The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1895-12-30
Twenty seven Corpses Have Been
Taken From the Baltimore
Theater
In Which the Frightful Panic
Was Caused by a Cry Of
Fire.
Building Was Packed, Many
More Than Could Be Seated
Being Present.


BALTIMORE, Dec. 30.-The horror ut
the Front street theater is increased
rather than abated by Developments.
The list Of identified dead has grown to
~, and two or three more who are ~.
ing in the hospital are so desperately
injured that their James may serve to
swell the death roll.
House was Densely Packed.
The theater, which is probably the
Oldest in the city, was filed from pit to
dome with people who had assembled
to listen to Hebrew opera, which has
been given in the old house twice a
week for the past month. The ticket
office receipts show that owe 2,7O0
tickets had been sold when, at 3
o'clock, the sale Of seats was stopped
because there were no more left. Gen.
eral admission tickets were sold, how
ever, after this, and it is supposed that
there were at least 5000 people within
the walls when the curtain went up on
the first act. AS the capacity Of the
house is less than z. 500 the density OF
the crowd may be imagined. Ten min.
utes after the curtain rose one OF the
attendants went up to the second tier
to light a gas jet which appeared to
have been extinguished.
No Cause for the Panic.
AS he turned the cock and applied a
match, the light flared up and it was
seen that there was no tip to the bur-
ner. The jet was well down toward
the stage on the left side Of the house,
in plain view of the greater part of the
audience, but as the glare from it
showed against the wall some one in
the gallery shouted, Fire, fire, fire."
BILE for the door, in which the whole
audience took part. The vanguard OF
the terror stricken multitude reached
the entrance on Front street, pushed on
by the bowling, shrieking mob behind
them. The steps leading from the
entrance are but about five feet high,
but the landing at their base is narrow.
Down these the frenzied people hurled
themselves in the
Frightful Struggle to Reach Open Air,
and to escape the certain death they
thought was behind them. AS the
crowds from the two doors. n on the
right, the other ON the left, reached the
landing, they met. There was a brief
struggle and then some n lost his
footing and fell. In a moment the
crowd, pushed with irresistible force
from the rear, crowded upon the pros
trate forms, and began in turn tc
stumble and reel. and presently to fall
prone upon the floor under the thou
sands of feet coming like q herd Of
frightened buffaloes from behind. In
less time than it takes to tell it the
landing was packed 20 or 30 deep with
the panic stricken multitude, and thu
hundreds behind them were struggling
over each over to reach the street.
Police to the Rescue.
A dozen policemen, attracted by thu
shrieks of the frightened crowd, hur
ried to the scene, and, using thei,
clubs on those outside, pushed through
the door and to the writing mass OF
the landing. The officers dragged GU
the PROSTATE ones, passing them t.
those on the sidewalk. Ambulance
carried the dead to the morgue and tn
wounded to the hospitals. When tn
mass on the landing had been clearet
the frightened mob inside We're quietet
down sufficiently to enable the police t.
clear the theater. Then it was fount
that there had been no danger and tina
not a soul would have been injure,
had the audience remained seated.
Tweuty-four Already Dead.
Nine bodies were taken to the morgu
all of them dead from ~>suffocation
Of those taken to the city hospital l
are dead. Two more will probably di
before morning and 10 are desperatel.
hurt. The confusion at both places i
indescribable and SO far but Is of tn
dead have been identified. AS has beel
stated, all the dead and injured ar
Polish Hebrews, and few Of them hav
friends or relatives who are able t
speak the English language sufficient.
well to make themselves understood
The dead are of all ages, from mere in
fants to grey headed men and women
All were killed OF injured in the terrifi
crush ON the fatal landing. not q Cas-
ualty having happened inside the house
although the crush there was tremeu
dous.