Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-12-27
CHRISTMAS-TREE ABLAzE.
A PANIC AT A FESTIVAL.

'ae Tree Heavily Laden with Presents
burned ID and Many Person, TrampIed
| rpon.
~ chicago special of Friday SAYS :
warden McGarigle, of the County III
P,'ai, gave the 5o5 patients under his
cnaise a Christmas tree to-day, and the
festivities came very near terminating
N an awful disaster. The tree was a
Dig one twenty-five feet high, and was
erected in the amphitheatre Of the hos
pitai, room on the ground floor. near
the centre of the building, with a seat
ing capacity Of about 500. TWAS load
ed from top to bottom with presents
gwen by the patients to each other and
by charitable people to the patients
From branch to branch were strung
loosely.twined ropes of colored paper.
and wherever resting-place for
candle could be found one was placed
There were musical and literary ex.
ercises in another room, and there were
about one hundred and fifty of the pa
tents, with nurses, attendants. and
visitors, numbering in all fully six hun.
bred persons, crowded into the amphi.
theatre. A score Of the patients were
carried IN on cots and in roller chairs
and given places close to the tree.
which was at the bottom of the amphi-
theatre. These, with the others. in
Guiding a half hundred children, were
distributed in seats near the tree, while
the other people crowded into seats
ranging up to the back of the room.
The candles had been lighted and the
tree was ablaze from the top to the low
est branch.
a Santa Claus entered a door at the
rear of the room and started to walk
down one of the two aisles between the
seats. He had not yet been announced
and was half way down the aisle.
Every eye was fixed on the tree. Sud
denly candle on the topmo,t branch
nodded, spluttered, and touched the
tree. Like flash the flame which
sprang up spread, and in less than half
minute the tree was a roaring. howl
ing, sparkling mass OF fire. In three
minutes nothing was left but the bare
branches, dripping with water turned
on from a hose in the room, but under
the cloud Of sitting, binding smoke
eco persons were struggling for air and
life. There was a frantic rush up the
aisleS for the single door at the rear.
Another door was Just back of the tree.
and near it were the patients on cots
and chairs, who were cut oil from
escape by the fire.
Children and women were trampled
under foot, and men lost to reason
screamed and shouted like mad men.
The heat from the burning tree filled
every part Of the room. and not one Of
the six hundred persons but felt it.
Mr.. A. c. Bartlett, of IIibbard.
Spencer * Co., the hardware men. was
near the tree with his family when the
fire started. In some way he forced
himself through the crowd to the win
dows. kicked out the ssshes, and let a
flood Of pure air into the room. The
smoke and sitting odor Of burning pine
tioated out. and the danger was over.
At least fifty Of the persons in the
room were burned and bruised. but
only two or three were seriously in
jured.
Mrs. A. \. Carpenter, wife of the
well.known lumber-dealer, was sitting
very near the tree with her two chill
dren and her sister.n-law. She was
thrown down by the people rushing up
the aisles and trampled upon. Her
c0llar-bOnc was broken, several ribs
were fractured, and she was severely
and seriously bruised. Her sister-n-
law, Mrs. W. o. Carpenter, was Sc
yeIely burned about the face one
daughter had a shoulder sprain-
ed, and another was burned about
the hands and face. Mr.. Bartlett was
painfully burned about the hands and
face; County-CommiSsioner Van Pelt
was burned about the face, and a num-
Der Of others, including patients, re-
ceiyed less serious. though extremely
painful, burns and bruises. The staff
Of the hospital was called into requisi-
ton and the injured cared for. Those
who were not able to walk were sent
home in vehicles.
1t was some time before the excite
ment subsidized and the inmates of the
hospital became quiet. The building was
not damaged in the least. Every pres
ent on the tree was destroyed, and
what promised to be avery merry Christ
mas for the patients turned out to be
the closest kind Of an escape from an
appalling tragedy. People who were
present cannot understand how they
escaped alive in the panic, and are
thankful that, generally speaking, they
have nothing worse than bruises,
o,I hurpc tn cpfiar