Louisiana capitolian. (Baton Rouge, La.) 1879-1881, 1881-12-15
was followed by another ono IN On airy

II The cafes IN the lieighborhood wer
changed into dressing.rooms and warn
ing-chambers, the police station into
hospital and death.chamber. Il
quick step the infantry approache
from the Alexander barracks, precede,
by their officers, sword in hand. Il
wide curves tle human crowd il repuls
ed. The word Of command of the Off
. GERS are heard distinctly, amid tn
sounding fanfares Of the firemen.
i The figures Of the iiremen who had
Climbed on the roof of the theatre irwin.
toprotect tho neighboring houses wer,
, shining from the burning ground likt
silhonettes.
The Apollo on the facade appeared.st
ina halo OF glory. Like fierce drape
ry tho flames enveloped tho building
aud cut with their sharp lines through
| the clouds Of smoke. Without inter
ruption the music Of the horn signals Is
sounding twas the death music Of
tue Ring Theatrg, it's funeral march.
The post whose life-story was to have
been performed that night on tho boards
OF the Ring Theatre has written no more
lufid aud fantastical story than the his
tory and the end Of the beautiful struc-
ture--a child of speculative, money
wasting times, lying to-day in ashes,
after having buried hundreds of lives
under its debris. Tho poet never mount.
ed anything 80 terrible as the reality
through which We have lived to-day.
In tho excitement the workipgmen
had overlooked the most important
method Of safety. They did not lower.
THE IRON FIRE CURTAIN,
and as the curtain, as stated before. got
lifted ny % little by tho mir current, %
Tree passage to the auditorium was
opened to the flames. Had the iron
curtain been lowered, it would have
been impossible for the auditorium, TO be
caught by tho flames, aud the fire wonld
have been limited to the stage and the
backward part Of the lpof. Az the iron
curtain gives the greatest possible pro-
lection, tho flames might have ragged tor
two hours without reaching the audito.
rum, but from the present disaster it
appears that oil precautions are useless
if, ut the decisive moment, the work
men omit the very first and most press-
ing precautions. We ,,re sorry to say
that We cannot hold tho management
entirely blameless. according to trust
worthy information II appears that the
oil lamps were not lighted. They ought
to have burned, according to tho latest
police ordinances, in al the staireases
and Railways Of the theatre to enable
the public to find the exits If tbe.gas-
lights should 60 ont. How much mis-.
fortune might have been thus prevented
to-day And, to make the matter worse.
1t had been torgotten to put in motion
the ire telegraph on the stage. Thus it
happened that it was suite quarter
past 9--more than - minutes after the
beginning OF the ilre--beiore the fire.
non, Who bad been apprizel ~ private
,eoplo oil the occurrences, appeared on
he spot. IA they had not been told
hat the ire was 80 very violent, they
'nmo partially without any apparatus
or life saving, and then the work was
much retarded and tho excitement and
'onfusion largely Increased. 1t was 7:3o
'efore the tiremen from the other dis
riots appeared.
Mr.. Brown oi the llrfn OF Brown Bros.
/ Co., OF New York, who, with his wife
nd entire family, visited the Ring
'heatre OH Thursday afternoon, Mt the
1atnee concert, and, therefore left the
lieatre abont an hour before the catas-
rophe, says the staifways were narrow
nd winding, leading from the lobby to
he parquette. The seats were scarcely i
'ide enough for two persons TO pass. q
nd he had vowed, after arriving in the s
pom DIR, never to take his family in q
lch u death-trap again. The difficulty +
escaping, even after leaving the audi C
'rium, may be gathered from the mar
stive Of % youngman who had o seat in
ne Of the galleries. He says that the !
alleries were quite filed. q
The American medical students, Of t,
HON there are $50 in Vienna, and who Il
,nally frequent the moderate priced
aces, seem to have kept away alto "
'ther on the fatal night, for not one Is Ii
ported missing, although six German
Id Hungarian fellow-studcnts are Ial
nong tile dead. An eye-witness said C;
at rs soon as the first burst through CT
e curtain into the auditorium ifo