The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1896-01-04
CRY OF FIRE"
It Brings Death to Over a Score
Ia Baltimore.
Mad Rush of rheater Audience for the
Doors-Mcn, Women and Children
Crushed-List OF Killed Now
Reaches Twenty-Four.

| four people were killed, two fatally In
| jured and ten more seriously hurt Fri
| day night in senseless panic at the old
| Front Street theater. A defective gas
burner burst in blaze. a woman cried
-frel" and the tragedy followed Most
| OF the victims were Poles. Only four
OF the dead had been identified al mid
night.
The United Oriental Opera and Drn-
matte company. of Boston. under the
management of A. Schongold and
Abram Tansmnn, wns billed TO present
the Jewish opera Alexander" and the
thsatsr was allied with motley
throng. About $500 persons were in
the house when the orchestra began
playing the Introductory.
Cry OF Fire Causes Panic.
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 a
lighted torch. Suddenly jet OF fame
flashed out as the torch came In con-
tact with the punctured gas pipe.
Cries OF Fire" were heard in the up
per galleries and in an instant the ex-
| element became Intense. Some one
crushed to the gas meter and turned Off
the supply. plunging the main body Of
the house into darkness. The stage
Jets alone remained lighted. being
fed through another meter.
Instead of nllaying the excitlment
caused by the sheet Of flame from
the leaking pipe, the turning of of the
gas and consequent darkness only
served 10 add to the confusion. The
audience arose en- masse and made a
rush for the exits. The actors ran
down 10 the footlights and shouted:
"Sit down! there's no dangerl" but the
excited throng paid no heed TO the adj
vice, but continued their wild scramble
for the doors
Scene of Horror.
The gas was quickly turned on at tho
meter, and as the theater again be-
came Illuminated an indescribnbla
scene of horror was presented. Men.
women and children, crazed by fear,
were fighting and struggling ia tho
aisles and on the stairways in their
efforts TO reach the open air.
The actors on the stage and 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 hui
manity made little or no Roadway FOR
a few minutes; every aisle was con-
gesied and every doorway iamn.ed
with the frantic Poles and Russ'un
Jews, who mainly comprised the tu-
dience.
wild scene in the street.
a hurry call for policemen had
brought large squad TO the theater by
this time. and fire alarm had also
been sent in, bringing some cogincs
| 10 the scene. The excitement IN the
street was almost as great as in the
thcater. as relatives began searching
for those from whom they had be-
come separated during the mad rush.
Fathers and mothers rushed about
looking for their children and attempt
ed 10 reenter the theater I'm their searca
| for missing ones. The crowd grew SO
great that the police, fearing q riot.
caused the fire engine hose to be turned
on, and in that way the struggling mass
was driven back from the thea.er en-
trance.
A sIckcnlng sight.
Meanwhile officers had entered the
theater and encountered sickening
Lsight. In every direction were found
bodies from which life had been
crushed and trampled. A majority OF
the victims were young men, girls and
children. They were tenderly carried
TO the front of the house and taken
to the city hospital and thc margue
as fast as the nmbulances and patrol
wagons could make the trips. Great
| crowds followed the ambulances and
patrol wagons and stormed tho en-.
frances TO the hospital and morgue in
their anxiety TO learn II their relatives
or friends were among the injured or
dead.
Seven Dead Ia One Greup
The majority of the victims of the
disaster, however. were not killed In
| the struggle at the entrances. hut as
the foot OF the stairs leading down from
the second and third galleries. The
bodies of five children and two women
were found just inside the doorway be-
low the second gallery stairs.
Death List Reaches Twcnty-Four.
Nine bodieswere taken TO the morguc
all of them dead from suffosation.
OF those taken to the city hospital Is
died. Two more will probably die. and
20 are desperately hurt. The confu-
sion at both places was indescriba5lc.
Was No Danger.
When the mass on the landing had
been cleared the frightened mob inside
quietcd down sufficiently to enable tho
police to clear the theater. Then u
was found that there had been NO dan
ger. and that not n soul would have
been injured had the audience but 10.
manned seated.