Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1891-04-13
IN The AMUSEMENT PLACES.
How the Crowds Got Out of tile Hay
market and Dime Museum


Haymarket, where there were 2, 900 per-
sons in the building. and nothing but the
! GOODNESS of the management prevented a
terrible panic. The actors and actresses
were first warned, and they male some
lightning changes George Fair closed
the iron folding doors at the entrance to
the parquet, and stood guard over them
The warning TO the actors and actresses
had taken but minute, but greet waves
OF smoke rolled into the entrance of the
theatre To allow this smoke to enter the
auditorium would have created a panic
Immediately. The ushers were instructed
to pass down the aisles and tell the
people quietly that there was a fire
across the way and that the side entrances
would be thrown open for exit
Hurried Movement But No Panic.
Without word the people in ne par
ouet and in the orchestra circles got up
from their seats and made for the side ex-
its on the alleyway and those in he rear
| They were hurried in their movements,
but there was no panic. Those in the bal
comics came crowding down the stair
ways, but the ushers guided them along
to the exits. The work was done quietly
and we'll Suddenly some fool in the sec
| oud balcony, overweight by fear. yelled
"flre!" There was a terrible hush, like
the calm before the storm. The voices of
the manager and treasurer were heard
amid the dead silence calling ont that
there was not the slightest danger
A Fool Clicked OF Instanter.
Treasurer Fair, as soon as he heard the
cry, sprang upstairs, and with an oath
choked a second yell on the point of utter
= - ~ y
| face, shout again and / will k II you"
There was no time for argument, and he
dragged the idiot down stairs This
action probably saved panic and subse-
| quent loss OF life. Those who were strick-
en- with fear that they would be burned
| IN the theatre preferred, however, 10 get
chance of going out quietly TO being thrust
| out, and they kept their mouths closd.
| The calm and confident tones OF tie man.
ager were again heard telling the people
there was no danger if they kept q net In
! moment the theatre was empty.
Upstairs in the Museum.
While the rush for the doors was going
| on in the theatre hall on the ground floor
! of the Dime museum, much more peril
| Gus position was theirs who were n curio
/ hall on the fourth floor. There were half
| dozen freaks on show, and at the mo-
iAASAlO tAt lltc Was NIsCONGEeu Iile rear Oh
| the building was in blaze. There were
! two exits from the floor One OF them,
which led to the hall below: was barred
with an iron gate. 1t is opened only when
an audience leaves the curio hall on its
way down. The other exit is broad
stairway leading from the street The
\ 400 persons Who were on this floor rushed
! for the latter exit. 1t was blockaded in a
! few seconds, and then part of the crowd
| ran across the hall to the exit that was
barred by the iron gate. The barrier was
! broken, and down the narrow stairway
/ men and women rushed terrorist ricken
| The frightened people scrambled down
/ the stairs into the hall below, and were
| there met by the crowd that poured down
] from the exit proper
Made a Cripple of Himself
! Officer Patrick Sheehy forced lis way
| up to the third floor and ordered the peo-
| pie at the point OF his revolver 70 e calm
I or he would shoot the first person who re-
| fused TO obey him. He succeeded In quiet
| ing the pauic-stricken people. and with
| one exception they all reached the street
/ In safety. Alexander Grant, pliuter
living at 81 North Ada street. jumped
out of the second-story window and both
of his legs were broken. The gypsies were
the first TO escape from the curio hall. and
WINE carver WAS the ldSt person down
the stairway. Just ahead of the Q antess
was Lafayette and his wife, the albino
woman. Lafayette carried the big
headed boy down in his arms, and Genera!
Carver was taken down in the same way.
The Monkeys Let Loose.
After the hail had been emp;ied Officer
Sheehy ran TO the cage where the mon
keys were kept and opened the door.
They were chaJtering and screaming with
terror. BY this time flames and smoke
were pouring in through the rear win
dows. The monkeys were trying to break
through the cage, and when the door was
| opened by Sheehy the little creatures
sprang out and scampered toward the
stairways. Some of them fell victims to
the flames, while others gained the front
windows on the second floor, and, by
swinging themselves along the cornice.
dropped to the sidewalk. They ran
through the crowd swapping at those who
| tried to pick them up Crowds OF BOYS
| left the fire and chased the monkeys for
blocks.
Tremendous Crowd of People
The day was fine and the people were
out in force. In five minutes from the
time the flames were visible from! East
| Madison street both sidewalks were
blocked with people from the lake % the
! river, all hurrylng TO the scene Of the
confagration. 1t was the same way on
Washington and other parallel streets
| From ali parts Of the west side the
| crowds came, until for blocks around the
fire there was one unbroken mass OF
humanity. From any point on Madison
street the scene was lurid one Great
masses of flame were bursting out Of the
doomed buiidiD gs and reaching across the
street Mingled with the rudy flames
were volumes of black smoke, and no W
and again portions of the fame seemed to
break away from the mass and fling them
selves against the fronts of the bui dings
opposite. The tons of water poured into
the buildings seemed to have not the
least effect, and it was not until the col
lapse came that the firemen could be said
to be making any Roadway.
| SOME LIVES PERHAPS LOST.