The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1881-12-23
DEATH BIT FIFE.

DEATH BIT FEE. 77s
Burning Of the Ring Theater at Vienna,
Austria-OveF 100 Lives Reported Loot
Terrible and Thrilling Scenes.
VIENNA, Austria, Decembera
The Weiner Akgeaeins Zeitusg, whose Offices
are exactly opposite the Inflated Ring Theater,
gives q graphic account of the catastrophe, q
which the following is an extract:
We write with death in our hearts, unable
to find words to describe the pain which va
suffer. A terrible calamity befell our city
last night. The Ring Theater, formerly
known as the Opera Comique, Is In ashes, and
hundreds Of human beings are victims of the
catastrophe. Nothing like this horror has
ever occurred before IL this city.
"At ten minutes to seven the FIRE broke out
The theater was pretty well filed, but happily
not entirely crowded A considerable number
Of people were still in the dressing rooms, and
. dense mass of carriages occupied the Schalten
Ring. 1t had just commenced to snow, and in
the auditorium of the theater there was thu
usual hustle before the commencement of .
performance people walking up and down
looking for their places, and the noise Of turn
ing down seats was heard on all sides. The
boxes were still empty, but the balcony and
galleries were well filed. On the stage
everything was in state of ac-
tivity and hustle, the workingmen re-
moving scenery, etc. Offenbach's comic
opera, "Les Counties D'Hoffman," was to b
performed for the second time. Some Of the
singers and actors had already taken their
places on the stage in costume, bat q large
number were still in the dressing ppoms in the
hands of the costumers and hair-dressers. The
overture had not yet begun. How the fire
commenced cannot yet be definitely stated,
and probably it will never be known. Accord
ing to one version the scenery was ignited By
. spark from electric machinery. According
to another, workman with an alcohol lamp
caused the disaster. The former version u
the more likely one. Director Helemes
berger, who stood upon the stage, was the
first to notice the fire. A moment after the
"fies" were wrapped In flames and the net.
work Of wood, ropes and canvas was burning
like finder. The people on the stage were
stupe6ed with fear at first, and they speedily
took to fight in most terrible confusion to-
ward the ladies' dressing rooms, on the left Of
the stage, where . small staircase led to
Hohenstaufen Strasse. In . moment the cur.
tain few up and draft blew it hither and
thither until, like . fiery tongue, it darted
back and forth from the auditorium to the
stage. The fire then became master Of the
Ring Theater.
Firel firel the Ring Theater Is on frer'
was the cry that went from mouth to ear.
On Ring Strasse the flames were already
bursting through the roof, and cries, such -
Vienna never heard before, filed 1t. They
seemed not like the cries of human beings,
but such awful accents as can be heard only
in death struggle. The scene was indescrib.
able, al those inside the fated building
pushing their way toward the street, which
was crowded at all points. The audience
from the theater struggled and crushed each
other, and confusion reigned supreme. Sud-
denly cries were heard from the windows Of
the theater leading to the Ring. The balcony
over the entrance was soon emptied, and The
cries Of those at the windows and of those
within the theater were awful, and swelled
louder and louder. The mass Of people in the
street was growing denser constantly"
The following is the narrative Of Herr Lind
man, an actor engaged in the theater: 'sIt
was 6:45, and the second signal had been
given to the actors that in quarter Of an
hour the performance would begin. Twas in
my dressing-room, and on hearing the alarm
rushed on the stage and found myself in .
sea of flames. A violent d1aught Of air rose
and perfect column Of fire seemed to rush
against the curtains, which 1t quickly pierced
Then stream Of fire poured into the theate1
and up to the galleries. only heard single
horrifying scream-a single cry Of unspeak-
able terror and fearful despair"
He then described the scene Of tho members
Of the chorus flying to reach the doorway and
escape from the fire.
Inspector Nitzoe escaped from his dwelling
In the upper story. He describes the fearful
scene In the auditorium a. follows: "Ths
people lay there in heaps, and many in the
strangest pastures. Some had their hands
stretched out imploringly, and there were 9th
ers whose nails were driven into the flesh In
pain and despair"
A lady who was in the third row Of the par
quette at the time Of the disaster says: al
was Just about to take out my opera-glass
from its case, when suddenly remarked
that the curtain was driven out violently
towardme. A sheet Of fire poured out i'm
mediately after over the seats. grasped
my friend by the arm and hurried toward the
central entrance, but in . moment ill the
lights were extinguished, and We were in COM
plete darkness. Only BY keeping hrm hold
Of the railing were we enabled to grope our
way down the stairway. Suddenly, to my
horror, found that my friend no longer chung
to me. screamed out her name, and, to my
delight, was answered. She caught hold d
me again, and We were crushed out through
the darkness with the living mass Of fugitives
and saved"
LATER-EvENIN0.
Researches show that the upper gallery must
have fallen into the pit, where the only re-
mains found are spall fragments Of bones.
Beyond doubt 500 gallery tickets had been
issued. Only 100 Of these are known to have
jumped from windows, and competent judges
fear the loss Of life will b found to be fully
100.
The number Of persons actually reported
missing 10 600.
In regard to the origin Of the nre, the Su-
perintendent Of Machinery states that The
scenery became ignited - the lamps were
A~Ss ls~hA 81 k~~,A h. ~ L.