The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1881-12-17
DEATH BY FIRE.

A few years ago the Chicago 1tmeS horrihc
its readers by a suggestions account o, u
burning of McNlcker's theatre while crowdc
with people. All the horrors the fecund IN
sgination of the Times scribbIer could COM VI
up in connection with such catastrophe wei
more than realized in the burning OF The Kin
Theatre at Vienna, the capital OF Austria, o
Thursday evening of last week The play o
the bills was Offenbach's comic opera Of "Lc
Contes d'Hoilman" The curtain was to ris
at O'Clock At 10 minutes before that hotl
the house was filled though not crowded
There was the usual hustle before the con
nenccmcnt Of the performance, people walk
ing up and down looking for places. On tn
stage everything was in state OF activity
men removing scenery, etc. Some OF the sing
but large number were still in the dressing
rooms. At this moment a spirit lamp is salt
10 have been dropped by careless attendan
on the stage. In moment the flies" wer
wrapped In flames, and the network Of wood
ropes anu canvas were burning like tnder
The people on the stage, at first Supplied sooi
fed in terrible confusion to the ladies' dress
ing rooms on the left Of the Stage, where {
small staircase led to the IIabenstauien Srassc
In moment the curtain flew up and the
draft blew 1t hither and thlth0r until like Q
fiery tongue it darted back and forth from the
auditorium to the stage, and the fire became
-, l,n a. 10 an
fire." was the cry that went up on the Ring
Strasse The flames were already bursting
through the roof and cries such rs Vienna
never heard before filled the street. They
seemed not like the cries of human beings, but
such woeiul accents as can be heard only in a
death struggle. The scene was ndescribabc
All inside were pushing their way toward the
street. which was literally moving mass.
The people struggled and crushed each other
IN the peristyle and foyer, and confusion
reigned supreme. Suddenly cries were heard
from the windows in front The balcony over
the entrance was soon emptied, and the cries
while the mass of people in the street was
constantly growing denser.
The curtain was down when the stage took
fire. and inside of that was an iron serene IN.
tended to prevent the fire from reaching the
auditorium IN the case of just such an occur
renee. The fireman in charge of the iron
serene, however, instead Of lowering 1t, raised
the curtain, upon which the flames at once
bust INTO the auditorium with sitting force
At the same time the man in charge of the gas
mete: imagining an explosion had occurred,
turned off the gas, adding total darkness to the
horrors Of the scene.
The loss of life was no doubt greatly in.
creased by the manner in which the theatre was
built The stairs and passage ways were laid
out in a strangely complicated manner, SO that
one needed good knowledge of the place to
End his way, even with good light But in
The darkness the crowds in the galleries pres.
sed in their despair toward the doors, and,
crushing each other, prevented most of the
number from escaping Smoke and fumes
completed the WORK of death within five nm
utes after the first alarm had been gwen.
When ingress was finally obtained by the fire
men, people were found in heaps, and many
10 the strangest postures Some had tbeir
hands outstretched implorlngly, others with
their nails driven into the flesh III anguish
and despair
Fridays Vienna papers placed the loss of
life at 800, but every day since then adds To the
number, 50 That the latest dispatches put 1t at
ing up to Monday been reported to the police
as missing.