The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-12-28
AN AUDIENCE IN WILD ALARM.
TwENTY-THREE LIVES LOST IN A
PANIC IN A PLAY HOUSE.

Ignition of Leak in a Gas Pipe Fol-
lowed ny a Cry of Fire and a Wild
stampede for the Exits-The Weak
Crushed to the Floor and TrampIed
to Death-The building Not on Fire
and the Panic seBseIess.
Baltimore, Dec. 27-Twenty-three per-
sons were crushed and trampled to death
in a panic at Front Street theater to-
night. Several others were injured, some
of whom will, it is believed die.
The United Oriental Opera and Dra-
matte Company of Boston, under the man
agement of A. Schongold and Abram
Tanseman, was billed to present the
French opera Alexander and the theater
was filed with a motley throng. About
twenty-five hundred persons were in the
house when the orchestra began playing
the introductory.
A strong odor of gas was noticed in the
second gallery of the theater, and one
OF the attaches of the place was seen
hunting for the leak with lighted torch.
Suddenly jet of flame flashed out as the
torch came in contact with the punctured
gas pipe. Cries of fire" were heard IN
the upper galleries and in an instant sthe
excitement became intense. Some one
the supply, plunging the main body of
the house into darkness. The stage jets
alone remained lighted, being fed through
another meter.
Instead of allaying the excitement caus-
cd by the sheet of flame from the leaking
pipe. the turning off of the gas and con-
sequent darkness only served to add to
the confusion. The audience rose en-
nd da fo,~ fhe
it's The actors ran down to the foot
lights and shouted "Su down. there is
no dangerl" but the excited throng paid
no heed to the advice, and continued their
wild scramble for the doors.
The gas was quickly turned on at the
meter and as the theater again became
illuminated an indescribable scene of hor-
ror was presented men, women, and
children, crazed by fear, were fighting and
struggling in the aisles and on the stair
ways in their efforts to reach the open
air.
The actors on the stage, and a few cool
heads in the audience added to the turmoil
by shouting their commands to ''Sit
DOWN. and cursing those who were most
vigorous in their efforts to get out.
The struggling mass of humanity made
little or no headway for a few minutes
as every aisle was cOngested and every
door way jammed with the frantic Poles
and Russian Jews who comprised the
Strong men in the rear of the panic
of those in front, crushing the weaker
men, women and little-children to the
floor to be trampled to death by those
still further in the rear. For several
minutes the wild fight continued. Then
few policemen forced a passageway
to the main entrance and began dragging
forth those who were jammed in the
doors. A rushing stream of humanity
flowed out on Front street until all those
who were able to move reached the open
air.
a hurry call for policemen had brought
a large squad to the theater by this time
and a fire alarm had also been sent in
bringing some engines on the scene.
The excitement in the street was al
most as great as in the theater, as rela-
tiyes began searching for those from
whom they had become separated during
the mad rush. Fathers and mothers rush
ed about looking for their children and
attempted to re-enter the theater in their
search for missing ones.
The crowd grew so great that the police,
fearing a riot, ordered the fire engine
struggling mass was driven back from the
theater entrance.
Meanwhile, officers had entered the
theater and encountered a sickening sight.
In every direction were found bodies from
which life had been crushed and tram
pied.
A majority OF the victims were young
men, girls and children. They were ten
Derby carried to the front of the house
and taken to the city hospital and the
morgue as fast as the ambulances and
patrol wagons could make the trips. Great
crowds followed the ambulances and pa
troll wagons and stormed the entrances
TO the hospitals and morgue, in their anx-
lety to learn If their relatives or friends
We're among the injured or dead.
TWenty-three dead bodies were finally
taken from the theater. Ten persons,
more or less injured, are at the city hos
pital, two of them may die. Several
others were taken to their homes in car
rages, suffering from contusions or
broken bones.
The death list will probably exceed
twenty-five.
At a late hour tonight but fourteen of
the dead had been identified. They are:
Miss Jennie Hinkle, p years of age who
was in the orchestra with her brother-in-
law, sister and two children. They reached
the door in their attempt to escape. Miss
Hinkle suddenly released her hold on her
prother-in-law's arm and sank under the
Ieet of the throng. She was trampled to
DEATH
Louis Cohen, 10-year-old boy.
Jacob Rosenthal, a tailor. 25 years of
age.
Wolf, a tailor
Theresa Goldstein, years old, and her
little 4-year-old brother.
Louis Amolsky. 81 years of age.
Sarah Rosen, Is years of age.
Ida Slberman, IA years old.
Ida Friedman, IA years old.
Sarah Siegel, 16 years of age.
- Levenstein 40 years old
- SalZburg, 12-years-old boy.
Lena Lewis aged q.