The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1876-12-21
THE BURNING OF THE BROOKLYN
THEATER,
A Horrible Story-Over Three Hum
dred Men, Women and Children
Crush ed or Burned to Death.

A Horrible Story-Over Three Hum
dred Men, Women and Children
Crushed or Burned to Death.
NEW YORK, Dec. 6.
The brooklyn Theater burne to the
ground last night The fire originated on
the stage at 1850 p. m. The fire spread
through the door on Washington street.
The panic and confusion among the au-
dience were terrible. The fire broke out dur
ing the performance of the last scene of the
1.-Two Orphans" in which Miss Claxton,
who plays the part of heroine, lies on the
boat-h house floor. In five minutes more the
there would have been nothing more serious
to record than the destruction of property.
The house was about two-thirds filled, those
below sitting we'll forward toward the stage.
For those in the family circle, dress circle and
galleries there was no way of escape except
by Washington street.
The panic-stricken people rushed pellmell
toward and down the stairways. The main
exit became Immediately choked up, and a
scene of terror, confusion and distress ensued
which beggars description.
just above the landing place of the stair
way, women in the crush had her foot
pushed between the balusters and fell. The
crowd behind, forced forward by the terrified
people still further behind, fell over her and
piled on top of each other four and five feet
deep.
The police from the station-house, next
door, were promptly at the scene, but owing
to the manner in which the people were
piled upon top of each other and massed to-
gether, they could extricate comparatively
few, and these were all bruised, bleeding
and MANNED.
The tiremen got to work on the ruins
shortly after daylight this morning. They
succeeded in getting as far as the !" fall" of
the dress-circle, where they found great
number of bodies, and Immediately began
the work of removal, and up till eleven
o'clock sixty-fve'bodies had been recovered,
and what appeared to be twenty or thirty
more were seen in the basement into which
they had been precipitated by the falling Of
the burning floors.
Kate CLAYTON, at the preliminary inquiry
of the Fire Marshal, said:
cat the beginning of the last act, just rs
the curtain went up, l heard a rumbling
noise on the stage, and two minutes after
saw flames. The fire seemed to be all on
the stage. Mrs. Farren, myself, Mr.. Stud
ley and MIR. Murdoch were on the stage at
this time. We four remained there and en-
deavored as best we could to quiet the au-
dience and prevent panic. l said to
people, Be quiet; we are between you and
the fire. The front door is open and the
passages are clear Not one Of the audience
jumped on the stage Flames were then
coming down on us. ran out and jumped
over several people. Mr.. H.. s. Murdoch,
panic-stricken people, went to his dressing
room to get his clothing, and must have
been suffocated." |,..l..-. y
Although the fire originated on the stage,
the loss Of life among the theatrical COM
pany was not as extensive as might have
young men in the flower of their professional
life, Henry 8. Murdoch and Claude Bur
roughs. These two young men were playing
respectively Pierre, the cripple, and Picard,
valet to the Cheualier. At the moment when
the fire was discovered Murdoch was before
the curtain playing with Miss Kate Claxton.
AS soon as the panic occurred, and the gen,
Burroughs ran to, their dressing-rooms
to get clothes to wear in the street,
their garments being very scanty in
the play. Their dressiag.rooms were
on the same side Of the stage,-the
right wing, as viewed from the auditorium,
door, even had that means of exit not been
locked by panic-stricken .janitor. The
dressing-rooms were arranged in tiers, APP
preached by narrow stairway, which led
up to the painter bridge which spanned the
stage. Murdochs room was on the second
they emerged, the e:aircase was one sheet
of flame, SO eagerly and SO rapidly
did the fire do It's work. All chance 81 re-
treat cut off, the unfortunate men were
driven back by the roaring. hamess step
by step, till, surprising in the agony of
their peril that BY some chance . means
Of descent from the other side of
the bridge might offer, they ascended to the
trembling structure. Here they were last
seen by j. H. Studley, amember of the COM
pany, who had left his dressing-room . few
seconds before them, and fought his way
through the flames to . place Of safety, from
which he was enabled to make his escape.
Once on the bridge, their position was hope.
less They could not descend by the way
they came mp. There was no other means OF
escape but to leap. =. '85sil.t'ti
& At half-past ten this evening the bodies
Of the two men were digged from the ruins,
and both were identified, by remnants bf
dresses worn on thestage. Only the trunk d
Murdoch remained. f,uk.Y NO "a, dtss
There were 1909 people in the theater- 800
IN the galleries. So $50 -
When the pan5c occurred % the main aoos