The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1893-01-10
FIRE EXPERIENCES.
KATE CLAYTON TALKS ABOUT HER
MANY NARROW ESCAPES.


Duo to Extreme Goodness.
For over fifteen years Kate Cla1ton
has been pursued by peculiar form of
Ill luck. In spite Of the little womaA's
pluck, which has made her heroine Of
several fires and dozen or so of panics,
she rather shrinks from the subject, and
it is with difficulty that she can be per-,
suaded 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 1878, the year of
the celebrated Brooklyn fire. She had
just been dragged from the stage by La
Frochard, the hag in 1.-THE Two Or
phans," when a reporter sought her out.
The excitement OF the false alarm had
left her nerves 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.
~ was very much wrought up. No
one can tell what that cry of fire meant
to me. had begun to think that my
evil genius had forgotten my existence,
it seemed 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. l did not doubt that the
building was ablaze. At one glance,
however, l saw there was no danger,
except that which comes with every
panic.
"You know" she said, chat l dread
n panic worse than l do fire. Ny ex-
perience has been that more people are
crushed to death in their efforts to get
out than are ever burned alive. The
escapes l 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 GROVE
to govern me. imperil my life some
what in order to seek out the danger
and choose the best method of escapinl
from it. Often, it seemed to me after
ward, had | followed the mad rusl
for the main exits l would never hav,
escaped. -M..
81 try to impress everybody with tn,
same idea. First view the situation
and figure up the chances for escape
When the Southern hotel in st. Loui
was burned, for instance, at which tim,
twenty-seven lives were lost, | never die
any of the remarkable feats which hav
been attributed to me. The story i
generally believed that rolled down TIL
burning stairs in wet blankets. The fac
was l staid in the burning building un
til | had discovered safe means of es
cape. The fact that l was one of til
last to get out caused dozens of report
to be spread.
my reputation as fire fiend began
the second year l acted in The rw
Orphans / was playing in Brooklyn
had thrown myself on the straw be-
to sleep. had closed my eyes, and 70
this reason did not discover the fire a
first. When / was awakened and OF
dered to get up l saw the fire creepin
along the top of the theater. Every on
remembers the fatal ending. Four han
dred persons were burned or trample
to death, among whom were three G
the company. The next year, 1878,
was caught in the st. Louis fire. Eve
, since then have been considered for,
runner of fires.
~ can only account for the numerou
false alarms and panics from the fac
that there are always some superstition
. person i'll the audience who, belieyin
) me to be followed by an evil genius
| el, = l,,, cl5
More panics have been caused by fight
i'll the streets and alleys than in an
# other way. just short time ago thei
Z was a panic in La Crosse. Wis, cause
~ in the identical way as the ono here
ii Another panic, which came near bein
e disaster, was caused by street figl
2 in front of the Owens opera house,
y Charleston, S. G. When one starts it
II impossible to check it, | have triC
10 screaming to the audience, but it on
makes it worse. My presence oftC
seems to check stampede. At the clio
J.. of the panic here made up my mind
la have me big sign printed with ii
ii words, 1t is only light
IT 'Of all the theater panics l have bee
o in only three were caused from fir
I, Several times the flies have been alba
5. without any one in the audience kno'
~ ing it. | have become morbid on Il
IA subject of fire, and no matter how la
10 at night it is, if an alarm is sounded
IN always dress and go. When the FIT
Avenue theater, in New York, burned
was present and watched it to the en-
If had been seen it would prohab
F, have been said that my presence cans,
-, it. | do not deserve the reputation
~ being brave in fires, for | am gre
\ coward, SO great one that it often e
81 ables me to seem self sustained. Aft
he such fright am left completely u
NJ nerved. "-Louisville Courier-Journal.