The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1891-12-28
PANIC In A THEATER
A Slight Pire Causes loss Of
Life.
TEN DEAD AND MANY INJURED.

. StPto fh A1tfsCAhceS ~ AHS-
capc from the Building Stamp the
Lives Out Of Children and Those
Unable to Move About with tho
Escaping Multitude.
LONDON, Dec. ga frightful panic
occurred Saturday night in the Royal
theater, at Gateshead, resulting in the
loss of number of lives. Gateshead Is
city In Durham, and, as nearly the
whole population is engaged in manu-
featuring industries during the week,
the places Of amusement are usually
crowded on Saturday. Owing to the
Christmas season the Royal theater was
thronged with working people. The au-
dience. while not unIuly, INDUCED in
more license than is allowed in most
Sondon theaters, and boys smoked in
Hhe balcony without any apparent OBJ
lection on the part of the attendants.
A Boys Carelessncss.
One of the boys smoking got so inter-
ested in the play that he accidentally
dropped burning match on the people
below him. The match set fire to some
of the theatrical furniture, exactly
what is not yet known, but at any rate
the slight blaze communicated to par
tition. A woman noticed the fire and
shrieked that the thsater was burning.
At once the audience, which had been
nll attention to the play, was aroused,
and not comprehending the exact dam
ger, made a sudden and simultaneous
rush to escape. Every aisle and avenue
became packed, and the audience, which
was numerous enough to have made
exit slow and difficult had there been
no panic, became one painting, struggling
mass Of cursing men and crying, half
tuffocated women and children.
Chiidrens' Lives Stamped Out.
The strong, hearty men from iron
works and mills showed no pity for the
weaker sex. II woman or child fell
beneath the strain, she or it, was at once
crushed under iron shod heels. Men
climbed on each other heads and sought
10 tread over tho squirming mass Of
humanity to safety. Women pleaded
for their little ones, holding them mp
above their heads as far as arms could
reach, and the babes, with tho breath
being squeezed out of them, were saved
Ia several instances by being grasped in
the strong hands of men able to hold
lhem with one arm above the crowd.
Climbing Over the Dead.
Down the main staircase the multi
tude struggled and painted. The janitor,
Foster, had rushed to open the door at
the foot of the stairs. The solid crowd
fell on him like an immense Krupp
hammer, crushing the life ont of his
body, which was hattened to the door.
Down with him went the eight or ten at
the head of the mass, and they, too, had
the lives stamped out of them. Behind
the shrieko and loud oaths, with appeals
for mercy and execrations against
foot Of the stairs was the rampant of the
dying and dead, over which the escap-
lug multitude had to climb.
Leaped from the Windows.
Two men thinking they had no other
way Of escape leaped from the windows
into tho street, and were severely in
jured. Many slid down into the pit by
the support of the balcony.
When the theater was finally emptied
and the panic over. it was found that
ten were dead and that many others
had broken limbs, and were otherwise
seriously injured.
The fire itself, which had given occa-
sion to the horror, was but a slight
gffair, having only burned through a
thin partition and was easily extin-
guished with two buckets of water. The
city of Gateshead has been thrown into
general mourning by the calamity, and
the theater is guarded by police from
the multitude of the curious. Many
pathetic incidents occurred in the terri
ble crush for the doors, but it is also
stated that the display of brutal selfish
ness overcame every other feature Of
the awful occurrence.