Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1892-08-30
FIRE EXPERIENCES.
KATE CLAYTON TALKS ABOUT HER
MANY NARROW ESCAPES.

"iire' flrei'-Her Escapes Have Been
Due TO Extreme Goodness.
For over fifteen years Kate Claxton
has been pursued by peculiar form of
III luck In spite Of the little womas,-
pluck, which has made hcr heroine o.
several fires and dozen or so Of punics,
she rather shriuks from tho subject, and
II 81 with difficulty that she can bc per.
surdcd 10 tell Of some Of tho escapes
from the flames that sho has had.
Her experience at Harris theatre,
when the cry Of fire caused q panic. Is
only one OF tho several through which
she has passed since 1873, the year Of
the celebrated Brooklyn fire. She had
just been dragged from the stage by In
Frochord. the bag IN "rho Two Or
phHns, when reporter sought her ont.
The excitement OF the false alarm had
left her nerves little shattered, she ex-
planned, When reference was made to
her apparent coolncss she said that her
manner showed nothing Of what sho
really felt.
IL was very much wrought M. No
one can tell what that cry Of fro meant
to me. had begun TO think that my
evil genius had forgotten my existence.
Il seemed 50 long since tho last panic.
| was in an exceptionally good humor.
and was sitting ON tho steps of tho plat
form when the stampede began. As Is
always my first impulse, rushed TO 500
the flames. did not doubt that the
building was ablazo. At one glance,
however, | raw there was no danger,
except that which comes with every
panic.
"You know" she said, "'hat dread
n panic worse than do fire. My cx-
poricnce has been that moro people aro
crushed TO death In their efforts TO get
ont than are ever burned alive. Tho
escapes have made, which come seem
20 tlpnk almost miraculous, were tho
result Of GOODNESS and presence Of mind.
When tho cry Of fire is given never
allow my impulse to run with the crowd
to govern me. imporil my life some
what la order to seek out tho danger
and choose the best method Of escaping
/ from II. Often, II seemed 20 mo after
ward, had | followed tho mad rush
for the main exits would never have
escaped.
~ try 10 impress everybody with tho
same idea. First Wow tho situations
and figure mp tho chances for escape.
When the Southern hotel In st. Louis
was burned, FOR instance, az which time
twonty.soycn lives were lost, never did
amy Of the remarkable feats which have
been attributed 10 me. The story Is
generally believed that rolled down the
burning stains In wet blankets. Tho fact
was | staid in the burning building uu,
I'll | had discovered safe means of Is.
cape. Tho fact that | was one Of tho
last to get ont caused dozens OF reports
TO be spread.
MY reputation us fro fend began
tho second year | acted IN Tho Two
Orphans was playing in Brooklyn.
| hal thrown myself on the straw bed
to sleep. I had closed my eyes, and for
this reason did hot discover the fire at
first. When was awakened and or
dcrcd TO get M saw the fire creeping
along the top Of the thcator. Every ono
remembers the fatal ending. Four hun.
drcd persons were burned or tramplod
10 death, among whom were three Of
the company The next year, 1873,
was caught IN the 81. Louis fire. Ever
since then have been considered u fore.
runner Of fires.
al can only account for tho numerous
false alarms and panics from the fact
that there are always somesuperstitious
person in the audience who. believing
mo TO DO followed by an evil genius,
shouts fire at the slightest provocation,
More panics have been caused by fights
in the streets and alleys than in any
other way. Just short timo ago there
was u panic IN La Crosse, Wis, caused
In the identical way IA tho one here.
Another panic, which came near being
Il disaster, was caused by street fight
In front Of tho Owens opera house. IN
Charleston, 5. c. When ono starts It is
impossible 10 check 1t. have tried
screaming 20 tho audience, but II only
makes It worse. My presence often
seems 10 checl; a stampede. At tho close
Of the panic here made up my mind to
have mo a big sign printed with the
words, II Is only fight,
"Of all the theator panics have been
in only three were caused from fire.
Several times the flies have been ablazo
without any one in the audience know.
ing it. have become morbid on tho
subject Of fire, aud no matter how late
at night II 10, II an alarm is sounded
always dress and 60, When tho Fifth
Avenue thcater, IN New York, burned
was present and watched it 10 the eud,
If had been seen 1t would probably
have been said that my presence caused
It. donot deserve tho reputation OF
being brave IN fires, for | am great
coward so great a ono that 1t often en-
ables me TO seem self sustained. After
such fright am left completely UNI
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