Louisiana capitolian. (Baton Rouge, La.) 1879-1881, 1881-12-17
FHE VIENNA CALAMITY.
A GRAPHIC ACCOUNT OF THE
GREATEST CATASTROPHE
OF THE KIND IN MOD
ERM TIMES.
Over 600 People Knewn 20 Have
Been Roasted 90 Death and
Many More Missing.
Cable special 70 ths Now Yosk Hwld.

VIENNA, December 3.--festerdny WIS
fete day in Vienna, In celebration Of
the feast of the immaculate Conception,
but it ended with public calamity un-
PARALLEL in the HISTORY OF Vienna. A few
minutes before O'clock, and before the
commencement Of the second perform
ance in Vienna Of 0fenbach's latest
work, Ies Contes d Hoffman" the Ring
Theatre, formerly known az the Opera
Comique, on tho Schotten King, the SEC
ond finest theatre in the city, opened in
1873, WAS discovered to be in flames.
The fire quickly spread, and In ton min
utes all the city for miles around the
theatre was stepped ~ q lurid glow, the
reflections of the burning pile.
MANAGER JANNERs APPEAL.
few seconds after the commence
ment Of the fire Manager Jasnef ap-
peared at one of the windows of the first
story leading to the Ring. He shouted
to tho crowd, but what be meant only
few could understand. He asked the
crowd to keep quiet, not to press on.
"Only the curtain is burning. Keep
quiet. Don't press on" a human voice
cried, making itself heard above the
screaming Of thousands aud the misery
of hundreds. The voice was heard for
o few minutes, aud then it was suffo.
Gated by the laundering noises produced
by the fire and the human crowd. The
fire had gained rapid Roadway inside,
and had roac he'd the gas fixtures.
TIE LIGHTS SUDDENLY WENT oUT
an all the corridors Of the theatre, in the
wardrobes, and restaurants. A lurid
light was only seen in the auditorium,
where the devouring flames carried dis
aster, but still showed to some few the
road to safety, But the staircasee--
those unhappy staircases i'm one mo-
ment they were filled up aud OBJ
structed. The crowd pressed on, tram
pied, fell down, and fresh masses Of fa-
gitives went over the bodies of tho un-
happy ones who had fallen.
THERE WAS NO ESCAPE
there could be Done-as one pressed
against the other. Some few who had
jumped up in the first moment got
through now and then. Also strong
man made his way out. On the Ring
there were seen some faces blacksuod by
Che smoke and rceking with blood.
They had fought for their lives on
battlefield without glory. Fifteen
long minutes passed. The most bloody
battle which decides the fate of king or
crown could scarcely have demanded 40
many deaths ~ those Is minutes. at
last the first engines arrived through
the schotten Case, over the Ring. The
parquetto and the boxes had, mean
while, been emptied quickly enough.
Climbing and jumping over tho seats the
crowd had found an exit, but in the gal
lsrien.
DEATH REAPgD 4 FEARFUL HARVEST,
especially on the left side, and on che
third tier, where door caught fro, the
hrsmen who came in saw o most dire
spectacle. In lines, IN heaps, dead men
aud women lay at the doors and On
frances In such thick knots that they
could hardly be dlsentangled. More
than ones . couple Of corpses were
brought out, man and wife, who had Gu
twined themselves IN tho eramp of
death. The smoke. had pity on them,
and hnd executed tho sentence at death
before th flames could do their dsyour-
lug work, Persons were found suffoca-
tod and crushed to death, uut no marks
Of burning were on them, Happy those
who had reached the corridors and other
localities leading to the front. There
were no ladders ut first. One single step
ladder was to be found, and few long
minutes passed before it was gotten into
order. Sheets meanwhile had been
opened, and the persons standing mp
stairs we're encouraged to jump down.
Women wero the first to jump. 1t was
terrible to soc how one after the other
made the leap through the air. Then
men followed. Then again women. An
old gentleman insisted that two boys
ahould jump first. Ono ofthem refused
to 90. He caught hold with his hands
Of the window bar. His fingers were
trodden on and be fell into the street.
Fifty persons were in this way saved.
In the thick crowd strange forms sp-
peared-naked, half-nsked, strangely
dressed people. They were artists,
One OF them wore nothing but u white
under Jacket and powdered wig. A
aac,nd nna did not even wear IA muCh