Evening journal., 1895-12-28
KILLED At A THEATER.
Twenty-fcur People Lose Their
Lives In a Panic.
THEY WE'RE TRAMPLED TO DEATH.


Baltimore tho Scene OF Frightfui Dis
aster--A False Alarm Of Tiro Caused a
wild and Fatal Stampede.
BALTIMORE, Dec 2S -Twenty-f four per-
sons wore killed and about as many more
seriously Injured during a panic at the
old front Street thcator IN this city.
Almost all tho victims are OF Polish na-
tivity and Hobraio extraction. Many Of
tho injured were taken TO their homes by
friends, rendering SC almost impossible to
get a complete list at this time.
The theater, which Is probably tho old
ost ia the oity was filed from pit to domo
with people who had assembled TO liaton
TO Hebrew opera, which has been given In
the old house twice a week for the past
month. The tickot Office receipts show
that over 2, ZOO tickets had been sold
when, at o'clock, the sale OF seats was
stopped because there wero no more loft.
General admission tickets wore sold, how
evor, after this, and 1t Is supposed that
there were at least 1000 people within
the walls when the curtain went up on
tho first act AS the capacity Of the house
is less than 2, 800 the density of the crowd
may be imagined.
Ten minutes after the curtain rose one
Of the attendants went up to the second
tier TO light gas Jet which appeared to
have been extinguished. AS no turned
the cock and applied a match the light
Jared up and it was seen that there was
no zip 60 the burner. The iot was we'll
down toward the stage on the left side OF
the house In plain Wow Of the creator part
Of tho audience, but as the glare from 10
showed against the wall some one In tho
gallery shouted. FIRE. Firol FireW In
an instant there was a mad scramble for
the door, In which tho whole audience
took part. The vanguard Of the terror
stricken multitude reached the entrance
on Front street. pushed on by the howl
ing, shrielying mob behind them, Those
in tho foremost rank were compelled to
turn TO the right and to tho left to reach
tho double entrance way, built in the
form Of storm doors Passing through
these doors, they reached a flight of stops
lending from each door downward to
landing, from whence a broad stairway Of
moderate height would have carried them
into the street and 10 safety.
The steps leading from the doorways
are but about foot high, but the land
ing at their base Is narrow. Down these
the frightened people hurled themselves
In the frightful struggle to reach the open
air and to escape the certain death they
thought was behind them.
Like a Herd OF frightened Bunaloes.
As the crowds from the two doors-one
on the right and the other on the left
reached the landing they met There was
a brief struggle, and then some one lost
his OF hor footing and fell. In moment
the crowd, pushed with irresistible force
from the rear crowded upon the prostrate
form and began in turn to stumble, reel
and presently TO fall prone upon the floor
under the myrlads of feet coming like
herd OF frightened buifaloes from behind
In less time than it takes TO tell II the
landing was packed 90 or 30 deep with
tho pnnio atrioken multitude, and tho
hundreds behind them were struggling
over them TO reach the street
The tumultattracted an immense crowd
from the outside, many Of whom tried TO
gain entrance to tho theator, thus adding
to the confusion. A dozen policemen,
also attracted by tho shrioks Of the fright
oned crowd, hurried to the scone, and,
using their clubs on those outside, pushed
through the doorway 60 the writhing mass
on tho landing. Among the FIRST TO reach
them was Officer e. j. Kelly, whose beat
IS but a block away Forcing his way
through tho main doorway. he grasped
pair Of arms, and pulling with all his
might, dragged q woman from under tho
surging crowd. A glance &C her faco
showed that she was past all human aid
dead from suifooation. Again he renched
into the mass Of humanity and pulled out
boy about years old. lie, too, was
dead also from suffocation, with scarce
bruise ON his body. The othor officers, by
this timo re-enforced by dozen OF thor
fellows, dragged ont tho prostrate ones,
passing them to those on the sidewalk.
Amhulanoes carried the dead to the
morgue and the wounded TO the city hos
pital, wherever practicable but IN many
cases the more slightly injured and In
few cases those who were badly hurt were
taken to their homes by friends. When
the mass on tho landing had boon cleared
away, the frightened mob inside was
quioted down sufficiently TO enable the
police to clear the theater Then It was
found that thero had been no danger, and
that not a soul would have been injured
had tho audience but remained seated.
nIorgue FILLED with Dead Bodies.
Nine bodies were taken to the morgue,
al of them dead from suffocation. OF
those taken 70 tho city hospital 10 are
dead. Two moro will undoubtedly die,
and ten are desperately hurt. The con-
fusion at both places Is indescribablo, and
up 20 midnight but four Of the dead havo
been identified. As stated all tho dead
and wounded arc Polish Hebrews and
few of them have friends or relatives who
are able to speak the English language
sufficiently woll 60 mako themselves un-
dorstood or enough knowledge Of the ways
Of this country 10 know whore TO go to
look for their lost Ones The dead are OF
an ages--irom mere infants to gray haired
men and women All were killed or in
iured in the terrific or ash on the fatal
landing, not casualty having happened
inside the house. although the crush there
was tremendous
The Front Street theater Is an old, tum-
Bile down affair, on the west side Of Front
street between Gay and Low streets. II
has not been used FOR theatrical purposes
for several years, but has recently been
the scono Of many glovo contests under
the auspices Of the Eureka Athletic club.
The means OF egross were confined entiro-
ly TO tho two narrow doorways opening
upon the stairways leading down to the
narrow landing upon which last nights
tragedy occurred. and tho house has long
been considered too unsafe 60 be put to