New-York tribune., 1895-12-28
~ THE DARKNESS.
tBY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNE.l

tBY TELEGRAPH THE TRIBUNE.1
Baltimore Dec 27.-Just the curtain was
about to be rung up for theatrical entertain
ment at the old Front Street Theatre tonight
at o'clock the flaming of gas jet near the
private boxes on the left side, under the second
gallery. startled a woman in the large audience,
composed entirely of Polish Hebrews She
screamed Fire and a frightful panic followed.
Twenty-three persons. mostly women and chill
dren. were crushed to death and thirty IN
jured some fatally. Front Street Theatre. one
Of the oldest payhouses ir the country, has not
been used for regular theatrical performances
for some time 1t is in the centre Of the Polish
Hebrew section. These poor people are wild with
excitement over the awful disaster. and it Is al
most impossible to obtain the names of the dead
and the injured. The people who were near the
doors when the cry of Fire. was followed by
the wild rush. upon making their escape shouted
an alarm. which brought many Of the Polish
Jews in tn. neighborhood to the scene. Most OF
them had friends and relatives in the building
and In crowds they tried to force their way
through the panic-strcken people trying to get
out The result that neither crowd got fur
ther than the corridors between the outside and
inner doors
A TERRIBLE FIGHT FOR LIFE.
There, in a small space for great a throng.
a terrible fight for life took place. Men lost
their senses and trampled upon other men. their
wives and children in the mad struggle to reach
and save their own loved ones. The lights went
out and darkness increased the terror and mad
ness Of The people. An alarm Of fire had been
turned in and upon the arrival of the iremen.
Assistant Chief McFee prevented still greater
loss of life by ordering streams of water turned
on another crowd of frantic people trying 30
force their way into the already packed en-
frances The majority of the victims of tha DIS
aster however. were not killed in the struggle
in the entrances. but at the foot Of the staira
leading down from the second and third gal ir-
les The bodies Of five children and two women
were found just inside the doorway below the
second gallery stairs
In Il heap at the foot of stairway were two
young men and severa. girls. all manned and
crushed. The grl.. We're unconscious when car
ried out and one died IN the ambulance on the
way to the hospital one OF the men Rad Doth
legs broken. Most of the injured were unable
IT, tell their names in English.
Eleven bodies were taken II the City Hos
pital and seven to the Mor8ue.
1t is said that in the confusion following the
panic number of children. some dead ana
others in a dying condition. were hurredly
taker by relatives to either their homes or 10
the houses OF Polish Jews in the neghborhood.
Many of those injured about the arms and
head but still able 10 walk, hurried to their
homes. and 1t is impossible to obtain the ac-
curate number of the injured. one heroic
mother. in trying to save her babe in arms. and
two-year-old boy, was crushed to death. but
the children escaped serious injury.
man who tried to some Of the women
and children said that in the rush down the
stairs men actually eaped over the heads Of the
women and jumped upon little children. He
Tough: back several large men in the fearful
struggle and prevented them crushing children in
front Of them Some Jf the dead and injured
women had nearly all their outer clothing torn
off.