The herald., 1897-12-25

exhibit ablaze. Crossed electric light
wires over the exhibit are thought to
have caused the flames. They at first
tried to smother the flames, but before
they secured water and cloth the fire had
spread throughout the entire booth.
Morley, realizing that he and his part
ner would be unable to cope with the
flames, then made an endeavor to save
some Of the most valuale of the X-ray
paraphernalia. Running to the machine
he grasped two Crookes tubes, and, with
Robertson, began fighting his way out
of the building. Before he reached an
exit the tubes, which he held in both
hands, exploded from the heat, severely
lacerating his hands. His hair also
caught fire and he was severely burned
about the head. Robertson was burned
about the face.
About 800 people were in the building
at the time of the fire and at the first
alarm there was a rush for safety. For
tunately the aisles were wide and owing
to the comparatively small number of
people in the building there was little
difficulty in reaching the DOORS Most
Of those endeavoring to escape ran to a
large door on the east side of the build
ing, which Is wide enough to admit a
wagon and team of horses. A crowd of
fully 200 people gathered before this
door, which was found to be locked, and
as the fire was roaring through the
building with great speed it seemed for
few minutes as though none of those
would be able to escape. w. j. Wheeler,
a watchman, saw the trouble and ran to
open the door, but the crowd was packed
in front of it so closely that he had the |
greatest difficulty in opening it. Once
1t swung open, however, the crowd was
in the open air in a few seconds.
During the jam at this point several
people were crushed, but none seriously
injured. The remainder of the people |
made their way through the other doors
and several who were caught in the bal |
cOny were compelled to jump to the
ground from the roof. The balcony is
lined with windows that swing outward, |
and they had no trouble in getting upon
the roof and from there the leap to the
ground was not great.
The firemen were at hand before the
people were all out, and before they
made any effort to fight the flames they
devoted their attention to clearing the
hall of the people. By the time they
were ready to pour on water the flames
had spread with such rapidity that there
was no chance whatever of saving the
building. Within ten minutes after the
fire began the roof was ablaze, and
within a short time after the fire had
appeared on top of the building. One of
the large arches that spanned the build
ing gave way with a tremendous re-
port, and then another and another,
each going down with sound like the
report of a cannon. The building fell
very quickly after the first arch went
down, as the weight was too great for
the arch next to it, and all collapsed.
1t took not over twenty minutes to make
u complete ruin of the building.
The Coliseum cost s250,OO0, and was
wice as large as the Madison Square
garden building of New York. 1t had
loor space of seven acres, including the
ground and gallery floors; was $40 feet
and and 300 feet wide, and contained
100000 pounds of steel, 100000 feet of
imber and 5000. 900 bricks
On August 21, 1885, the first Coliseum.
hen in course of construction, was |
entailing loss of $125000. The I
.ause of the collapse has never been
Known, but it is thought that the last
arch was not placed in position correctly.
The building was to have been opened
IN September of that year by the Bar
lum & Bailey circus, and the contractors
we're rushing the work in order to have
t completed in time. Six hundred men !
lad been working on the building up to I
lalf an hour before the crash came,
which was 11:10 at night Fifty thou
and feet of green lumber, which was to :
ave been used for roofing. was on the
oof of the building at the time, and the 7
weight of this was supposed to have had !,
to do with the accident. =