The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1881-12-10
TELEGRAPHIC
MOST HORRIBLE.
The Ring Theatre, Vienna. in
Ashes.
Five Hundred Persons Burned
and Trsmpled 90 Death.
Unparalleled Catastrophe.


New York, 9.-Colonel Maplesor
said, regardidg the Vienna fire: II
is a wonder to me they do not have
more of such fires than they do
About five-sixths of the European
theatres are constructed in just such
a fashion that they are perfect traps
in the case of panics. Some of the
best LOnden theatres seem to have
been built for the purpose OF
roasting people. Ground fronting
On the street in Sthe centre Of the
town is so valuable, that theatres
are mostly built inside the block,
with tall shops hemming them in
on every side and with exits long
and narrow. The Ring theatre has
always occupied peculiar position
among the numerous theatres in
Vienna. So many managers failed
there IN succession that it got to
be regarded as a sort of managerial
tomb; all the more so on
account of its furniture and
decorations, which were of the
most sombre and uninViting de-
scription. 1t was accordingly used
for most miscellaneous purposes,
such as exhibitions Of hypnotism, by
Hansen, etc. When Director Jaive-
ner last year took charge of it, and
had it redecorated, a new era of
prosperity seemed to begin. Sarah
Bernhard5 gave her recent perform
ance there, which was attended by
the emperor and most of the people
OF note.
Vienna, 9.-The Wiener AZZeqs-
meme Zeittt7lg, whose office is oppe-
site Inflated Ring Theatre, gives a
graphic account of the catastrophe,
of which the following is an ex-
tract: With death in our hearts,
and unable to End words to describe
the pain which we suffer, we are
called to chronicle a terrible calam-
ity which befell our city to-day.
The Ring Theatre, formerly known
as the Opera Comique, is in ashes,
and hundreds of human beings
are the victims of q catastrophe.
Nothing like this horror has ever
occurred before in this city. At
$50 a fire broke out. The theatre
was pretty well filed, but happily
not entirely crowded. A consider
able number of people were still in
their dressing rooms, and a dense
mass of carriages were outside. 1t
had just commenced to snow, and in
the auditorium of the theatre there
was the usual hustle before the COM
meneement Of the performance.
People were walking up and
down locking for their places,
and the noise of turning
down seats was heard all around
The boxes were still empty but the
balcony and galleries were all filed.
On the stage everything was in q
state of activity and hustle, the
wOrkingmen removing scenery, etc.
Offenbache's comic opera, Lies
Contes D. Hoffman" was to be per-
formed for the second time. Some
Of the singers and actors had al
ready taken their places on the
stage in costume, but large num-
Der, however, were still in the dreS-
sing rooms in the hands of costum-
erS and hair dresSerS.
The overture had not yet begun.
How the fire commenced cannot yet
be directly stated and probably it
never will be known. According to
one version, the scenery was ignited
by a spark from the electric machi-
merry. According to another work
man with an alcohol lamp, caused
the disaster. The former version is
the more likely one. Directors HoltZ,
who was upon the stage, was the
first one to notice the fire. In mo-
ment after the flies were wrapped
in flames, and the network Of wood,
ropes and canvas was burning like
finder. People Oh the stage were
stupeied with fear and took fight
in the most terrible confusion to-
wards the ladies dressing rooms on
the left side of the stage, where a
small staircase led to the open
street. In a moment the curtain
blew up and the draft blew the
flames hither and thither until, like
a fiery tongue, they darted back and
forth from the auditorium to the
stage. The fire became master of
Ring Theatre. "Firep' "Firep
"The Ring Theatre is on firel' was
the cry that went from
mouth to ear. Flames were al
ready burning through the roof
and cries, such as Vienna never
heard before, filled the air. They
seemed not like the cries Of human
beings, but such accents as can be
heard only in a death strug-
gle. The scene was indescribable.
All those inside the Inflated build
ing were pressing their way towards
the street, which was crowded at all
points, and confusion reigned
Supreme. Suddenly cries were
heard from the windows of the
theatre leading to the balcony over
the entrance and it was soon in
flames, and the cries of those at the
windows and Of those within the
theatre were awful, and swelled
louder and louder. The mass of
people in the street was growing
denser constantly. Here occurs a
break IN the report. All the
morning papers publish long,