Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1889-12-19
PANIC AT A THEATER.
A DOZEN FATALLY CRUSHED AND
SCORES INJURED.


street opera house the fire bell was
ruug, causing frantic scramble for the
exit. There were 500 or 600 men, women,
and children in the hall, and to
gain the street IL was necessary to
pass down q narrow walled-up staircase
and through very narrow door. The
people from the streets rushed into the
door from the outside and many were
crushed before they could be forced out
1t was necessary to turn the hose on the
crowd at the door before the rescuers
could get at the dead and wounded When
the crowd was driven away the following
persons were found dead upon the stairs:
e. BIGLER.
MISS CLARA BURNS.
MRS. NESTER.
GEORGE HORNER.
CHARLES FRAINT.
WILLIAM MILLER, colored.
GEORGE sToNAKFR, of Mount Pleasant.
LIZZIE CLAYCOMB.
A. FLEASHOUR.
ISAAC TOLOR.
An unknown woman
Among the seriously injured were:
CHARLES VAUGHN.
JOHN WIENER.
ALBERT OWENS.
MRS. LISTER.
Mrs. PLATT.
RICHARD WoRTHINGroN.
CLARENCE ENGBERT.
LEWIS BUNDY.
JOHN DEvIN.
There are about seventy-five others in
1ured, but their names can not be ascer-
tanned
The dreadful visitation came upon its
victims with even less OF warning or time
for preparation than the awful deluge or
Nay 81. The Johnstown opera-house was
opened to the public less than fortnight
Ia 1c GoI, ,f,,11
the play, and there was a large audience
present considering tho very limited means
which Johnstown people now find at their
command for any kind of amusement pur-
poses. During the performance the cry
Of fire was raised.
To a people to whom any sudden warm
ing might mean so much-to those who
had so recently passed through the hor-
rors Of the greatest flood OF the century,
this cry was terrifying In the extreme. 1t
spread like wildfre itself, and was on
every lip in an instant. Horri6ed and
panic.stricken the hundreds OF people in
the audience rushed over seats, struggling
bodies, and everything toward the one
means of exit. This was only a single
narrow stairway, and over one another
headlong, the frightened people plunged,
regardless of consequences.
When the calaminity became known and
before the dead and wounded could be
taken out people rushed from the outside
up the narrow stairs and were crushed by
| the crowd forcing its way to the street.
BY 1:45 o'clock nine dead bodies had
| been recovered from the wreck of the stairs
and auditorium and dozens upon dozens
| of the injured had been assisted to doctors
offices and drug stores for relief and re-
| storation. By 2 o'clock twelve dead
| bodies had been counted out and it seemed
as If the number might yet be swelled--
possibly doubled. The number of in
| jured at this hour has reached sew
| enty-five and there has been as yet only
| the most superficial and hasty searches for
| either the rescued or dead.
When the jam occurred large number
Of persons, thinking the fire was in the
| opera house. tried to get into the theater,
making another jam, and it was necessary
| for the firemen to turn the hose on the
| crowd to get them away from the door,
| The screams were terrible and il was
| shocking to see small children knocked
down by big men and trampled upon.
| The theater has always been noted as a
! death trap and was condemned twelve
years ago but the other one was washed
away in the flood and this one has been in
| use.
The manager tried to quiet the crowd,
but it was no use. One man jumped from
| the third-story window and was seriously
| hurt, and many more would have jumped
| but for a few cool heads. 1t is reported
| that the police injured several persons in
trying to clear the jam. All the dead were
taken to Henderson's morgue and all were
| identified.
Coroner Evans and jury of six men
| viewed the remains and came to the decis-
| ion that the victims came to their death
| by being crushed and mangled in Parke's
| opera house.
| Among the killed was a colored man of
| Chambersburg, Pa, aged 10; Stonaker OF
/ Mount Pleasant was 20; Lizzie Claycomb,
| 10; Clara Burns, 49, Mrs. Burns, mother
| of Clara aged 40 was killed. Isaac Tolor
was 60; George Horner, IL; Mrs. Nester.
%; e. Bigler 8.
It is likely that the officials will close
the opera house, although had the crowd
kept their wits about them not one would
have been hurt. An unknown man in the
boys gallery did a great deal in keeping
the people from jumping from the third
story windows and doubtless saved many
lives.
Blame is put on the fireman who rang
| the Johnstown fire-bell, as the fire was in
| Kernville, but he is not to blame Post
master Baumer, Policemen Becker, Stearn,
Harris, and others acted nobly in rescuing
| the IN ured. women ana men alike were
frenzied, and there was lighting on Main
street while those inside were being killed.
1t was over two hours after the jam be-
fore the hall was cleared, and some Of the
injured and dead were lying in the build
ing an hour after the crash. Most Of the
injured were taken to the adjoining stores
and properly, cared for.
The excitement is intense. There are
several persons missing, all ladies, but
owing to the confusion their names can
not be ascertained. A large number OF
saloons were open until 12 o'clock and
drunkenness added to the horror of the
scenes. Had not the hose been turned on
at the proper time il is bard to tell what
would have been the result.
The house is q small, three.story, brick
building, fronting ON Main street. and, like
the south- fork reservoir, has always been
considered unsafe. While the new one
was in operation IL was little used and had
but small exit from the second story by
narrow pair of stairs to the street. IL
had no fire escape.
i =