Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1883-02-02
ANOTHER HORROR.

4 Qeieium-I5fht Hxplosion at tho Grana
0pera Hous .in fIilwaukee-FIve Per-
sons Serion4Iy, and Three Of Them Fa-
tAny. HpjdFsd.
MILWAUKEE. January IL.
A horrible accident took place mt the Grand
Opera House tonight during the performance
OF the Lights o London" The orchestra had
just finished the interlude between the first
and second acts, and the stage-manager was
waiting for a few minutes for the calcium
lights to be arranged, when an awful OK plosion
took place. The lights on the stage were put
out, the scenery was blown into, fragments.
and the utmost terror prevailed among the
members OF the company. who were all ready
for their work in the second act. In few
minutes the gas-jets on the stage were lighted,
and the fun nature and result OF the accident
learned. One of the cylinders of the calcium
lights apparatus had exploded, and five men
we're tying on the stage. - - >---@-
/, Doctors were summoned, and an fnvestiga-
ton showed the following casualties:
l. Albert Seymour, stage employee, head hurt
! by piece of the broken cylinder, died before
midnight. s5
T. Robert Harrington, manager OF the calcium
light apparatus, left knee and left hip shat
| tered; died shortly after midnight.
! Gustave Steuber, stage hand, right leg and
right side torn In pieces; notexpected to live.
Richard Reed, stage hand knee injured.
James Foster assistant manager of calcium
/ light leg injured; condition regarded as dam
| gerous. 'A ~"'~ - ~ -
When the explosion occurred the audience,
4 which was very large, displayed the utmost
Icoolness. A few were disposed to rush from
the house. but a. number ofslead.ng citizens
rose in their places and cautioned the others to
keep cool and prevent panic. Their counsel
prevailed, and there was not the slightest ap-
pearance of panic. Manager Collier and 9TH
ers went to the front of the stage and called
| for the audience to remain seated. Claudex.
leader of the orchestra, struck up lively air,
| and the musicians played with all possible
energy, thus aiding in preventing a stampede.
LAS soon as the gas on the stage was lighted,
Charles Williams, Golfers stage-carpenter
| seized the remaining cylinder of the calcium
light apparatus, bore 1t to the front of the cur
tain with the burning gas still escaping placed
II In front of the audience, and coOy sat down
npon it. to impress upon the audience the fact
mat there was no danger to the front of the
house. '"t~ ''s-
Meantime the fire alarm had been sounded.
Inc entire citysts in state Of uneasiness, re-
suiting from the Newhall-House fire. AS soon
as 1t was known, that the alarm came from the
| Grand Opera-House thousands upon thou.
sanuS OF people rushed to the building, and
! the widest excitement prevailed 1t was re-
4 ported that the house was on fire inside. and
THIS report increased the alarm and excite
ment. AS soon as it became apparent that
the play could not go on the audience was dis.
missed. Most of those present were ignorant
OF the terrible work on the stage. and. as thew
passed out into the street, stated to the CROWD
| outside that nobody was hurt so that the ex-
4 element was soon queed.
| - The accident. was caused by the careless
Ignorance of thsman managing the apparatus.
Most OF Colliersscenery and that belonging to
the house is completely spoiled. The force Of
the explosion is shown by the fact that ioist
TWO by ten inches, was riddled TO kindling-
! wood Several people were thrown clear
across the stage, and one of the inbred was
thrown into the flies. No members 1.-THE COM
pany were injured. - 81
The story of the cause Of the expaos on is
mus told: One of the cylinders had been leak
] Ing, and was taken away for repairs On re-
hlling the cylinders harrington for some req
son. concluded to put the oxygen gas in tho
cylinder which had been used for hydrogen.
ana VICE versa. 1t is stated, however. that he
| either forgot or was unmindful of the fact that
there still remainnd q quantity of hydrogen
In the cyiinder-into which he had put the oxy-
gen. The result of this mixture was that
when the light was applied the explosion oc-
CURED. The cylintler was made of malleable
IRON, ABOUT threessixteenths of an inch in
thickness, and appeared to possess great
1 SbOASeh'I AuC were sent In all d.
rections, Kidding the scenery, The floor and
the walls.
INCIDENTS s"~
'aSome of the escapes were miraculous. One
young man was blown distance&of over
twenty feet One Of his trouserslegs was
torn into shrsdS but hs did not receive a
1 scratch. we 49, 81 up
+ Three membership The eompany and the
stage manager stood within three feet Of the
apparatus when it exploded ard were not in
jured in the least. sszas
i The two members Of the fire department.
who are on the stage at every performance,
aided by the stage hands, put out what little
fire was eau sed in the scenery by the explo-
sion without any difficulty.
The scene on the stage. whenSf6e gas-jets
were lighted wasa something horrible. The
/ scenery was one mass of ruins, lying in disor-
| der on the. stage. Spots of blood and pieces
/ or flesh lay all around Young Seymour Law
+ with mingled blood and brains oozing from
the terrible hole in his head Harrington Law
/ with the clothing entirely torn from his lower
limbs, his knee battered, his hin, ok19O pen and
blood running from half q dozeII 16nds 1t
| appears that Seymour was LEAVING over the
plosion occurred and; WIS straok in the head
and thrown into the dies. -
l. e., F.. ts I---a---A->xe-ep-------
The Iowa Prohibitofy Amendment De-