St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1881-12-16
Terrible Disaster at Vienna.
A THEATRE BURNED, AND SEVEN HUN
DRED LIVES BELIEVED TO BE LOST.

DRIED LIVES BELIEVED TO BE LOST.
A Vienna dispatch of Dee. Sth says
the Ring theatre, where Sara Bern
hardt recently performed, took fire
that night, when an audience of about
1000 people was present. AS soon as
the fire was seen the gas exploded, and
the audience was left in darkness.
Many persons were trampled to death
in the panic which ensued.
The last account said four hundred
bodies had thus far been taken from
the ruins of the theatre, and it was
thought the number will reach seven
hundred. The number of missing at
that time was 600. The city is plunged
in mourning, and the public signs of
grief are marked and demOnstrative,
and measures are begun to secure "A
fund for the families of the victims.
No business was done on the Vienna
bOurse Friday and 10000 tiorins were
subscribed to the fund, which by even
ing had grown to E2S, 900. All the
newspapers have opened subscription
lists, and the emperor has given large
sum.
1t is believed that not a single per
son escaped from the fourth gallery,
and very few from the third. The
corpses are little more than charred
| fragments. Researches show that the
upper gallery must have fallen into the
pit, where the only remains found are
small fragments of bone. Beyond a
doubt 900 gallery tickets had been is
sued One hundred holders of these
are known to have jumped from the
windows. Nothing has been heard OF
the members of the orchestra.
Gross neglect is charged against the
management of the theatre. The law
prescrioes the use of oil lamps i'll the
corridors of theatres so that exit shall
he discernible i'll the event of the fail
ure of the gas, but this precaution was
utterly neglected.
The person in charge of the iron cur
tain between the stage and auditorium
appears to have fled ut the first alarm
An official of the theatre, however
states that it was absolutely impossi-
BILE to lower the iron curtain, owing t.
the frightful rapidity with which the
flames spread. 1t appears that five
water-taps above the stage, which
must have been of material assistance
in checking fire at the outbreak, were
not used, i'll consequence of the panic
The audience Thursday night wa'
larger than usual, owing to the day
being a holiday. There were about
200 persons on the stage and i'll the ad
joining dressing rooms at the time o
the outbreak of the fire. On the ex
tinction of the lights all rushed for the
stage door, and many were knocked
down and trampled upon, but all the
performers, except three of the chorus
twere saved. In the panic, the persons
responsible for the safety of the theatel
neglected to use the means for tele
graphing to the tire-engine stations
which they had at their disposal. The
audience was consequently left for tel
minutes struggling wildly i'll the dark
ness for means of exit The life saving
brigade then arrived with ladders
torches and jumping sheets. The per
sons saved with the aid of the sheet,
jumped from the windows by the dOzel
at time. In an hour and half thu
whole building was n roaring furnace
The persons whose bodies were first re
covered seem to have died mostly from
sutfocation, but the other bodies pre-
sent shocking spectacle.
The funeral of the victims was tixeC
for Sunday. The managers of all the
theaters there announce special per
fOrmances for the benefit of the suffer
ers.
In regard to the origin of the fire, til,
superintendent of machinery states
that the scenery became ignited AS the
lamps were being lit by the electric
| current