New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-11-25
ALARM IN 4 THEATRE.
PANIC CAUSED BY 4 BROKEN STEAM PIPE.
A STAMPEDE AT TIE LoNDON-NEAKLY 5000 MEN
AND BOY, TRY TO RUSH FROM THE BUILDING
SEVERAL PERSONS INJURED.

STAMPEDE AT TIE LoNDoN-NEAhLY 5000 MEN
AND BOY. TRY TO RUs.l FROM THE BUILDING
SEVERAL PERSONS INJURED.
The performance in the London Theatre, AZ No.
233 BOwery, was interrupted lust evening by iAlse
alarm OF fire caused 10y break III one OF The steam
Mines. A panic cnsucd and several persons were
injured in the rush of numbers If the spectators TO-
ward the doors As Is usual on Thanksgiving eve
nii.Cs, the theatre crowded 10 ITS utmost ca
pacty The sale of tickets ut the box Once showed
that , $50 persons Were in the building lie au-
di,noe was composed for the most part OF men ana
boys. The crush IN tue gallery was almost lhtOief-
able before the performance began.
The entertainment Of the variety order, FUR
uishcd by ". h. LcIyltts troupe. At $50 o'clock,
while Miss Nellie Richards the stage singing
me Old Fireplace, deusc clu nd of steam suddenly
arose from the pipes used 10 neat the bulldhH' on
the rgnI-hand size aud underneath the gallery.
number of men aud boys, who had been unable TO
find seats. had crowded INTO the side aisle at that
point aud some OF them were standing on the pipes
Their weight caused one OF the pipes to break. ne
persons who had caused the accident got out of the
way OF The escaping steam without INJURY. Numbers
of others VINO werc near tbs broken pipe ran out OF
the building. fearing that there would be an eHpto-
sion. someone cried out Ere! ana IN another III
siaut there was pane. Tue actress stopped sing
ing and fed from the stage. The musicians throw
down their instruments and sprang from their seats
To eek place Of safety. On the nam hOor OF thc
theatrc and in the galleries there wa general alarm
Ai,u spraug from their seats anu rushed toward the
4 lew women who were III the buildlng
sbrieked for help. On every side persons were
climbing over llt Stats anu dlNthlpAlAN w
walk on the backs aud heads Of others. Several
seats were broken IN the crush The dln was al
most dclicntug. The rush of excited men anu poNS
down the gallery STAINS was terrhc. w men thc 'ue
vance guard the crowd reached the outer doors OF
tine buudIug the doors were broken by the sloch'
several persons Tell ana were trampled on. \ Few
me- acted like madmcn, striking blows rsh' ana
lett in their frantic uJrtc To get outside. ,
Thomas Donaldson, tho manager OF the thauc'
was IN the rear the Stage when the steam began
to escape. He took III the situation 1T glance ana
gfu
huII.c in the effort to make the audlehcc uhGrI-
sand that there no danger. tlls voice was no.
heard more than dozen feet rom tue stage, p'iD
hts words were taken up ami T, peatod DN hulhpoi
of men who had sufficient presence OF uunu
to keep ont of the crush. Edward lcters
the engineer, fought his way through crown uhuer
the gallery and turned oil the steam. lie shouted
out That there was no lire. When the steam ceased
escaping tur alarm soon sub-ldrd. ana the audience,
when hid been acting ike drove OF frightened
sheep, became qui'i again. Nearly i"O-lHIu' oI
the audience had been unable To get our oil the
hWlumg AMI whtn 10 was known oh an sides that
there was no danger, there general scramblug
ugcil 10 Che vacated SEATS. Mr.. Donaldson ordered
the band 10 play ana the actors to contlnu" their
performances. bat 10 twenty minutes before thc
actors could bc heard. Nearly thousand persons
hHu LETT tlr Theatre ~ the excitement ana lheN we're
clmpIouS 10 be admitted again when the alarm
WAS over. Detective Hess. of Police Head
quarters, Who was passing the theatre when the
rush began had sent out an alarm Of fire, and
the ARRIVAL OF the irrinan soon attcr haI
created some ad .itlOual ~ .licWrut Captain Al
"A
Tenth Precinct was soon 81 hahd Ia preserve "rUrf
aud "A barriCgdc of officers was made against tn
Geuse crowd that seemed ready Ia take the building
by storm.
When quiet was restored the play in the theatre
went on without any unusual Interruptions. Ii was
learned that the hrrallgc in the theatre con-
fined 10 chairs and doors. and that thr damage was
les, thau 800. More hats than heads We're broken
An ambulance was suUynUnCd from the Chambers
street Hospital. but the surgeon iu attendance
touud no one who WAS injured bad cuCagh 10 war
rant his removal to the hospital
The following persons were injured NOR" or less
severely:
fl ,cG JosarH Of No. 90 Fourth-ayc. tr,mplc1
ian Que a. the orchestra Rl-lcs ana carried
cnu-c Qua iufu - nci .uhOriug liquor store he after
wari refused 90 go 10 IA hospital He had received
a SLIGHT scalp wound ana some plui'"'
MO luf "a young who said he lived In Brooklyn,
VIA put on q street ear and taken home by friends
IA. ankle wac said 10 have been slralhcd or dis
y,Ct,..r RICHARD. of No. G2G sccondavc.. hsi his
leg and ankle BADLY bruised. He fell on the gallery
stairs aud trampicd on. He was taken home by
pufIiITs EoBEET Knocked down in the middle
nrrtrstr. a-lc. His head and chest were bruised
srycrely lie went home after the panic had sub
ptTs EDWARD. the engineer IT the theatre, receiving
injuries in the abdomen by being knocked down and
tramurd on while ho Was trl ing to TURN on tue e'cdp
iug steam. Although severely injured nc renamed
ri his post Last ni-lit.
s,tSSER H. W. OF brooklyn received severe bruises on
the knee and thigh. He claimed that one OF the
seated directly In front OF the stage when the e1-
CtcmCnt begun . -. 49,, $1,000
spnISG MORRIS fourteen years Old of Nc ~ Icstcrstr
had his face badly scratched ana received a KICK III
H. abdomen. He waA injured by frantic man VINO
,.ls nghLng his way ont OF the theatre.
yo>IRs Charles OF No. POI East Seyentyhih-st, had
nj, left eye badly bruised by falling down the
,nitery stairs. lie Was trampled and received
some slight Cruises about tho body also.