The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1892-01-02
THEATER PANIC.
A Boy Drops a Lighted Match
From the Gallery,
Which Sets Fire to Some Stays
ParaDhernalia Beneath.
a Frightened Woman Shriels Out Fire,
Causing stampede-The Result Is n
Frightful Jam, In which Num-
Der of Lives Were Lost.

LONDON, Dec, 2S "A frightful panic
occurred Saturday night in the Royal
theater, Gateshead, resulting in the
loss of number of lives. Owing
to the Christmas season, the Royal
theater was thronged with theater peo-
pie. The audience, while not unruly, in
dulged in more license than is allowed in
most London theaters, and boys smoked
in the balcony without any apparent
objection on the part of the attendants.
p The piece on the stage was of y sort
familiar in the provincial manufacture
ing places including magic, sleight of
band and other variety.
One of the boys smoking got so inter-
ested in the play that he accident
ally dropped burning match on the
people below him. The match set fire
to some of the theatrical furniture, ex-
actly what is not yet known, but at any
rate the slight blaze communicated to
n 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
exact danger made IA sudden and SIM
ultaneous rush to escape Every aisle
and avenue became packed, and the au-
dience 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, half suffocated women and
children. The strong, hearty men
from iron works and mills showed
no pity for the weaker sex. If
woman or child fell beneath the strain,
she or it was at once crushed under
iron-shod heels. Men climbed on each
Others heads and sought to tread over
the squirning mass of humanity to
safety. Women pleaded for their little
ones, holding them above their heads
as far as arms could reach, and the
babes, with the breath being squeezed
out of them, were saved, in several in
stances by being grasped in the strong
hands of men able to hold them, with
one arm, above the crowd.
Down the main staircase the multi
tude struggled and painted, The jani-
TOR, Foster, had rushed to open the
door at the foot of the stairs. The
solid crowd fell on him like an i'm
mense Krupp hammer, crushing the
life out of his body, which was fatten-
ed to the door. Down with him went
the eight or ten at the head of the
mass, and had the lives stamped out of
them. Behind, the shrieks and loud
oaths, with appeals for mercy and
eXecrations against the Creator, made
a hell: in front, at the foot of the stairs,
was the rampant of dying and dead,
over which the escaping multitude had
to climb.
Meanwhile, those on the stage had
not been idle. 1t was soon apparent to
the players that the panic had little or
no cause, and they shouted appeals to
the people to be still. One actor, in the
attire of magician, 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 danger is in your panic"
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 no other
way of escape, leaped from the win
dows into the street. and were severely
injured. Many slid down into the pit
by the supports of the balcony. When
the theater was at length emptied, and
the panic over, it was found that ten
We're dead, and that many others had
broken limbs snd were otherwise seri-
ously injured.
The fire itself, which had given occa-
sion to the horror, was but slight af-
fair, having only burned through thin
partition 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 perpetuating the panic when
it might otherwise have been calmed
The city of Gateshead has been
thrown into general mourning by the
calamity, and all to-day the theater
was guarded by police from the multi
tude of the curious. Many pathetic in
cidents occurred in the terrible crush
for the doors, but it is also stated that
the display of brutal selfishness over
came every other feature of the awful
occurrence
Inc news OF une catastrophe
spread rapidly, and soon thous-
ands of frantic people were rush
ing to the scene to ascertain the
fate of relatives or friends. Within a
few hours all of the dead were identi-
fed. All were between the ages of
thirteen and sixteen. The names of
the dead are: Casely, Robson (2)
Gregg, Carlen, Watson, Bainbridge,
Murray Waddington and Forster. The
last named was the check -taker.
The lessee of the theator announces
that he will give the proceeds of the
performance to the bereaved, and will
close the theater pending an inquiry.
An H,rtranrdlnnnx RnhI,nrr-