Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-12-11
kilograms to The Star.
DEATHS STUMPING GROUND.
Johnstown Adds Another to the List
of Casualties.
TERRIBLE PANIC In A THEATER.
Fifteen People Crushed to Death
in a Moment.
DEATHS STUMPING GROUND,
TERRIBLE PANIC IN A THEATER
NEEDLESS SCENES OF HORROR.

JoHNsTowN, Pa, Dec. 1.-THE opera house
horror last night is fully as terrible was first
reported The side walls and steps of the stair
way present sickening sight, being covered
with blood. Ten bodies are now lying at the
morgue and five Of the injured are reported to
to have died this morning at their
homes. The names Of those known
to have died are: George Stanaker, aged
twenty-three; Miss Lizzie Clayborn, aged
seventeen; John Miller, colored, Chambers
burg, Pa; Isaac Taller, aged sixty-eight; Mrs.
Wesley Burns, forty years; Miss Clara Burns,
eighteen years; George Horner, eleven years,
jumped from the gallery to the parquet and
broke his neck; Mrs. John W. Nestor, twenty
five years; Eddie Bleighler, nine years and
George Freschorn, twenty-five years.
The cause Of death in all cases, but one,
George Horner, was the crushing at the door
way leading to the street, and the frantic ef-
forts OF the people to get out Of the building.
CAUSE OF THE PANIC.
A heavy smoke rising from a small building
near the opera house caused some one to ring
the fire bell near by. Some one in the gallery,
said to have been boy, called out Fire" and
panic followed, men, boys and women jump
ing from the gallery onto the heads
of the people below. A gallery seat
broke with a crash, increasing the fright, as it
was thought that the building was falling. A
hundred and fifty or more people crowded into
the narrow stairway at once and were pressed
upon SO closely that those in front fell in the
doorway.
sIcKENINa SCENE.
The stairway was filled full of struggling
people, and the cries of the dying could be
heard squares away. The police fought back
those who were trying to get out by
walking over the unfortunates packed on
the stairs. A great crowd assembled
on the street and also had to be fought back
from the theater door to give room to remove
tightly wedged to the door and steps that
strong men could not pull them out,
and 1t was not until the crowd upon the upper
part of the stairs had been forced back that
effective help could be given to the dead and
dying In the doorway below. Several persons
ieaped upon the stage and assisted the actors
In their endeavor to call the audience to their
senses. but for a long time without avail.
SOON ALL WOULD HAVE BEEN OUT.
The play was Dearly at an end. The actors
behaved with great presence of mind and pre-.
vented the catastrophe from being worse
Finally the panic within the building wa.
held in check and the people returned to thei,
seats. Then progress was made in clearing
the stairway. The dead and the badly
| injured were dragged back to the stage and
| the others less hurt were helped to the top OF
the steps. The tremen, with aid of their en-.
gine, turned a stream of water upon the crowd
outside and drove them from the entrance to
the building. The dead were quickly removed
to the morgue. Several of the injured died
while being taken to their homes or hospital.
In all about seventy persons received less
serious injuries.
1T WAS A DEATH TRAP.
The street door leading to the theater STAIR
way is four feet seven inches WIDE in the clear.
This is three or four feet from the foot of the
stairway. On the second step is double
swinging door. This opening is exactly four
feet wide. The stairway leading to the first
floor is twenty feet seven inches in ascent.
The stairway leading to the first
gallery is three feet wide. That
TO the second gallery is three feet wide at the
foot and two feet nine inches wide at the first
landing above. The theater, owing to its con-
struction, has always been regarded as a trap.
1t was built twenty five years ago but was not
in use much until the flood destroyed the only
other place OF amusement there was in town.
THE HOUSE WAS FULL.
There were eight hundred people in the
house. Two hundred and forty of these oc-
cCpied chairs in the parquet Possibly two
hundred more were in the circle and aisles in
the rear of the parquet. In the first gallery all
the seats were occupied and the aisles packed
In the second or top gallery all the benches
were occupied and many we're standing