The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1903-12-31

reservoirs of the theater, causing them
to burst.
AS near as can be estimated at the
present time about 1900 people were
In the theater. Three hundred of these
were on the first floor, the balance be-
ing In the two upper balconies and in
the Railways back of them.
The theater is modelled after the
Opera Comique in Paris. and from the
rear OF each balcony there are three
doors leading out TO passageways to-
ward the front Of the theater. Two of
these doorways are at the end of the
balcony and one being in the center.
The audience in its rush for the outer
air seems to have for the greater part
chosen to fee to the left entrance and
to attempt to make its way down the
eastern stairway leading into the lobby
of the theater.
Outside Of the people burned and sur
focated ny gos it was in these two
doorways on the first and second bal
comics that the greatest loss of life Oc-
Cured Vixen the hremen entered the
building the dead were found stretched
In a pile reaching from the head of the
stairway at least eight feet from the
ioor back to a point about five feet H.
he rear vi the door
This mass of dead bodies in the cen
ter of the doorway reached to within
two feet of the top Of the passaEeway
All Of the curpses at this point were
women and children. The fight for life
which must have taken place at these
two points is something that is simply
beyond human power adequately to de-
scribe. Only a faint idea of its horror
tould be derived from the aspect of the
bodies as they lay Women on top OF
these masses of dead had been over
taken by death as they were crawling
On their hands and knees over the bod.
les of those who had died before
The bodies were in such an inextrica.
bic mass and so tightly were they jam.
med between the sides of the door and
the walls that it was impossible to lift
them one by one and carry them out
The only possible thing to do was to
seize limb or some other portion OF
the body and pull with main strength.
Men worked at the task with tears run.
ming down their cheeks, and the sobs
Of the rescuers could be heard even in
the hall below where this awful scene
was being enacted. A number of the
men were compelled to abandon their
task and give it over to others whose
nerves had not as yet been shaken by
the awful experience.
AS one by one the bodies were drag
ged out of the water soaked, blackened
mass of corpses the spectacle became
more and more heartrending. There
were women whose clothing was torn
completely from their bodies above the
waist, whose bosoms had been tram
pied into a pulp and whose faces were
marred beyond Identification.
The theater had been constructed but
a short time, and all its equipment was
not yet in place This was unfortunate
ly the case with a fire escape in the |
rear OF the building. The small iron
balconies to which the iron ladders |
were to be attached were up, but the |
ladders had not yet been constructed.
When the panic was at Its height q
great number of women ran for these |
Gre escapes, only TO find as they |
emerged from the doorway upon the |
little iron platform that they were thir-
ty to fifty feet from the ground, hre |
behind and no methsd OF escape III
front.
Those who reached the platform first
endeavored to hold their footing and to
keep back GIe crowd that pressed upon
them from the rear The effort was ut
terly useless, and in a few moments
the iron ledges were jarnmed with |
crowds of women, who screamed,
fought and tore at each other like ma
MACS This lasted hut brief interval |
and the rusl from the interior Of Tie |
building beca NJ ;" violent hat many |
lst. Il 4 Nnll Ars.l