St. Paul daily globe., 1891-12-28
The Cry Of Fire Starts the
Audience Pell-Mell for
the Exits.
Janitor Foster and Many
Others Crushed at the
Foot Of a Stairway.
The Little Blaze EXtinguished
With Two Buckets Of
Water.

theater. Gateshead, resulting in the loss
considerable city in Durham; and, as
nearly the whole population is engaged
i'll manufacturing industries during the
week, the places of amusement are
usually crowded Saturday. Yesterday,
owing to the Christmas season, the
Royal theater was thronged with work
ing people. The audience, while not
unruIy, INDUCED in more license than
is allowed in most cases. and smoked in
the balcony without any apparent OBJ
lection on the part of the attendants.
The piece on the stage was of sort
familiar IN the provincial manufactur-
ing places, including magic, sleight-of-
hand and other variety. One of the
boys smoking got so interested in the
play that he accidentally
Dropped Burning Match
on the people below him. The match
set fire to some of the theatrical furui-
ture, exactly what is not yet known. but
at any rate the slight blaze communicate
ed to partition. A woman noticed the
fire and shrieked that the theater was
burning. At once the audience, which
had been all attention to the play. was
aroused, and not cOmprehending the eX-
act danger, made a sudden and stimuli
taneOus rush to escape. Every aisle and
avenue became packed, and the audi
ence. which was numerous enough to
have made exit slow and difficult had
there been no panic. became one pant
ing, struggling mass of cursing men and
crying, sbalf-sutfocated women and
children. The strong, hearty men from
iron works and mills showed no pity
for the weaker sex. If a woman
or child fell beneath the strain, she or
it was at once crushed under iron-shod
heels. Men climbed on leach others
heads and sought to tread over the
squirlning mass of humanity to safety.
Women pleaded for their. little ones,
holding them above their heads
As Faras Arms Could Reach,
and the babes with the breath being
squeezed out of them, were saved, in
several instances, by being graSped in
the strong hands of men able to hold
them with one arm above the crowd
Down the main staircase the multitude
struggled and painted. The janitOr,
Foster, had rushed to the open door at
the foot of the stairs. The solid GRO wd
fell upon him like an immense Krupp
hammer, crushing the life out of his
body. which was tlattened to the door.
Down with him went eight or ten of
the mass, who were also killed. Behind,
the shriekS and loud oathS, with appeals
for mercy and eXecrations against the
Creator, made hell. In front, at the
foot of the stairs, was the rampant of
dying and dead, over which the eScap-
ing multitude had TO climb. Meantime,
those on the stage had not been idle. 1t
was soon apparent to the players that
the panic had little or no cause, ,and that
they should appeal to the people to be
still. One actor, in the attire of ma
gician, climbed into the balcony from
the stage and implored the audience to
be calm. Return to your Seats" he
cried; there is no fire. The only dan
ger is in your panic.n Some of those
in the rear turned at his words, and
stopped their share in
The Mad Struggle
to get out, but the large majority needed
not the warning and pressed on. Two
men. thinking they had 10 other way of
escape, leaped from the windows into
the street, and were severely injured.
Many slid down into the pit by the sup
ports of the balcony. When the theater
was at length 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 occasion
60 the horror, was put slight affair.
having only burned through a thin par
titiOn, and was easily eXtinguished with
two buckets of water. 1t was sufficient.
however, to make some smoke, which
hung about the ceiling, and the sight of
the smoke had much to do with per-
petuating the panic, when it might
otherwise have been claimed. The city
OF Galeshead has been thrown into gen.
eral mourning by the calamity, and all
today the theater was guarded by DO
lice from the multitude of curious.
Many pathetic Incidents occurred in the
terrible crush for the doors, but it is
dlSO StdItU Ildb IUe ulSpldy Oh brutal
selishness overcame every other feat
ure of the awful occurrence.
After the Panic.
When the panic had subsidized so that
an examination of the premises could be
made, the bodies of nine children whose
lives had beer literally crushed out
were found lying on the staircase or
near door leading to it. A constable
who came to assist in the work of res
cue, on dragging out a boy who was
wedged among the struggling people,
discovered that the lad was his own
son. The boy, although living when
rescued, was terribly injured. and died
while Oh the way to his home. The per
formance which was so terribly inter-
rupted was the second one of Saturday.
the attraction being the pantomime
aladdin" The theater was literally
erammed with people. At 1O:3O O'Clock
the shout of fire created a fear
full scene. The whole audience rose
to its feet en- masse and there
was dire confusion, in the midst of
which were heard the shrieks of