The Albany register. [volume] (Albany, Or.) 1868-18??, 1877-01-05
NEW YoRK, Dee. s. 1876


T4so1LERsunp-BEr
NEW YoRR, Dee. s, 1876.
EEIE TRAGEDY AZ TIE BRooLYN THE
NTIsE.
Fat Tuesday night, the Brooklyn
Theatre was burned, during the pro-
gress of a play, and over three hundred
people lost their lives. 1t seems inered-
lble that so many could die in so short
q time, but the ghastly fact cannot be
denied. The Theatre is building one
hundred and fifty feet deep, by 20. wide.
in the centre OF block. with passage
leading from Washington Street, per-
laps 20 feet wide. The stage is so
teet deep, the lobby in front is twenty,
leaving on the ground floor so feet,
which is seSted. Above this ground
:, tHoor, tie Parqaette, is a gallery, the
Dress Circle, which extends over the
Parquette perhaps thirty feet, and above
that the Gallery proper. The entrance
E0 BfiC lCIGHS N1iGiE s&4Itl liES -
from the lobby outside, being simply a
staircase. The Dress Circle and Gal
lery people 60 up one flight together
and diverge at landing one flight up.
The stage is filled with the most in
f1ammable material imaginable. The
ssfiies'' are short curtains Of canvas
painted in oil, to represent skies or
clouds or what may be required, mount
cd on the lishtest pine wood, ard the
sswings'' and the ''tiats'' are also painted
canvas, on the lightest possible frames,
and it must be taken into account that
almost the entire space back of the cur
tain, except that shown to the people
when it is raised, is filled with scenery
of different plays, stacked up, which
makes the ssbehind the scenes of a
theatre a magazine OF combustibles, al
most as dangerous as powder house.
The play was the ssTwo Orphans" and
the scene was a boat-honse. In this
scene there are not only the wings rep
resenting the sides Of house, but the
ceiling is represented, which is also
painted canvas. The theatre was flied
with a delighted audience. by some
accident one of the flies was blown
against gas jet, and one of the en-
pIoyees attempted to cut it loose. II
fell, all in blaze upon the ceiling oi
the scene below, and III an instant that
was IN a blaze. The actors on the
stage saw it, but hoped it would be
extingaished and went on with theil
parts, but it had too much Roadway
In a moment the painted canvas was OIL
fire, the affriehted audience rose, and {
wild rush at tie doors commenced
All order was at an end, the only thing
for every one was to geL out OF the he.
that was raging. The people IN tn
crowded gallery precipitated themselve
down The tortuous passage, and at tn
landing met the equally wild crow'
from the dress circle, aud the two mass
es became wedged in, SO that passag
was impossible, aud there was dead
lock which human strength was iInpo'
sible to break. All this was the wor
of a minute In the meantime, til
Sl0ZE WNeC7 a AtAtH0 4h4t3oCC3 tGG OlA OH
she light wood of the wings and stag
sets belching out great volumes I
smoke and flame, filling the theatre
AMI TO add TO tie certainty of doom
tie ceiling of the building was made
q sort of pasteboard, which was as con
atlstible as the canvas, and the fam
ran along that like powder, making
furnace right above the heads of tho
ii the gallery. And all this time Il
only exit from tiieedress circle and Il
gallery was blocked by the two mass
that had met at the landing common
both, and escape was impossible. u
fire leaped from one part of the bull
ing TO another, the wooden seats caug
and hiazed; tile unfortunate, wedged
and helpless, fell, suffocated by {
smoke and roasted by the fire. e
supports were burned off, aud final
tie mass fell, with probably three hu
dred and fifty burned men and WON
II It's terrible embrace.
The sight the next morning was ht
rible and sickening. Where the g
leries fell hundreds of bodies burned .
Scared beyond Identification W
found, and all through the debris, cG
cred with burned timbers, masses
bricks. and the fearful remnants of
coniIa0Fation, were bodies in every p
Dlo form ot designation. There "
pieces of bodies, legs, arms, trunks
aAonekher the most frightfnl sight pr
ahlg ever witnessed By human ey
There were parents trying to ident
children, friends searching for the
uaiIps d friends, brothers for broths