The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1892-08-31
WEDNESDAY. AUGUST 81. 1892
FIRE EXPERIENCES.
KATE CLAYTON TALKS ABOUT HER
MANY NARROW ESCAPES.

She Says That She Is in Reality Cow
ard whenever She Hears the Cry of
''Firei Firep'-Her Escapes Have Boon
Due TO Extreme Goodness.
For over fifteen years Kate Claxton
has been pursued by peculiar form of
i'll luck. In spite of the little womak's
pluck, which has made her a heroine of
several fires and a dozen or SO of nanics,
she rather shrinks from the subject, and
it is with difficulty that she can be per-
shaded to tell of some of the escapes
from the flames that she has had.
Her experience at Harris theatre,
when the cry of fire caused panic. is
only one of the several through which
she has passed since 1875, the year of
the celebrated Brooklyn fire. She had
Just been dragged from the stage by La
Frochard, the bag in 1.-THE Two Or
phans, when reporter sought her out.
The excitement of the false alarm had
left her nerves a little shattered, she ex-
planned. When reference was made to
her apparent GOODNESS she said that her
manner showed nothing of what she
really felt
II was very much wrought up. No
enc can tell what that cry Of fire meant
to mo. / had begun to think that my
evil genius had forgotten my existence,
itsssmed SO long since the last panic.
was in an exceptionally good humor,
and was sitting on the steps Of the plat
form when the stampede began. AS is
always my first impulse, rushed to see
the flames. did not doubt that the
building was ablaze. At one glance,
however, ] saw there was no danger,
except that which comes with every
panic.
"Yeu know" she said, "that dread
panic worse than do fire. My ex-
perience has been that more people are
crushed to death in their efforts to get
out than are ever burned alive. The
escapes have made, which some seem
to think almost miraculous, were the
result Of GOODNESS and presence of mind.
When the cry of fire is given / never
allow my impulse to run with the crowd
to govern me. imperil my life some-
what In order to seek out the danger
and choose the best method of escaping
from it. Often, 1t seemed to me after
wayd, had followed the mad rush
for the main exits would never have
escaped.
81 try to impress everybody with the
same idea. First view the situations
and figure up the chances for escape.
When the Southern hotel in st. Louis
1.a1 fox= nj toI,
twenty-seven lives were lost, never did
any of the remarkable feats which have
been attributed to me. The story is
generally believed that rolled down the
burning stairs in wet blankets. The fact
was l staid in the burning building I'M
til had discovered safe means of es-
cape. The fact that l was one of the
last to get out caused dozens of reports
to be spread.
MY reputation as q fire fend began
the second year acted in The Two
Orphans / was playing in Brooklyn.
/ had thrown myself ON the straw bed
to sleep. had closed my eyes, and for
this reason did not discover the fire at
first. When l was awakened and or
dered to get up saw the fire creeping
along the top of the theater. Every one
remembers the fatal ending. Four hun
bred persons were burned or trampled
to death, among whom were three OF
the company. The next year, 1878, ]
was caught in the st. Louis fire. Ever
since then l have been considered fore
runner of fires.
81 can only account for the numerous
false alarms and panics from the fact
that there are always some superstitious
person in tho audience who. believing
me to be 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 q short time ago there
was a panic in La Crosse, Wis, caused
in the identical way as the one here.
Another panic, which came near being
disaster, was caused by street fight
In front of the Owens opera house. in
Charleston, S. G. When one starts it Is
impossible to check it. have tried
screaming to the audience, but it only
makes it worse. My presence often
seems to check stampede. At the close
Of the panic here made up my mind to
have me big sign printed with the
words, 1t is only fight
"Of all the theater panics have been
in only three were caused from fire.
Several times the flies have been ablaze
without any one In the audience know
ing it. have become morbid On the
subject Of fire, and no matter how late
at night 1t is, if an alarm is sounded !
always dress and go. When the Fifth
Avenue theater, in New York, burned
was present and watched it to the end.
II / had been seen it would probably
have been said that my presence caused
it. DO not deserve the reputation of
being brave in fires, for am q great
coward, so great one that 1t oftens en-
ables me to seem self sustained. After
such fright am left completely I'M
nerved. louisville Courier-J Journal
Fans In ShnSespeare's Time.