The Cairo bulletin. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1872-1878, 1876-12-10

| ioituiittciy lOT lIle IuusiCitBss JIc uIueT-
ground passage was open from the or
chestra TO the cellar-way on johnson
street. and by this means Of exit all but
Prof. Fisher escaped, nearly all with
nothing but the smaller instruments.
which could be readily grasped in their
hands. Mr.. Fisher chose to escape by
the auditorium, and, saving his violin, an
old companion and valuable instrument.
he joined the panic-stricken throng striy-
| ing TO escape by the parquet entrance.
From the time he got mixed up with the
crowd in the lobby until he reached the
streetit was
BATTLE TO MAINTAIN HIS FooTHoLD.
| Three several times was he knocked
| down. Frank Pickford, whose body
was removed this morning, was son of
| Mr.Pickford engineer of the board ofpub-
lie works. Frankhad just quilted school,
and on the morning of the Inflated day
his father said to Col. stcgman
| "Frank has begged me to allow him to
go to the theater. rs he has never been
| there. He will go tonight for the first
| time" Sheridan Shook was busted in
| Brooklyn all day seeking to find the most
| practical means to alleviate such suffer-
| ings as may arise to the bereaved by the
| fire. Manager Palmer, who seems ut.
| terly Frustrated by the calamity. is sick,
and Edward Lamb was deputed to at
tend the meeting at the Brooklyn Park
| theater as representative of Shook q
Palmer, and there TO express their readi-
| ness to do
ALL THEIR MEANS OR INFLUENCE
! May be able to do for the sufferers.
| Union square theater was closed last
| night and will not be opened this even
| ing. Jarrett & Palmer, OF Booths
theater, are busily devising some way to
| aid any plans proposed. Active steps
| are being taken by the public authori-
ties of Brooklyn to conduct the funeral
| services and relieve the distressed.
Greenwood cemetery and Cypress Hill
| cemetery each offer lots for the inter-
J ment Of unclaimed bodies. Memorial
services are to be held in the Academy
of Music, and the Catholic and Episcopa-
liam bishops and clergymen of all denom-
| nations are invited. Mr.. Rogers. bust
ness manager Of the theater, says every
body could have escaped if the audience
hadgone out quietly. At Fire Marshal
keady's investigation to-day Officer
Wessman testified that he was in the
theater in citizens dress when the fire
occurred. Was in the drcss-circle, and
saw the flames among the scenery on the
stage. Ran to the front to get the doors
open, and the actors qlieted the audience
for moment. Waited ut the doors till
they were all ont, and then closed the
doors to keep the draft out. People
were then coming down from the gallery.
but all at once
THEY STOPPED COMING DOWN,
And he ran 10 see what was the mat
ter. He referred to the first gallery.
Tqere were two seperate stairways lead
ing up there. "As got to the top OF the
first flight OF stairs" said he, "there was
a lady in coming down got her leg caught
in banister. A large man fell over her,
and. others falling over HIM, made heap
on which those in the rear piled. There
were fully fifty or sixty persons packed
in this heap at the foot of the second
| flight OF stairs. The stairs were open
all the way down from that, and above
1 Mt five
steps from the top. At this time the
smoke was very dense. 1t was not three
| minutes after the fire broke out The
curtain was lowered
AND TOOK FIRE.
And this had the effect of sending the
flames into the upper gallery. looked
at it for about three seconds, and then
closed the door OF the parquet. People
who were piled mp in heap cried to me
to help them, and ! did get some in the
rear to fall back until got the man and
woman ont. Seeing these two get out.
they all rushed forward again and block
ed up the passage. | tried to eXtricate
the woman. whose leg was caught in the
railing, but she was held fast. An usher
came mp to assist me, and we made a
small place among them. We tore the
| dresses of some in getting them out. We
| got all that crowd out. Then | went up
| to the dress-circle, found woman there
| and took her ont. There must have been
other persons there, for heard cries.
4 NIL
| know there must have been several
| other persons in the dress circle who
were
oYERTAKES By FIRE.
| was then getting weak from the smoke,
| and dropped to the floor TO pet fresh
air. The smoke was black, and had a
| very suifocating smell. | am an Old
fireman, and never experienced smoke so
Suilocating. ] was not in the smoke over
minute and could not breathe. The
first and second galleries and even the
stairs was al that time filled with suflocat.
ing smoke. NO human being could live in
that smoke two minutes. | heard a
humping noise, rs il some persons
were jumping out of the windows. At
that time it was utterly impossible to get
up in the top gallery, and was nearly
suiiocated when | got out know that
people We're all taken of the dress-cir-
Gle stairs, but | heard cries inside. |