The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1876-12-08
THE AWFUL CATASTROPNE E
IN BROOKLYN.
Further Details OF Its Origin aud
Its Horrors.

New YORK, December THE dimen.
Sions OF the awful calamity which has be.
fallen the city Of Brooklyn, in the ,les,ruc.
ton OF its principal theatre by FIRE, and
the consequent loss Of life, has not yet
been realized, ,butenough is known 10 make
i. certain that the catastrophe ranks
among the most fatal OF the kind ever re.
corded. According to the statements Of
all parties who profess to know anything
AZ TO the origin OF the FIRE, it be.
gun on the stage. Mr.. Rogers, tile bust.
ness manager says that 4 piece OF canvass
ont Of which trees are made, was broken
from its fastening and hung from the flies
immediately over one OF the border lights,
near the centre OF the stage. The can.
vass had begun 10 shoulder and points
on il to crackle, and the carpenter was
directed TO ascend 10 one Of the grooves
and remove the dangerous object, but he
could barely reach Il with his hand and
be drew 1t hastily up. The rapid motion
through the air OF the half ignited and
highly inilamablc canvas caused IL to
burst into flames, which rapidly spread
to adjoining material equally combusti.
BILE. All efforts to extinguish the flames
were abortive, and the carpenter had TO
retire to save his own life. The scene in
the gallery after the alarm WAS raised
il described AS something horrible even
to contemplate.
Up TO noon to-day 3l5 bodies had been
removed from the ruins. OF these SO are
identified, some by remnants OF clothing,
others by watches, chains and such artl-
cles, hut few by their features. The act
ors Claude Burroughs and Henry s.
Murdock are among the identified. y
What are accepted as the bodies OF the
two actors are simply two black cinderl.
Around the trunk OF one was sooted
and scorched buckskin under.shirt, and
beside the other was pieces Of braid, ap-
parsntly portion Of his stage dress.
This p. 81. a lumber Of men will be
sci to work to clear away all the wreck
in the auditory, heitherto these labors
have been chiefly confined to the space
formerly occupied by the lobby and
stage. It IL feared that when careful
search Is made in the auditorium, the
bodies OF a good many men who leaped
in their frenzy from the galleries will be
discovered. The police allow no person
to go within the walls OF the theatre with
the exception Of the men engaged in the
search for the dead. The under parts
OF the ceiling and floors Of the theatre are
yet remaining In an unsafe condition.
The Brooklyn Eagle publishes u list OF
names Of those identified. A. N. Palmer,
one OF the lesSees OF the theatre, gives the
following statement Of the number OF
persons In the theatre Tuesday evening
i05 persons in the upper gallery, 500
persons in dress circle, $50 persons in
parquette, 81 actors, 20 supernumeries,
10 stage hands, l2 musicians, total l0lS
or including dresserS and other snbordi-
mates In all about 1850.
A fault in the construction Of the
burned building, and one 10 which there
is reason to believe the dreadful loss Of
life in the gallery, is in large measture
attributable, was the use Of painted
cloth for the ceiling. The canvass
caught and burned rapidly, and the
flames followed II to the ventilstor at the
top, making the dome funnel OF Ere right
over the heads Of the people in the gallery,
II seems more than probable that the
smoke and fire In the midst OF which
they were placed, destroyed the lives oi
many persons who might else have
escaped, even by the inadequate stairway
DrOyiued for them,