The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1876-12-14
The Brooklyn Horror.

The burning of the Brooklyn, N. y,
theater on Tuesday night of last week
was the most frightful tragedy that
has ever occurred in this country.
During the performance of the "TwO
Orphans" and when the play had
reached the last scene of the last act
fire caught in one of the flies and in
an instant communicated to the scene
ry and 10 the building, which was ell
tirely consumed. When the alarm
was given the audience was seized
with panic, and men and women
rushed hiiher and thither, not know
ing what they were about. 1t is
thought that Of the five hundred in the
building at the time of the fire not
more than one hundred and fifty es-
capped. At the latest accounts 292
dead bodies had been taken from the
ruins, many OF them so much burned
and distigurcd as 10 render them inca
pable of being identified.
From the long and graphic account
of the terrible affair given by the N
Y. Herald, we copy the following de-
scription of the stampede OF the audi
cnce:
! The terror oi the moment was grand
/ beyond descl iption. Behind was the
threatening, ievouring flame, darting
its fiery tongues aud Kissing Il requium
of despair over the struggling mass
seeking to escape its anger. Before
| oil cot fatx
above them the fire ragged aud burned.
The stage had become tremendous
volume of smoke and flame. Was
there hope of safety or only a horrible
death in store for them? No one
stopped to reason; no one stopped to
ask. The madness of panic was upon
them and forward they rushed. each
seeking only to save himself. An
usher opened door leading into an
alley connecting Myrtle avenue and
johnson street. Through This stream
ed that part OF the audience which had
been seated IN the parquet and orches-
ira, and most OF them escaped with
out much injury. Had they been com.
PEELED to make their exit al The ordin-
ary entrance on Washington street
most of them would have shared the
fate of the multitude which rushed
panic stricken down the stairway, to
be crushed and burned before they
reached the lobby and buried beneath
the debris of the falling walls. The
stampede had scarcely begun until the
scene became inJescriba6ie in horror,
and the sufielings OF the multitude
were matched oulv by the terror OF
the despairing crowd. Almost i'm
mediately the trout entrance bee t,ne
choked up. On the stairway jus,
above the landing place Woman 5
loot was caught in the raiiiug OF Tx.
balustrade. She ll,and the crowd be
hind her pushed forward by those still
further behind, fell over her. Crushed,
wounded, dying they lay four or five
deep on the landing of the stairway,
making escape tor those who in their
terror had caused the accident impos-
siblc. Every moment, too, ,he fire
was gaining headway. Ii roared and
hlssed and rushed. II llcke.l up the
paraphernali;. OF the stage with it's
fiery tongues, and these only wheited
its appetite ior more. Every thing
inflainmable in the building might al
most be said to rush toward il. The
roof was ablaze, the floors were q
mass OF fire. the dress.circle and gall
remained bchiud To escape horrible
death below were suiioca:cd where
they stood Many dropped down in
their tracks. Even oi tiiusr " no mig 1T
have escaped uniniured, some tainted
and burned where ,ll"y fell. The pc
lice endeavnrcd IL save Il part of the
struggling mass, bat il was with the
utmost difficulty that any of them
were cx:ricatrd. .-Onca locked
down., said Miss ClnA,on, ia tlescrib.
ing her etcap,. "and Nv a !.umen face
horribly distorted aud burned. Oh.
my God. it was fearful sight"
There is no sin ulated horror OF death
which can impress one AS t!se actual
! horror of scenes like rhis niust have
| impressed those who witnessed them.
The slaughter of the battlefield has
nothing to compare with Il disaster
like this in intensisty, despair aud DIS
tor;ion. There Death keeps bis ter
rors well in hand, and mostly strikes
to kill at single blow. Here the
grim monster appeared in many
shapes, and his threatening was more
terrible than the doom he finally dealt.