The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1881-12-17

iron, the Sage-The ,Tork Of .Rescui'rG The Ltring
VIENNA. Dec. 9.-The loss Of life by
the burning of the Ring Theatre last night
is still unknown, but it is feared that the
number of persons who persisted III the
flames NAV reach five hundred or more.
This morning 30 bodies had been re-
moved from the ruins, and the fourth gal
lerv had not been explored, 1t is believed
that not single person escaped from that
gallery, and that very few escaped from the
third gallery. The corpses last recovered
are little more than charred fragments. At
the time the fire broke out the theatre was
pretty well filled, with the exception OF the
boxes. which were then unoccupied, and a
part of the pit Offenbachs comic opera
lies Contes dHohman" was to be per-
formed for the second time. Some OF the
singers and actors had already taken their
places on the stage in costume, but large
number of them were still in the dressing
rooms. in the hands Of the costumers and
bairdressers. The overture had not yet be-
oun. How the fire originated cannot yet
be definitely stated. Some of those who
were on the stage at the time, and who es-
capped, say that the fire was caused by the
dropping of an oil lamp among the scenery
Others assert that the fire came up from
the engine room, and was generated by the
engine below the stage which was supply
inc the theatre with electric light Direc-
tor Helmesberger, who stood upon the stage,
was the first one to notice the fire. In a
moment afterward the flies were wrapped
in flames and the network OF wood, ropes
and canvass were burning like finder. The
people on the stage and in the dressing
rooms. numbering 200, were stupeted with
fear at first and speedily took to flight IN
the most terrible confusion, toward the Ia
dies dressing rooms, where a small stair
case, the only exit from the stage to the
street, led to the ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The flames were between the curtain and
this staircase, which fact prevented any OF
the actors from trying to escape into the
body of the house, and so the great audi
ence had no one to warn them Of the terri
BILE danger. Into the stage exit the actors
and ballet girls plunged until the passage
was literally pluggedup with human beings,
and it is believed that most Of the number
were burned to death.
In the meantime the flames were rioting
among the finder on the stage, There was
an iron curtain in the theatre, which, when
down. severed the stage from the audlto-
rum. This curtain was up when the fire
broke out, and in the panic on the stage
was forgotten or was cut off from approach
by the flames. When the fire behind the
drop curtain became bright enough to be
seen through thepainted fabric by the per-
sons seated in the auditorium and in the
galleries, they naturally supposed 1t the re-
suit of the stage experiments with the cal
GUMS to be used during the ballet, and
paid no further attention to it. In mo-
ment however. the flames attacked the
drop curtain. and it seemed to instantly
disappear, revealing to the startled specta-
tors the stage enveloped in flames. The
draught blew the flames hither and thither
from the stage to the auditorium, until in
a seconds time the whole interior OF the
building was in the complete grasp OF the
fire. Fire fire The Ring Theatre is
on fire Was the cry that then rang
through the Ringstrasse. What followed
is Understandable. All those inside the fated
building became terror stricken and strug-
gled and crushed each other in their frantic
efforts to gain the street. Some few got
into the passages, but there all was dark,
as both the Gas and the electric lights were
IL Il ~ Ill ha
noise of a terrible explosion showed that
the gas tank had burst, and at this time
the flames burst through the root and
through most of the windows, and the en-
tire space between the walls Of the large
building was like vast furnace in white
heat ..s
\ dense mass of people were attracted to
the scene. SOME Of the men thoughtfully
bringing with them ropes, ladders, and axes,
and cries such as Vienna never heard be-
fore filled the air The Turner's Fire
Brigade arrived soon after the alarm had
sounded. and assumed charge Of the life
saving apparatus. 1t was ten minutes from
the time the fire had possession of the au-
ditorium before a single life was saved by
outside assistance. and during all this time
the people within the theatre were either
burning up or trampling one another to
death Men and women, hopeless Of es-
cape, destroyed themselves by leaping from
the front seats Of the galleries into the
flames below. Up TO this time none had
escaped except the few who got from the
stage. the fewer who managed to stumble
ont through the darkened passage ways
from the pit to the street, and the few who
dropped from the windows Of the first floor
above the pit into the street. The Turner's
began at once knocking in the walls around
the exits and dragging out the bodies piled
thereby Ia this way they managed to