The Hawaiian gazette., 1877-01-10
WEDNESDAY. January 10, 1877.
The Theatre Tragedy
THE HoRRoRs INCREASING - THREE HUSDREp
AND FIFTEEN Bopnss Recovered, AND DOUBT
LESS OrHERs REMAIN IL THE Rims.


NEW YoRK, Dec The dimensions of the
awful calamity which has befallen the city OF
Brooklyn, and the consequent loss of life, have
not vet been realized. Enough is known, how
ever. to make it certain that the catastrophe
ranks among the most fatal OF the kind ever re-
corded According TO the statements OF all
parties who profess 10 know anything as 10 the
origin OF the fire, it began on the stage.
piece OF canvas, Of which the trees, etc were
made, broken from its fastenings and hung
from the flies. Immediately over one Of the Dor
der lights near the centre of the stage. The
canvas had begun 10 shoulder and the paint on
il TO crackle and the carpenter was directed TO
ascend TO one Of the grooves and remove the
dangerous object He could barely reach it with
his hand and he drew il hastily up. The rapid
motion through the air of the half-ignIted and
highly intiammable canvas caused it TO burst into
fame, which readily spread TO the adjoining
material, equally susceptible. All effort TO ex-
iingulsh the flames abortive, and the car
penter had to retire to save his own life.
The descriptions given by persons who were
in the gallery of the theatre at the time Of the
disaster is heaTirendIug and horrible. Alfred A.
Jones gives the following account OF the scene
| was sealed next 10 the front row, but seeing
that something was wrong on the stage, moved
up the entrance Of the tier. While my back
was turned shrieks were heard, and the mass Of
people in the gallery arose IN wild confusion. 1
cannot describe the scene rs II was. They were
climbing over seats, gripping each other by
clothes, aud struggling franucaly 10 get ahead
OF one another. j saw one man smash fellow
in the face who would not yield to him in the
passage, and big powerful woman tore her way
through and came toward me with scarcely any
clothes on her back and with blood streaming
from her nostrils. Two decent looking boys got
together in the front row, and | saw them clam
herring over seats and squeezing their bodies
through the crowd. One OF them was thrown
down. and the other turned round and called
him wildly by name. | got down among the first
that escaped, and did not wait 10 see what hap
| pened.
A tall siout man, who said he was truck
man, gave very vivid description OF the scene
l when the lproar began. He said was seated
III the aisle about the middle of the gallery and
! three or four seats from the front | never saw
/ anything like it. All the people in the gallery
seemed TO be crowding on top OF one another.
! There we're men who seemed perfectly frantic.
/ The Wells and shrieks shall never forget TO my
| dying day. My wife is down stairs one man
/ cried out /" Let me get her out!' Another
man cried, We are all safe il You will only be
! orderly" at the same time, however, he was
making most strenuous efforts to get through the
throng. The weakest went down one alter ano-
Their, and the strongest rushed recklessy over
them. ! could actually hear the bones Cracking
as men Jumped on the writing. struggling and
! helpless mass beneath them. The cries that as
cended amid the uproar were heartrendIng.
" My God hays mercy on me-" one voice re-
peaIed several times. One una managed 10
crawl from heap Of PROSTATE bodies. but the
struggling throhg rushed against HIM and he spun
around toward me and fell almost al my feet. !
tried TO lit him, but he groaned once or twice
r.. I.N han
saw il was to be Efe or death, | made for the
door. All have been telling took place in q
few seconds, but there is a picture in my mind
could Dot paint. When l got out l walked
over he bodies three or four deep.
Phillip Munser was among The very last &c
get out Of the gallery. He gave the following
account Of the calamity i got in from the row
near the stage. / saw the Ere from the very
fist. AS looked up to the gallery the scene
and boys were tearing one over the other. The
shrieks and oaths we're awful. One man clam
bered up the heap. and was spun round and round
on the heads OF the throng. and he was fuus
with crash, l could distinctly hear. against th'
back of the gallery. Every one was for himself
and men seemed to become wild beasts. 1hey
we're thrusliog aud tearing one another wit
their hands and worse than that, as ! will tel
you directly. Seats were filed with prostrat'
human teings and as successful strugglers iorceS
their way over The gaspng forms that lay al
around. Others who had been crushed 10 insersi
b:lity fell as they lost the support of the living
There was nothi8g for 1t bat for naysef and som
others who had waited, to walk over the piles o
bodies on the floor. They were slippery wit
blood. Hands aud feet were protrudIng her
aud there. which showed that life was still il
some of them. By this lime the smoke va
dense, and the rush and shouts from the love
part of the house was terrible | and som
others managed to get al the stairway, and W
went down in q mass, how. could not tell you
This have been describing took place 10 les
than two minutes. One man. who got out j
> the crowd Just before me, showed me his arH
which had been bitten almost to The bone.
4 Up to noon to-day 3l5 bodies bad been re
moved OF these, So are ideuti6ed-some b
remnants of clothing remaining, others b
watches chains, and such articles, but few b
features. The actors Claude Burrows and Harr
s Murdoch are among the identified. What AZ
accepted as the bodies of the two actors are siG
ply Two black cinders- Around the trunk of 90
was sooted and scorched buckskin uudershir
[. and beside the other was piece of braid, al
parenily portions Of stage dress
II is feared thst when careful search Is mad
in the auditorium, the bodies of q good man
men, who leaped in their frenzy from the CALLER,
will be discovered.
A corouer's jury was impanelled this morning
aud held private session in the Station Hous
adjoining the burned theatre. They took U
: evidence, and at noon adorned to meet al tn
coroners Office on Saturday evening.
: A. NJ. Palmer, one OF the iessees OF the thes
ire gives the following statement OF the nImbe
Of persons 10 the theatre on Tuesday evening
There we're 4e5 persons in the upper gallery, 30
in the dress circle $50 in the parqueite, ?
f. actors. 20 s1pernumeraries, 10 stage hands, /
musicians total LOIS, or including the dresser
and other subordinates, in all about $50 pc
sons. A fault in the construction Of the burDe
D building. and one to which. there is reason I
believe, the dreadful loss Of life 10 the gallery
in large measure attributable. was the use
painted cloth for the ceiling. The canvas cauei
easily and burned rapidly. OF course the famt
followed the veutilator at the top. making
sori OF funnel for the fire right over the heads
the people in the gallery. 1t seems more ths
probable that the smoke and FIRE, IN the mid
Of which they were thus placed. destroyed Il
lives OF many persons who might else have e
capped. even in spite Of the inadequate siairws
provided for them.
The official report Of the Burial Commits
states that 2S6 bodies have been taken from Il
ruins Of the Brooklyn Theatre thus far.