The Portland daily press., 1881-12-10
THE VIENNA FIRE.
-Four Hundred Bodies Already
Taken from the Ruins.
THE MISSING NUMBER OVER SIX
HUNDRED.
Gross Neglect of the Theatre Manage.
ment.

NEW York, Dec. 9.-The Herald's Vienna
despatch says of the fire there =" 1t is proba-
latest reports say that the crowds In the CALLER
les pressed in their despair toward the doors,
and crushing each other, prevented most Of the
number from escaping. The smoke and fumes
completed the work OF death within i've min
utes after the first alarm had been given. The
firemen are still at work with torches in the
lower part of the house. AT present it Is con-
sidered unsafe to enter the uppermost gallery
where the dead lie In great masses. Half of
Vienna will be insmourning to-day for their
friends and relatives. / believe no Americans
are among the dead, though it is possible that
some Of the medical students who frequent the
cheaper places in the Vienna theatres may be
among them.
LONDON, Dec. Later telegraphs from vi
emma say that 270 bodies have been recovered
from The ruins of the Rine Theatre The
fourth gallery has not yet been explored. 1t is
believed that not single person escaped from
that gallery and that very few escaped from the
third gallery. The corpses last recovered are
little more than charred fragments. Gross
neglect is charged against the management of
the theatre. The law provides for the use of
oil lamps in the corridors of theatres so that
exits shall be dscernab.e in event of the fail
ure of gas, but this precaution was utterly
neglec' ed. The person in charge OF the hon
curtain between the stage and auditorium ap-
pears to have fled at the first alarm.
Boston, Dec. 9.-As the burning of the
theatre has caused anxiety in regard to young
American physicians staying in Vienna, the
following private telegram received will allay
anxiety:
Drs. A. L. Kennedy, Horace Packard, Thos
L. Dillingham; and l. Fl. Kimball, of Bath,
Me-, are sac.
VIENNA. Dec. 9.-Ten thousand forms were
subscribed on the Bourse this morning in aid
Of the families of victims of the fire. who are
probably far more numerous than was at first
haliava6 Rusiuacq on the Ron
pended during the morning.
The lower house of the Reichsrath adjourned
its sitting to-day at the suggestion of the Pres-
dent after several SYMPATHETIC speeches. The
hope was expressed that an ample fund will be
raised for the relief of the sufferers BY the fire.
The official report states that of 157 bodies
taken to the hospital 81 are those of men, Al
women and 20 so badly burned that the sex is
undistinguishable. 1t appears that five water
taps above the stage which might have been of
material assistance in checking the fire at the
outbreak were not used in consequence of the
panic which ensut d.
LONDON, Dec. 9.-The Central News Associ.
alton has despatch from Vienna, dated this
afternoon. saying:-"Four hundred corpses
have thus far been recovered from the ruins of
the burned theatre"
The audience last night was larger than
usual owing to the fact that the day was
holiday There we're about 200 persons on the
stage and in the adjoining dressing rooms at
were mostly sonly half dressed. On the ex-
tinction of the lights all rushed for the stage
door and many were knocked down and
trampled upon, but most of them reached the
street without serious injury The galleries
we're crowded and the pit was fairly filled, but
owing to the earllness of the hour there were
only few persons in the stalls and boxes. In
the panic persons responsible for the safety OF
the theatre neglected to use means for tele-
graphing to the fire engine stations which they
bod OF thoir diono rh0 uuarc
consequently left for ten minutes struggling
wildly in the darkness for means of exit The
life saving brigade then arrived with ladders
torches and jumping sheets. The. persons
saved with aid of sheets jumped from the
windows by the dozen at a time In hour and
a half the whole building was roaring
furnace Persons whose bodies were FIST re-
covered seem to have died mostly from snffoca-
ton, but other bodies present shocking
spectacle. Many have their heads and feet
A. M.-The fire is still burning and it is
not expected it be extinguished for some time.
I'd to O'Clock this morning $50 charred
corpses had been conveyed to the hospitals.
The loss of life is now estimated at from 200 to
800
Ecening- Collection among members of the
Lower House of the Reichsrath already
amounts to 5000 forms. The theatre which
was the property of the state was insured for
100000 forms in each Office. The lessee's
lots is estimated at 100000 fiorins.
The funeral of the victims is fixeda for Sun
day. The imperial family has contributed
largely towards the relief fund. Tie mana
gers of all the theatres announces special per-
formances for the benefit of the sufferers. The
number of persons actually reported to be mis-
sing is 600. The superintendent OF machinery
states that the scenery became ignited as the
lamps were being lit by the electric current.
All the performers except three OF the chorus
we're saved. Baron Rothscild has subscribed
10000 saorins. Among the missing are three
professors and a member of Parliament.
Researches show the upper gallery must
have fallen into the pit where theonly remains
found ore small frag nents of bone. Beyond
q doubt 900 gallery tickets were issued. One
hundred dollars of these are known TO have
Jumped from windows. Competent judges
fear the loss of life will be found to be fully
700. Nothing has been heard of numbers of
the orchestra. Subscriptions raised on bourse
now amount to 28000 pounds. All newspapers
have opened subscriptiod lists. Tue Emperor
given large sum. An official of the theatre
stotes it was absolutely impossible to lower the
iron curtains owing to the frightful rapidity
with which the flames snread.