The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1886-01-19
AN ACTRESS STORY.
KATE CLAYTON TELLS OF THE
BROOKLYN THEATRE FIRE.
A Terrible Experience-Trying to Quiet q
Panic-Striclxen Audience-The Under
ground Passage to Safety-Nearly
Three Hundred Dead.
Philadelphia Times Interview.l

Philadelphia Times Interview.l
''It was on the night of Tuesday, Dec. S,
1876 said Kate Claxton, the well-known
actress 81 was then a member of the stock
company at the Union Square theatre in
New York, under the management of Shook
az Palmer, who were also the lessees of the
Brooklyn theatre, which had been built by
the late Mrs +. b. Conway and managed by
her UP 10 the time of her death a portion
of our company had been transferred to
Brooklyn, and on that night we were play
ing ''The Two Orphans" The play had
progressed to the last act. The stage was
entirely inclosed with what is called a box
set representing the old boat-house, which
past il O'Clock, dressed in the rags of Louise
l had lain down on the pallet of straw,
where l was to be discovered when the cur
tain should rise
Suddenly / was startled by n rumbling
noise, which sounded as if the ceiling of the
theatre was falling; but / had no time to
think about it, for the curtain rose and de-
voted myself to the business of the scene I
had spoken but a few lines when / heard the
voice of Lillian Cleaves, who had knelt down
behind the scenes just behind my head, whis-
pering to me: Save yourself for Gods
sake: L am running now L looked up, and
through the the fiimsy ceiling of the old
boat-house could see sparks falling and little
tongues of fire licking the edges of the drops
and borders that hung in the flies. went
steadily on with my part. Poor Harry Muir
doch came on as Pierre, and played without
the slightest sign of nervousness or trepida-
ton. Shortly afterward Mrs. FaIren en-
tered as Mother Frochard, and was soon fol-
lowed by Mr.. j. 3. Studley as Jacques. AS
Mrs. Farren went through the business of
making MY toilet she whispered to me:
THE fire is steadily gaining.'
IN THE MIDST OF FLAMES.
''By this time sparks were falling all over
the stage and the fact that there was fire
behind the scenes could no longer be con-
cealed from the audience. Still we con-
tinued the play. By the time said, You
may beat me if You please, but you shall
find that my viii Is stronger than your vio-
lence and will beg more panic had
broken out in the auditorium and we saw
that it was useless to attempt to proceed.
The spectators had risen to their feet and
We're already struggling to make their way
into the aisles. Those sitting near us at
tempted TO Chamber upon the stage although
it was very evident that to escape in that
way they must pass through the fire Mr.
Studley stepped to the footlights and said
TO the panic-stricken people: The play
win go on and the fire will be put OUT In
the hope of keeping them from clambering
upon the stage and SO rushing directly into
the flames / said: The passage is clear.
Get down. We are between you and the
fire.
I'VE were now almost surrounded by
flames. 1t was madness to delay longer 1
took Mr.. Murdoch by the arm and said:
Come let us co. and rushed into his dress
ing-room, where the fire was even then rag
ing, to share with Claude Burroughs, who
played Picard, terrible death. For an in
slant | stood petrified with horror. There
seemed no way of escape. To leap from
the stage into the orchestra in the hope of
getting out through the front of the house
would only be to add one more to the
frantic, struggling mass of human beings
who We're trampEng each other to death
like wild beasts. Access TO the stage door
and all other exits i'll the rear had long ago
been cut off by the flames Suddenly like
an inspiration, there flashed upon me the
recollection of Il subteFrancan passage that
led from the rear dressing room to the box
Office in front of the house.
Mrs Conway, when she built the theatre,
had this passage made, SO that even while
playing she might readily communicate with
her treasurer. Maud Harrisons dressing
room was next to mine. She was hastily
gathering together some portions of her
wardrobe. | knocked on her door and
screamed that she must come with me
quickly or we should both be lost. In few
seconds we were in the dark, narrow passage
and then an awful thought came into NV
mind. The door at the other end, which led
into the box Office, closed with a spring
latch and one of the ushers carried the KEY
What if it should be closed. The agony of
suspense caused by this question made the
few seconds that interviewed before learned
its answer seem like years We reached the
door at last to find it open, thank God, and
in, fl,a Irx
strength of madwomen we burst the box
office door open against the seething, strug-
Cling crowd without and We're soon among
them in the vestibule, within few feet of
the open street and life.
THE FATAL MIsHAP.
''All those occupying seats in the lower
portion of the house escaped Only the oc-
cupants of the dress circle and balcony
persisted, and possibly they also could have
saved themselves but for an unfortunate &C
cident which occurred on the stairway lust
below the dress-circle landing. \ lady
caught her foot between the banisters and
fell The crowd behind her, forced forward
by the terrified people still further behind,
fell over her and piled ON top of each other
in dense mass
The next few days succeeding the fire
were full of horror. Firemen We're engaged
in taking from the ruins horribly distorted
bodies, u. they stifened in the last
agony wnen the floor save way and they
plunged down into binding smoke and
fame. At the two morgues-one hastily
improvised for the occasion-the most
heartrending scenes We're enacted by peo-
pie who came to identify the bodies of
those nearest and dearest to them. Sheok
d Palmer kept the Union Square theatre
closed from the night of the fire until after
tho burial of its victims During the re-
mainder OF that week it wss almost irnpos-
siole 10 walk in any street of Brooklyn at
any hour ot the day without seeing a
funeral procession. In many instances
whole fan---- persisted together. Nearly
500 dead bodies, most &C them charred and