The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1876-12-21

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ofthe theatsr, Thenas Rochford, chief d I( sr
e the estaelss@sn s; was 1.-THE lobby; he
about making arlsngements III the departure
OF the audience. Sat the cries of FireYs he
rushed into the auditorium and, taking ia the
terrible situation, endangered to QUIET the
people~who were about him. Seeing they
were too thoroughly alarmed, he ran to the
doors leading into Floods alley, which CON
meets johnson street and Myrtle avenue, and
opened them 60 that the people might escape
that, way. This diverted many from seekinv
escape through the main entrance.
All who were on the right-hand side of the
parquet and balcony escaped through these
doors. The opening OF the doors created a,
tremendous draught, which so increased the
flames that the players were compelled to
abandon the stage, and escape as best they
might. They had remained there to the last,
but, seeing that it was now . question of
life and death, they retreated. The flames
shot out on all sides of the stage, and
began pouring In volumes into the par
quet. Studley and Murdoch were the last to
leave. Probably not more than five minutes
elapsed between the beginning of the panic
and the complete development of the stage
all those in the lower part Of the house had
escaped. The crowd from above came pour
ing down into the Hobbies, which were soon
densely crowded. Stairways were choked
up, and there seemed to be no way in which
they could be relieved. Many succeeded in
escaping By the regular means of egress into
also soon crowded, and escape by that way
was next to impossible.
The greatest loss of life must have been
among those In the family: circle or top gal
lery. Those who happened to be seated near
doors succeeded in gaining the stairways
many who got no further than the second
floor, where they died. The flames made
such rapid Roadway that the floors fell in
before assistance could reach them. The
shrieks of women, and shouting and impre-
cations of men, and pitiful cries of children
lief for them. 1t was heartrending situa-
ton. To have human beings perish almost
within sight of their fellows Is something
terrible beyond description.
Horror upon horror accumulated rs the
day advanced. Corpse after corpse, charred
pile Of bodies in the cellar did not seem to
diminish. AS the number mounted to $50
and 100, the belief that the number would
reach 200 grew into certainty, and, finally,
at 4:3O, the two hundredth body was re.
moved. Some were found with limbs and
hands burned of, and nothing left but
ghaaly, blackened trunk.
Alive O'Clock the number had reached
20: Twenty bodies werc taken out in half
an hour. A look into the pit at this time
still showed a considerable pile of corpses
lying crosswise, like sticks of wood, and there
were apparently still fifty or sixty corpscs re-
naming: This was in the cellar under the
inner vcstibule, from where all the bodies
taken out to-day were removed. They lay
In pile, apparently where they had been
pitched into the cellar when the floor
ana stairway gave way. As night ap-
preached, two calcium lights were
placed in position, and the work of removing
so BY the Light was continued. They were
under the galleries, but no estimate could
be made of the number. The charred re-
mains of the victims were taken out in front
and rear Of the theater and rapidly loaded
in boxes and placed upon undertakers' wag-
| ons. Still the pile of bodies in the cellar
did not seen to diminish.
The Times says that Fire-Marshal Ready,
who has made an exhaustive examination Of
the circumstances attending the fire, is of
opinion that at least $50 persons persisted in
the flames
At a late hour tonight 2s5 bodies have
been recovered
SOME OF THE SAD SCENES.
young man named Dictz was identified
by his sister and friend, who, on discover
ing that it was the body they were in search
| of, were so overcome that it was all the au-
thorities could do to keep them from falling
on and embracing the corpse. The sister
stood near it crying, and giving vent to such
can only stand this blowr'
| The body of one young man was discov-
cred by his sister, who, casting one glance
at what was left of his coat, gave o cry of
MY Tom"' and fell fainting in the arms of
her father, and was carried insensible to the
street. 1t was afterward found that this
mother and sister, his father being drunk
ard, who had not contributed toward the sup
port OF his family for two or three years.
| dense crowd filled the streets in the vi
entity of the place of the disaster. The
crowd was SO great that it was almost a0
impossibility for those who were permitted
to enter the line to make their way through
it. All classes of people composed the as
semblage-women and children as well as
mcn-all drawn to the spot by the excite
ment.
| temporary wooden inclined plane was
built from the horrible pit in which most of
the bodies were found. Along this they
were carried in boxes covered with blankets.
They were then placed in the undertakers'
wagons, which were in waiting to carry them
to the Morgue. The wagons of all the
undertakers in Brooklyn were in use, and
were drawn up in line along the edge Of tie
sidewalk. One after another of them was
backed up to the theatcr-door to receive
the boxes containing the dead. At inter.
walls of few minutes several men
would emerge from the door carrying
a coffin-shaped, leaden- lined box, GOV.
cred with blanket to conceal the CHASTITY
spectacle presented by the charred and black
ened corpses. The blanket outlined the de.
| formed and shapeless mass. hand or foot
protruded above the box, and il some cases
bodies were stiffened in almost sitting post.
ure, and, as the wagons were driven rapidly
up the street, their heads nodded to and fro
beneath the blankets, or protruding limbs
| quivered horribly.
The sight caused many strong men to turn
AWAY from the SPOT with fearful eyes.