The Benton weekly record. [volume] (Benton, Mont.) 1880-1885, 1881-12-22
One Thousand Elves Lost.

vienna, December l0.-A horrible ca
tagtroDhc occurred in Vienna on the even
inc Of December the 8th. The Ring the
atrc building was consumed by flames
while large audience was in attendance
and nearly thousand lives were lost. 1t
is now known that the fire originated with
the gas which lighted the sky galleries.
The gas was presumably turned on before
the electric current was freed to light it,
and the border caught fire. The workmen,
instead Of lowering it, hoisted it higher,
and the flames began to spread. The en-
gueers say that had a good fireman been
The tiremeu at this theatre are not regular
hremen, but simply ordinary workmen,
who are also required to assist as scene
shiilers, etc. The men ran away, one say
iug that he would get the fire alarm tele-
graphed another that he would let on the
water at the water plugs, of which there
were Xix in the flies, fed III 31aTge. resef.-s
voir Oh the roof Of the theatre. These
men never returned. The man who should
have let down the wire safety curtain also
fled. The actols, actresses and workmen
fled without giving the audience the slight
est warning. In one gallery was the police
sergeant whose duty it is every night to
attend and see that there are oil lamps i'm
the passages. There were large doors in
every gallery which were to be opened in
case ofire, the key Of which appeared to be
broken from disuse and rust. One escape
door only was bursted open, the others were
not opened. All the doors of the galleries
opened inward and when one was broken
down by the pressure the foremost persons
fell and were trampled to death by those
looWing Not u single precautionary
measure for the safety Of the audience had
been Caken
On the arrival of the fire brigade it was
found impossible TO penetrate beyond the
1lst Tier OF the theatre, the rush Of suffo-
eatIng smoke and ait extinguishing the
lamps and torches. The firemen retired |
NAN LAiOtIlF- -iILCt lI41 SVSS4OlL t4Edt
cause their shouts were notansWered there
were no more people in the theatre. Those
VINO escaped on the first alarm, however.
fooll nndeCeived them. Another attempt t
was Ehen made to- penetrate parts OF the
1lealFe which were not actually blazing.
Ill narrow passage between the second
dilN IIllFH GaiIarjRc. aF |
05Scovered some closely interlocked. It
was hardly possible to part them. The
AFS[ man discovered was got out alive, but
all the rest We're dead. There were per-
SOILS VINO had lost their way in consequence
u The turning off of the gas, which, it is
Ao" ascertained, was done with view to
prevent an explosion. Some men were
1oulu srasping each others throats. Sub
Seq0eht Investigations showed that in some
eases persons tinding escape hopeless had
Vollmtted suicide. It is stated by sur
'Fofs that women were seen to throw
'Le!r children from the gallery into the /
p' al The time Of the outbreak Of the fire. {
1Ae galleries allotted to the ladies were +
especially full.
Vne story says that because Of the ladies j
00cNlng up the narrow stairway they had !
w '0ea CT the exact catastrophe until the {
ps0p'e themselves reported the absence of
't'eilos and relatives next morning. Death
'e Salne 80 quickly that only few at most Of
sns second gallery escaped, while from the /
4V0Fth gallery, where it was computed /
~ asFe We're 600 people, only 100 or 200 ef- {
leeled their escape. :
i young man thus tells the story Of his :
escape: Thursday afternoon I met my :
l'''s' al the station. She was returning +
,0n'e - from Vienna. / greeted her with 7
f s4s words, I have surprise for you; I !
h",s },~ss TWO seats for the Ring theatre At !
''' past SIX we took our seats i'll the first /
s sS@ ol the third gallery. When the fire t
a.; s5',7 out through the curtains \ felt fear !
h.. h., ISat IN my face. MY sister, leaning $
- y. mead on my breast, sobbingly said: !,
tb ,'l',z' we must die now, Quick as t
H., Ssh' grasped her, trembling in every ! :
- ,,"o :. snd dragged her with me. In spite :
L.. '''7 smoke we reached the escape stairs, I
~, We were there almost alone. :
s,, ne appalling fact must have become 2
~ ar1aually known that at least three-four h
sAe gheatrs Was full yya.as. 4laa catag fro~l Il