National Republican., 1876-12-08
GATHERING THE ASHES
AFrER THE CARNIVAL OF DEATH

Tho Brooklyn Theatre Horror-The
Number'of the Burned Nearly Foar
Observation-Disclosures Rendtug Spectacle
at the Scene OF the Calamity The
MOrsue BesieEcd all Day by Grief.
stricken Threns-A City I'm Mourn
ing.
Especial to the National Republican,
BEooKLTN, N. Y, Dec. !, 10 p. m.-The city Is
painfully silent tonight, and the gloomy depres-
sion that seems to have settled upon the eounte-
nance ofeyery man, woman and child Is awfully
impressive. The scenes around the Morgue are
touchipgly sad. Mothers, wives and daughters,
| whose sons, husbands or parents may have been
absent from home are seen wildly and hastily
scanning the crisp y forms of the many victims,
and occasionally agoniring shrek from some
anxious inquirer but too plainly tells the sorrow-
| full story.
FouRHuNDREp HUMAN SACRIFICES.
The work of recovering the dead bodies has
steadily proceeded all day, until the number Of
unfortunate victims has far exceeded even the
widest estimate. and out-of the twelve hundred
people assembled in the theatre upon the un-
happy night one third have probably perished in
the flames. The Morgue is crowded to its ut
most capacity, and other places are being used as
well for the reception Of the charred remains.
Only those are identified whose names were
marked upon some portion Of their clothing, or
upon whose person were found articles recognized
by their friends and relatives.
A very melancholy feeling manifests Itself in
all circles. Flags on the public buildings are
! halEmasted, and stores, private dwellings and
municipal ofices are being draped IN mourning.
The usual Wednesday evening church lectures
| last night were turned into prayer meetings, at
which invocations were made for Divine grace
upon the unhappy community. There was
An IMpRoNPrU PRAYER MEETING
organized yesterday noon in q saloon on VIII
49, 49, NE ~.
disaster, which was crowded and continually in
session till evening, participated in by ladies.
Great crowds circulated around the block where
the horror occurred, but noise Of any kind was
heard except the rattle of wheels of wagons tax
ing the exhumed bodies to the Morgue and the
impTovised dead house.
rEoPLB SPOKE IN WHISPERS,
and the police and fremen, on being relieved to
obtain few hours rest, would stop in the streets
with eyes flooded with tears at the thought of
the narrowing scenes in which they had been in
Voluntarily acting. The undertakers voluntarily
combined to protect cOrpses from being robbed by
professional mourners.
THE FIRE THE RESULT OF cARELEssSEss.
Mr.. Edward Lamb thinks the fire originated
from the border lights, and was due TO careless
ness, inasmuch as the scene was what was called,
in theatrical parlance, a box scene-that is,
closed scene, where each side of the stage is shut
of, and a roof covers the whole below the bor-
ders, and that the burning of gas ut that time
was needless In fact, he says that as the border
lights could not possibly throw any light on the
stage, they should have been put out the CON-
mencement of the last act.
| A witness testified that the stage doors of the
theatre were locked, and that when he found the
watchmsn having the key he refused to open the
came, on the ground that outsiders would rush
| in. 1t is possible that Murdoch, Burroughs and
door, owing to the persistent obstinacy of the
watchman holding the key.
| " RELTRF.
A meeting Of actors and others was held this
afternoon at the Park theatre, to take action in
regard to the calamity. a committee was ap-
pointed to arrange plays, to be performed in the
different theatres, for the benefit Of the sufferers
A committee of citizens was also appointed to re-
| lieve the immediate wants Of those who suffered
by the accident. Over 81 500 was subscribed at the
meeting towards the relief fund, and number of
theatres were rendered for performances. Reso-
lutons Of regret at the loss Of two actors Messrs
| Murdock and Burroughs, and coincidence with
| their families, were adopted. The City hall of
| Brooklyn was ordered by the aldermen to be
draped in mourning out Of respect to the dead.
| The New York board of aldermen this afternoon
passed resolutions deploring the calamity, and
sympathizing with the unfortunate families
by ithem to call upon the citizens for contribu-
tons to alleviate the distress which would surely
follow this visitation.
|. coRoNER's INQUEST OVER VICTIMS.
NEW YORK, Dec IA coroner to-day empan-
elled q jury Of well-known and prominent cIti.
zens. The jury proceeded in body from the
BY large crowd. After viewing the bodies in the
Morgue, the Jury reformed and marched to the
temporary desd-house in Adams street, where
M y nf Vayr1na
Cavan has been identified. Among the surgfng
masses which thronged the streets in the neigh.
| who carried on their nefarious business, From
the reports received by the police there ts no
handkerehiefs suffered to considerable extent.
CURIOUS PEOPLE.
At the station house this morning Sergeant
Gain was overrun with applications for permits
TO enter the various places where the remains Of
the unfortunate beings had been taken. Many
affecting scenes were witnessed A Gordon Of
police was placed to-day, as 1t yesterday, to
prevent curiosity-seekers from going through tbs
| ruins.
According to the statements of all parties who
profess to know anything as to the origin of the
nre, II began on the stage. The business mana
ger, Mr.. Rogers, who may be supposed to possess
the most accurate Information on the subject,
| says that one of the pieces of the canvas out of
which trees, &C., were made was broken from its
fasteniDgs and hung from the flies Immediately
over one of the border lights. the centre Of
stage. The canvas had begun to shoulder, and
the paint on it cracked, and the carpenter was
directed to ascend TO one II the Grooves and re-
move the dangerous object.
He could barely reach 1t with his hands, and he
drew it hastily up. The rapid motion through
the air Of the half ignited and highly innamma-
rapidly spread to adjoining material equally sus
ceptible. All efforts to extinguish the flames
were abortiye, and the carpenter had to retire to
save his own life.
HEAETRENDING SCENES AT THE NoRGUE.
Nav YORK, Dec. There were twelve hun
dred people in the house, three hundred below
and nine hundred on the other two floors. At
O'Clock this morning there were ut the Morgue
seventy nine bodies, IS per cent Of which were
those OF young men. In front Ofthe Morgue even
at this early hour were gathered large number
of people, many women being noticeable among
the crowd. Every room in the Morgue was filled
with bodies, and even the dead-house attached to
the city hospital was used to hold part of the
cHABRED MASS OF HUMANITY.
The bodies were ranged around the sides of the
different rooms, and persons who had lost friends
groped among them, endeayoring to and the ones
who were missing. Hero man could be seen
scanning the remains OF the charred fingers Of q
man, and at his side woman, the tears stream
unrecognilable because Of the fire Il % had gone u
through. The majority of tho dead had their
right hands lifted over their heads as If to ward
Oh some danger. Altogether there were about
fifteen women in the Morgue. Some had lost
husband, others father and a few had lost their
piece Of white turnip, which served for candle.
stock. The same rule was observed in the Brook
lyn market, only that in tho market yellow tur-
white. The heads of two bodies were half, torn
away, where they had been struck by some fall
ing beam, the brains and blood, in q siekeniug
mass. being exposed and dripping slowly on tho
tiled floor. 80
A WIFE RECOGNIZES HER HUSBAND.
As many bodies as could possibly be aecommo-
dated were placed upon the marble slabs. One
woman recognized charred corpse as the body
of her husband, and before she could be pre-
vented by an officer lifted the head into her lap
ard kissed the lips burned almost TO a crisp
Through the blackened lips and teeth OF tile
corpse quite considerable portion of the tongue
protruded In the pocket OF ono man, a butcher
doing business at the corner Of Jay and Prospect
streets, was found nearly $50. Although the
man was burned almost beyond recognition, in
his vest pocket was found roll of bills amount
ing to S147 untouched by fire. The remnants of
clothing which clung to the bodies were satu-
rated with water. The effiuTia arising from this
and the roasted flesh was sicxening.
A very noticeable thing about the bodies at the
Morgue was that In many cases the lower ex-
tremitieswere but slightly scorched, ,whileth head
and face were so badly burned as to defy recog-
milton. In all cases the upper portion of the body
was badly burned. Much leyity was indulged in
by one Of the men engaged In searching the
bodies.
SEARCHING AND NUMBERING THE BODIES.