The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1881-12-10
TELEGRAPHIC NEWS
ANOTHER HORROR.
Burning Of Vienna Theatr e
Many Hundreds Of Lives
Loss

Vienna, S.-The Ring Theatre, for
merly the Comic Opera House, where
Sara Bernhardt recently perforned, took
FIRE at tonight, just before the begin
ming of the opera Lies Certes de Hof.
mann" The fre was caused By the fall
of lamp on the etsge. The house was
tolerably full, and the loss Of life is great
Up to the present time seventy bodies
have been recovered. Many persons
were injured. Sixty were saved By
means of ladders and by jumping into
clothes held below. The greatest efforts
were made to save life. The scene was
terrible, the flames shooting up through
the roof and eventually cutting the en-
tire building.
l1p.m.-0ne hundred and forty-fve
bodies have been brought out of the the
atre dead. There are still numerous
bodies which-w consumed in the GAL
leries and other elevated parts Of the
building. The chief cause of the catas-
trophe was, that in the confusion, the iron
portion separating the stage from the au-
dilorium was not lowered. Thousands
OF people assembled in the neighboring
street,, where they could hear the cries
of agony Of the Pc IDle at the windows Of
the theatre, praying to be saved. The
rapidity Of the flames prevented the peo-
pie from taking advantage of the ordi-
nary exits. Only small portion Of the
audience saved themselves by lesping
from windows, three stories high, into
clothes below.
Misunderstanding bodies from the
theatre continues. It is estimated that
800 persons persisted. Some of the bodies
are fearfully ditfgured. Several persons
were injured in springing from the win
dows Of the theatre. Among the missing
are Herr Fife, court musical director,
and Herr Hellmensperger. Most of the
bodies identified up to the present time
are those of tradesmen and minor officials.
On the spreading of the news of the
disaster the performances at other
theatres were stopped. It is estimated
the audience in the theatre mum bered
1000. Many persons were tramped to
desth in the panic which ensued. As
soon as the fire was seen there was an ex-
plosion of gas and the audience were
plunged in darkness.
New York, S.-The conductor of her
majesty's opera company, SignOr Ardits,
saws that the theatre formerly known as
the Opera Comique was one of the lsrg-
est and handsomest in Europe, and was
very much liked by theatrical people, it
having been used for grand opera, comic
opera, concerts and dramatic presenta-
tions. It was to Vienna what the Acad-
envy Of Music is TO New York City. It's
seating capacity was sbout 1900, and its
decorations very elaborate and beautiful.
The Ring Theatre was built about the
year 1873, to meet the demand for dra-
matte entertainments occssioned by the
influx of people to attend the great exhi-
bition. Its site was in the Ring, the live
Hest and most brilliant part of the city,
consisting Of series of broad streets,
planted with trees, which almost encircle
the old city OF Vienna. The most i'm
portant public squares are on the Ring,
which occupies the site of the former for
tifcations.
Vienna has about niue theatres, the
chief ones being Hoffburg, Karnthner-
thor and the Theatre Ander Wien. The
piece which was being played at the time
Of the fire was an eperetts by Often bach,
founded on a writing of Hoffman. 1t
was the last work Of the great French
composer. and was produced in Paris
last spring.