, 1876-12-16

the fire originating during the per-
formance of "The Two Orphans. "
1t was attended by an appalling loss
of life, and it is thought that not
less than three hundred persons
were killed or burned to death. The
fire broke out during the perform
ance of the last scene; in five miu-
utes more the audience would have
been dismissed, and there would
have been nothing more serious
than the destruction of the property.
The house was about two-thirds full,
the audience being we'll forward
toward the stage. The panic-strick-
en- people rushed pell-mell towards
and down the stairways. The main
exit became Immediately choked up,
and scene of terror, confusion and
distress ensued which beggars de-
scription. just above the landing
place of the stairway a woman in
the crush had her foot pushed be-
tween the banisters and fell; the
crowd behind, forced forward by
the terrified people still further be-
hind, fell over her and piled on
top of each other four or five deep.
The official report of the burial COM
mittee states that 2S6 bodies were
taken from the ruins. Fire Mar
shall Reading resumed the investi-
cation this morning. G. A. Weis-
near testified that he was in the the
atre; be saw flames and burning
scenery, and rushed forward to open
the doors; the actors quieted the au-
dience for moment, and he waited
at the doors till the spectators were
all out, and then closed the doors to
keep the draught out; people were
were coming down from the gallery,
but suddenly stopped; he saw what
the matter was, and got to the first
flight of stairs; there was lady
who got her leg caught in the bal
ustrade; man fell over her, and
others falling over him made heap
which those in the rear we're unable
to pass; there were so or 60 peo-
lie in heap at the foot of the second
flight of stairs; the stairs we're open
all the way down from that point,
and the upper stairs were vacant for
four or five steps; at this
time the smoke was very dense,
and it was not three minutes
after the fire broke out till the cur
tain was lowered and took fire, and
this had the effect Of sending flames
up to the gallery. I looked at it for
three seconds and then closed the
door of the parquette; persons were
piled up in a heap and cried to me
to help them; I did get some in the
rear to fall back till l got man
out; seeing these got out they all
rushed forward again and blocked
the passage; I tried to extricate a
woman whose leg was caught in the
railing, but she was held fast; an
usher came up to assist; we made a
small place among them; we tore
the dresses off some, but we got
them out; then I went to the dress
circle and found a woman there !;
took her out; there must have been
other persons there, for [ heard
cries, but could net see them on ac-
count of the smoke; knew there
must be several others in the dress
circle who were overtaken by the
fire. was then getting weak; 1
dropped to the floor to get fresh air;
the smoke was black smoke and had
very suffocating smell; I am an
old fireman and never experienced
smoke SO suffocating; 1 was not in
the smoke more than three minutes,
yet could not breathe; the first and
second galleries, even the stairs,
were at the time filed with suffo-
eating smoke; no human being could
live in that smoke two minutes; l
heard humping noise as if some
persons were jumping out of win
dows; at the time it was utterly i'm
possible to get to the top of the
gallery, I was almost suffocated
when got out. I know the people
were all taken from the dress circle
stairs, but I heard cries inside; I
called out "who are you?" but got
no answer; even when l got down
on the floor I heard a humping
noise as if jumping out of the upper
gallery they had jumped from the
gallery to the dress circle; the
smoke was so dense that I could not
have seen them; there was no break
ing of the stairs while I was there;