse boxes
wcfc approached by s1urt flight Of stairs froul
the main floor. and narrow aliey.way next the
wall afforded arccts to the Tariuus bog doors.
The space Of the floor in front Of and beneath
tho boxes uas seated with Ordinary woolcn
chairs. This hall thus prepared WIS named
Moore g. Co.'s Opera-llouse, aud would accom-
| mo1ate
FULLY 600 PERSONS.
| The Teak Family was the real proprietor OF the
part lnlerrss- The Peaks had expended soine
Sliu0 In fitting tip tbs hall, md last nlght was
] uAaounce'l for the grind openins The CON-
| pany Included the original Pcnk FAmsiy Of Swiss
sson, cllarayter artist; Lulu Wilson, Emma
] Durham, Bcatricc Dcyaux, Ellcna Devaux,
john Foster, the Ethiopian comedian; ALI Wy
nun, Edward s. Peak. Johnuy Williams. C. D.
| Smith, and othcrs.
Representatives Of the Rkcord- Union yester-
day visited the hail and examined Il. with view
! ol asccrtaistnE lis character aud illness rs
plnee Of public. entertainment. For such au-
The exit from tic hall was wholly insufficient,
aud the last remark Of the reporters on leaying
the hall was, "[f panic Or q tlrc occurs here
there will be loss OF lie" At That time, how
| ever. no question as to The
/ STRENGTH or THE FLOOR
| suggested iEeif. Az anticipated, the Mclodcon
| character or tho entertainment wus found tn be
generally acccptcd by thc public, and an unu'
sllal and morbid desire WIS awakened among
1ncu to be present. To these considerations Is
| due tile fact TINT no women were present, aud
TINT VI an carly hour last osenfng the parnlettc
was packed With men, and the boxes,. at IS and
81 eucll, were Tiled BY the snnie sex. When tho
eurtasn went up 1t disclosed ssmi-cisclc Of men
| aihd women, arranged aud clad after the usual
nclodcnstyIe, the women being III short clothes,
and nrar'y all being possesssl OF more than
| usual personal attractions. The overture Lad
| been played. few sU!0s sung. and an interval
| Of silence had been roachcd, when
| SUDDENLY TlIR FIooH GAVE WAY,
and the whole tisass Of peolle thrown violently
! toward ttx centre, were pEccipitatca Into the
| stable teInw, d distance at some sixteen or
eighteen icet The door seemed 10 sway tow,,
slightly In the middle, the Stage eatt, the 30ste
drew ont OF tho walls, tic flour broke ou At the
r0ota partitions on the east end, the rows ol
slant % to tic walls as they fclt. and then pitched
over upon the struggling mass OF hutnau beings
| below.
Tho sccue which followed bcggars description,
ono cry Of horror went up lrom the stricken
I audience; then Ii rose GU t,assci the next IN.
stunt IL WIS tossed In brukcn a1ll confused
| heap, md n second nfterwagl was plunged
downward nnd crushed beneath the broken
t|uiters aud the falling boxes, ca'aHglcl in the
wclsud In between and broken upon the hacks
carriages. nnd other vehicles, ind the heavy
stall partitions below. The walls trcmbled
with the shock, tho roof waycrcd, the floor be-
Meath groauct with the mighty shock, but for
tuna1cly the walls stood, the roof cl1.ng to Il.
fnsscuilgs, and the Stable floor, supported FROM
below BY posts. bore up under its new burden.
| THE THUNDER or THE FALL
rcsoundcd throughout the block, great cloud
Of dust burst from the doors and windows,
sumo Of the broken gas hpes blazea forth IN
long streams Of danrc, the light TRIMMINGS ol
Tic wrecked stagc tgu!le., The cry Of lire wa.
given OH the outsi.le, and before the real nature
u the calamity was known tho bells boomed
forth tue algnal fur rescue. Meanwhile, within
thu doomed building rang with the shrieks o'
tt,c wounded, the groaas OF tie dying, aad The
cries Of the ,nass OF the terrified multitude
struggling wilt, Itself in frantic cu,lcayors II
estat,u frUm the inrlusufe ot the walls, ind
nla,lo desperate by fear that tho threatening
tiers OF brick would fall lu upon and crush It
agato. ....- ..-..-...
dashed nycr PROSTATE bodies, clamberctl upon
tic heals ri tlle kcethlng mass, fought like d.