Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1896-01-02
VICTIMS OF A PANIC.
FALSE ALARM OF FIRE CAUSES
A HORROR IN BALTiMROE.
Carnage Ia a Theater-Men, Women,
and Children Trampied Under Foot
--Twenty-four Crushed to Death and
Ten More Badly Hurt.
Mad Rush for safety.

In a scnselcss panic, caused 10y de-
| fectiye gas burner and q foolish cry or
FIRE mt the old Front Street Theater. in
Baltimore, Friday night twenty-four per-
sons were killed, two fatally injured and
ten more seriously hurt. Almost all Of
| the victims are of Polish nativity and
Hebraic extraction. The theater was
filed with an audience assembled to lis-
ten to Hebrew opera. There were at
least 5000 persons present when the
curtain went up One of the attendants
went TO light a gas jet which appeared
| to have been extinguished. As he turned
the cock and applied match the light
| fared mp, and it was seen there was no
| tip to the burner. The jet was 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!" In an instant there was
| mad scramble, in which the whole au-
diencc took part. The vanguard reached
| the entrance on Front street, pushed on
| by the bowling, shrieking mob behind
| them. There, those in the foremost rank
were compelled to turn to the right AMI
to the left to reach the double entrance
way. built in the form of storm doors
As the crowds from the two doors, one
! ell the landing they met. There was
brief struggle, and then some one lost his
or her footing and fell. In II moment the
crowd. pushed with irresistible force
| from the rear. crowded upon the pros
trate form and began in turn To stumble
and reel. and presently to fail prone upon
the floor under the myrinds of feet COM
ing like a herd of frightened buffaloes
| from behind. In less time than il takes
to tell it, the landing was packed twenty
or thirty deep with the panic-stricken
multitude and the hundreds behind themi
were struggling over them to reach the
street.
Crushed and Sufrocated.
The tumult attracted an Immense crowd
from the out side. many of whom tried 10
gain entrance to the theater, thus adding
to the confusion. A dozen policemen,
also attracted by the shrcks Of the fright
ened crowd, hurried to the scene. and,
using their clubs on those outside, pushed
through the door. to the writing mass
on the landing. Ambulances carried the
dead to the morgue and the wounded 10
the city hospital, wherever practicable.
In many cases the slightly injured and in
few cases those badly hurt were taken
to their homes by friends.
When the mass OH the landing had been
cleared the frightened people on the in
side were quoted down sufficiently To en-
able the police to clear the theater Then
it was found that there had been no dam
ger. and that not a soul would have been
injured had the audience but remained
seated. Few of the victims had friends
or relatives who are able to speak the
English language sufficiently well To
make themselves understood, or enough
knowledge of the ways of this country
to know where to go to look for their lost
ones. The dead are of all ages, from mere
infants to gray-haired men and women
All were killed or injured in the terrific
crush on the fatal landing. not Il cas-
ualty having happened inside the house,
although the crush there was tremendous.
History of the Structure.
The thcater is an old, tumblc-down
affair, on the west side of Front street,
between Gay and Low. 1t has not been
used for theatrical purposes for several
years, but has recently been the scene Of
many glove contests under the auspices Of
the Eureka Athletic Club The method
of egress is confined entirely to two mar
row doorways opening upon the stairways
leading down to the narrow landing upon
which the tragedy occurred, aud the
house has long been considered too I'M
safe to be put to public use.
The theater was first opened to the pub
lie in 1920, but nine years later was burn
ed. and the present structure took it's
place. Jenny Lind, Macready, Charlotte
Cushman and many other notabies per-
formed there. and in 1864 it was the scene
of the Republican national convention
which nominated Abraham Lincoln for
the Presidency and Andrew johnson for
the second place on the ticket. The con-
vention ut which the Democrats nomi-
mated Stephen A. Douglas. after adjourn
ing from Charleston, S. c.. in 1850. was
also held in the old building, and during
its session a panic was started by the Civ
ing away of the flooring which had been
laid over the pit.