Louisiana capitolian. (Baton Rouge, La.) 1879-1881, 1881-12-15
THE VIENNA CALAMITY.
A GRAPHIC ACCOUNT or THE
GREATEST CATANTROPHE
or THE KIND I'M MOD.
ERN TIMES.
Over 600 People KNOWN 10 Have
Been Roasted 20 Death ard
Many More Mtssimg.
Gable Special to the New York Herald

the feast OF the immaculate Conception
but 1t ended with d public calamity III
parailed IN the history of Vienna. A fe,
minutes before ] o'clock. and before ID
commencement of the second perform
anee In Vienna of Offenbacb's latep
work, Les Contes Hoffman, the Rim
Theatre, formerly known as the Oper
Comque, on the Schotten Ring, The sec
ohd finest theatre ii the city, opened il
1913, was discovered to be in flames
Inc lire quickly spread, aud In ten min
ut6s all the city for miles around tn
theatre was stepped in lulid glow, th
reflection of the burning pile.
MANAGER JANNERs APPEAL.
A few seconds after the commence
ment of the fire Manager Jabner NJ
peared ut one of the windows of the frs
story leading 10 The Ring. He shouted
to the crowd, but what he meant onl,
few could understand He asked the
crowd to keep quiet. not TO press on
"oniy the curtain is burning. Keer
quiet. Don't press on" human vote,
cried, making itscif heard above the
screaming of thousands and The misery
OF hundreds. The voice was heard for
u few minutes, and then il was suiIo-
catod by the Numbering noises produced
by the fire and the human crowd. The
fire bad gained rapid Roadway inside,
and had reac he'd the gas fixtures.
THE LIGHTS SUDDENLY WENT ouy
III al the corridors Of the theatre, in tho
w0rdrobes, and restaurants. 4 lurid
light was only seen IN the auditorium,
whore the devouring flames carried dis
aster, but still showed to some few The
road TO safety. But the staircases---
those unhappy staircases N-in one mo-
ment they were filed up aud oh.
structed. Tho crowd pressed on, tram
pied, fell down, and fresh masses Of fu.
gitives went over the bodies of the un-
happy ones who had fallen
THERE WAS NO EscAPE--
there could be none--as one pressed
against the other. Some few who had
Jumped up in the first moment got
through now and then. Also a strong
man mole his way ont. On the Ring
tbere were seen some faces blackened by
ihe Snoke aud rseking With blood.
they had fought for ther lives on
battlefield without glory. Fifteen
ong minutes passed, The most bloody
)attle which decides the fate of king or
'rown could scarcely have demanded 50
many deaths as those Il minutes. All
asst the first engines arrived through
he Schotten Case, over the Ring Tho
and the boxes had, mean |
yhlle, been elnptied quickly enough. !
and jumping over the oats tho
rowd had found Nh exit, bnt III the yal.
cries
DEATH REApEp a FEARFUL HARVEST.
specially on the left side. and on the
bird tier, where door eauglt tire. sbe
relnen who came in saw "a most dire
pectacle. In lines, III heaps, dead men
ud women lay at the doors aud eli
RANGES in such thick knots that they
ould hardly be dlsentangled. More
ian once u couple Of corpscs were
rought out, man and wife. who had on.
yined themselves N the cramp OF
cath. The s,nokoi had pity on them,
nd had executed the sentence Of death
etore th5 flames could do their deyour.
" work Persons were found sutfoca.
II ard crushed TO doath, hut no marks ,
burning were on them Happy those
no had reached tho corridors and other
caiities leading TO the front. There
orc no ladders ut first. One single step ,
lder was to BIO found, and q few long ,
inutes passed beforeit was gotten into
der Sheets meanwhile had been
'ened, and the persons standing M ,
airs were encouraged to Jump down. ,
omen were the first to Jump. Ii WAS :
rrible TO see how one after the other O
tde the leap through the air. Then r
IN followed, Then again women. An n
i gentleman insisted that two bovs a
ould jump first One OF them refused t
go. He caught hold with his hands 6
the window bar. His fingers were
'dden on and he fell into the street, f
Fifty persons were in this way saved. q
the thick crowd strange forms ap. II
ared--naked, half-naked, strangely Il
sssed people, They were artists. |
e OF them wore nothing but u white C
der-iacket and powdered wig. 4 f
'ond one did not even wear as much u
that. The Lady dressed in o stu. 9
nt's costume OF red velvet, who had a
a