The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1900-12-11

ent.. When, the flames were seen at the
| windows, an.,Rttempt was made by.
members of the troupe to allay the fears
of the persons in the audience. The an
nouncement was made that there was
no occasion for alarm, and that there
was sufficient time for everybody to
| escape. .
Coolness prevailed among the larger
number of those present, but the cry Of
fire was sounded by some one in the up
per part of the building. This caused
intense alarm and II was imminent that
a panic would occur
STAGE HANDS WARNING.
The stage hands, among them Chas.
Hardwick, ran forward upon the stage
and announced that the fire was in an
adjoining building and that there
should be no crushing or pushing. as
there was plenty of time for the people
to leave the house.
In the meantime the front doors of
the opera house were thrown open, and
within two minutes the house was
emptied, from gallery to the lower floor.
A woman, whose name could not be
learned, stumbled while descending q
stairway. Several men rescued her
from the crowd that was pressing on
ward toward the door, and they suc-
ceeded in taking her outside and turn
ing her over to friends. She was not
seriously injured. Naturally, this ac-
cident had some effect on some of the
women in the audience and several of
them nearly tainted. But the people
moved out in manner that was not the
least panicky.
The stage hands observed that the
flames would scorch the woodwork in
the opera house and they played streams
of water upon the inside of the build
ing. They succeeded in preventing the
flames from entering. About a foot of
water covered the floor in the extreme
western aisle, where the boys had play
ed the hose. Manager Barber, after
ward, thanked them and congratulated
them on their prudence and coolness.
A BLAZE ON THE ROOF.
At one time a small flame was seen
darting from the roof of the building,
but hole was cut through the roofing
and the blaze was eXtinguished.
Mr.. Barber stated that the loss to the
opera house building could not be as
certained until after the insurance ad-
justers have visited 1t. and arranged
their claims, but it will amount to sew
eral hundred dollars. Every window
on the west side of the building was
cracked by the intense heat.
Company G., which has a large equip
ment in the armory in the opera house
block, on the third floor, succeeded in
removing everything before the building
was in danger.
]. H. KENNY'S ESCAPE.
Mr. III. Kenny, of the firm of Kenny
Brothers. with his wife and an emp,oye
named Hayler, were in the basement of
the building marking some goods which
had recently arrived. r. b. Kenny,
who was upstairs when the fire started,
ran down the steps and announced that
the store was ablaze. All three as
cended the stairway and entered the
carpet room. just in the rear of the
store, on the south side. They discerned
the flames in the front part of the store
and the danger consequent upon their
starting out that wayrp cd sr,r
Mr.. Kenny jumped, out of rear
door, followed by Mrs. Kenny and Mr..
Hayler. Neither was injured. The. dis
tance to the ground was about ten
feet They started toward Eighth
street and got away from the proximity
of the building. ea
CUT BY A TRANSOM.
Mr. r. b. Kenny made his escape
through the south front door. but was
struck by a falling transom and badly
cut and bruised.
SAVED THE CASH BOX.
AS the clerks made their escape, Miss
Lulu Myers, the cashier. brushed the
proceeds of the days sales into an
apron and started out of the building
with her precious load. A large sum
of money, the proceeds Of Friday, had
been kept in metal receptacle, which
WAS stored In the Safn-- II iS helieyaI