The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1897-07-31
PANIC AT PADUCAH.
Burning Of the Casino Summer
Theater Building.
Fifty Persons Painfully Burned and n Hun,
dred Nearly Trampled to Death
Three or -Four Children Re.
ported Missing.

PADUcAH. KY, July 24-The Casino
summer theater building at Ramona
park was burned Friday night at ten
o'clock. A performance was being
given, and there were about 600 people
present when the fire broke out, caused
by fireworks display on the stage. The
audience was panic-stricken. Over 200
persons were injured by being burned,
and many were trampled almost to
death. SIEVE raj of the actors were pain.
fully burned.
The building was covered with tar
paper, and was in a mass of flames in
a minute. At midnight it was reported
that three or four children had per
ished in the flames.
Women and children emerged from
the burning building with their cloth
ing ablaze. All the doctors in the city
were required to look after the in
jured. Col. Reuben Rowland and his
wife were seriously injured in the
stampede.
~vERITABLE FIRE TRAP.
The Casino theater building vas a
mammoth frame structure, and the
roof being of tar-board paper, the
flames devoured it in a few minutes.
The burned building was located about
three miles from the city and was a
great resort for women and children
on hot summer evenings. The audi
ence last night numbered 600 persons,
and was composed principally of wom-
en- and children. The Bourne theatrical
company was producing In the Streets
of New York"
In the third act, when the street fire
scene was being produced by the use
of excelsior Mapped about wires, a
lamp exploded. ndinstantly the flames
spread to the roof of the building. The
curtain was at this juncture raised, and
when the audience saw the mass of
flames a panic followed, and men, wom-
en- and children ran over each other.
About fifty persons were painfully
burned, and at least 100 others injured
by being trampled upon.
There were many women and chill
dren rescued from the burning build
ing by brave men, who themselves
were burned in the undertaking. At
the front and side entrances men,
women and children were piled upon
each other several feet in depth. Those
who were not in jured fed in every di-
rection to their homes, not taking
street cars, which were in waiting to
bring the patrons of the show back to
the city. The doctors w ere kept busy
for several hours looking after the
needs of the injured.
MANY INJURED.
The report that three persons had
persisted in the flames could not be
verified at a late hour. Many had their
limbs ~sprained and broken in the STAN.
pede which followed the breaking put
of the conflagration. Manager Bourne,
of the theatrical company, and his wife
were seriously burned in making their
escape. Two new pianos and costly
wardrobes of several of the actors were
burned with the building.
The list of those most seriously
burned, as near as could be ascer-
tanned, is as follows: Manager Bourne
and wife, Col. r. Rowland and wife,
Miss Cora Clark, Mrs. Brantlev, C. C.
Rose and wife, A. c. Einstein, Fred
Hummel, two children, Miss Grigsby,
Fred Schroeder, Harry Kellor, John
Byng and George c. Wallace's three
children.
Mrs. Lehr was burned, as was also
her children, whom she rescued from
the building as the roof was collapsing.
Mrs. Gregory and her daughter, OF
Yazoo, Miss. were painfully burned.
Harry Gilbert, Hall Waters and Miss
Bleich sustained painful injuries by
being trampled upon.
There were scores of others injured
in this manner. but il is impossible to