Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1896-01-04
THEATER PANIC.
Awful Scenes In a Baltimore Play
House.
Result of False Alarm of Flre-Twenty.
four Persons Crushed TO Death and
Many Others Injurea-Buiid-
Ing Packed Full.

1ALhtMohE, 3uus, Dec. 60 u b6ubc
less panic caused by q defective ga
burner and foolish cry Of fire, ut tn,
old Front Street theater, last night
"a people were killed, two fatally In
jured and ten more seriously hurt. Vi
to one o'clock this morning, but fou
OF the dead had been identified
Almost all the victims IRE Of Polish M
tivity and Hebraic extraction, ant
many OF the injured were taken Il
their homes by friends, rendering 4
almost impossible to get q complet,
list Mt this time.
The thcater, which is probably tn,
Oldest in the city, was filled from pi
to dome with people who had assem-
bled to listen to Hebrew opera, which
has been given in the old house twice
week for the past month. The ticket
Office receipts show that over 400
tickets had been sold when, at eight
o'clock. the sale Of seats was stopped
because there were no more left Gen.
eral admission tickets were SO! d, how.
ever, after this, and 1t was supposed
that there were at least 1900 people
within the walls when tile curtain
went up on the first act. As the ca.
pacity OF the house is less than ., 500
the density Of the crowd may be imag-
incd.
Ten minutes after the Gu tain rose,
one Of the attendants went up to the
second tier to light gas jet which ap.
peared to been extinguishnd. As he
turned the cock and applied match II
was seen that there was no tip to the
burner. The jet was well down to.
ward the stage on the left side of the
house, in plain view Of the greater
part Of the audience, but us the glare
from it showed against the wall, some
one in the gallery shouted, Fire! Firel
Fire!'
In an instant there was q mad
scramble for the door, in which the
whole audience took part. The van
guard OF the terror-stricken multitude
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 and to the left to reach
the double entrance way, built In the
form Of storm door. Passing through
these doors, they reached fight Of
steps, leading from each door, down
ward to n landing, from whence q
broad stairway of moderate height
would have carried them into the
street and to safety. The steps lead
ing from the doorways are but about
five feet high, but the landing ut their
base is narrow. Down these tho
frightened people hustled themselves
In the frightful struggle to reach the
open air, and to escape the certain
death they thought was behind them.
As the crowds from the two doors,
one on the right, and the other on the
left, reached the landing, they met
There was brief struggle. and then
some one lost his or her footing and
fell. In moment the crowd, pushed
with irresistible force from the rear,
crowded upon the PROSTATE form, and
began, in turn, to stumble, reel, and
presently TO fall prone upon the floor
npdcr the myriads of feet coming like
q herd of frightened buffalo from be-
hind.
In less time than II takes to tell II,
the landing was packed 20 or 80 deep
with the panic.stricken multitude, and
the hundreds behind them were strug-
Cling over them to reach the street.
The tumult attracted an immense
crowd from the outside, many Of
whom tried to gain entrance to the
theater, thus adding to the confusion.
A dozen policemen, also attracted by
the shrieks Of the frightened crowd,
hurried TO the scene. and, using their
clubs on those on the outside, pushed
through the door and to the writhing
mass on the landing. When the mass
on the landing had been cleared, the
frightened mob on the inside were
quieted down sufficiently to enable the
police to clear the theater. Then it
was found that there had been 10 dan
ger and that not soul would have
been injured had the audience but re-
NAMED seated.