Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1903-12-31


10 feet high with blackened faces and
remnants OF charred clothing clinging
to them. Some were alive and twisting
and moaning In their agony. Others,
and. oh, by far the greater number,
were dead. | assisted In carrying many
OF the injured down and ministercd TO
them the best i could"
FRANTIC MOTHERS IN CRUSH.
1t was the presence of the children,
hundreds of whom were In ;he audi
ence, and the efforts of their frantic
mothers, impelled by their first thought
to seek the safety of their young, that
caused much Of the pandemonium.
Alexander II. Reyell. who had sent his
little daughter Margaret with little
friend In charge Of a maid to see the
performance, five minutes after the fire
started heard of 1t in his store and
hastily calling a carriage drove madly
to the burning building.
BY the greatest good fortune one OF
the first persons he encountered was
the hystercal maid, who informed him
that the two children had been saved
without injury, Mr.. Revell then has
tened to the theater and participated
In the rescue.
~ worked in the upper balconies"
said he; "the sight OF those poor women
and their little children with clenched
fists raised as though trying to beat
their way to safety and stricken down
in the very act lis too horrible TO at
tempt to describe. But thought OF
how my own little one had been saved
and ! forgot my horror and did all |
could 10 save those who were not so
fortunate. l assisted the police and
firemen in carrying down more than
25 bodies"
Sheriff Barrett and score Of deputies
from his office assisted In carrying out
the injured people and In keeping order
among the mob OF frantic relatives who
thronged the streets In front of the
burning building, vainly seeking infor-
nation that no one could give them.
HEAPS OF MANGLED.
IL have never witnessed such scene
| In all my llfe" said Sheriff Barrett.
| "On all sides were heaps OF manged
| and charred humanity.
1--WE carried out so many injured and
| dead that at last they grew so numer-
| Gus that we were unable 20 keep count
of them. Such dreadful sight | trust
| l will never be called to witness again.
| "Crazed men fought TO get within the
/
ones among the pile OF corpses that
filled every amailable foot OF space.
Strong men with tear-blinded eyes
stood on the Sidewalk and called loudly
| the names of their loved ones, Las though
| there was a chance of the dead hearing.
| We did all we could to lessen their grief,
| but such scenes can never be forgotten
in a lifetime"
SAVED FIFTEEN WITH LADDER.
| Walters and cooks from Thompson
| restaurant, which adjoins the theater
on the east. rescued 10 people by rails
| ing n ladder from the roof of a shed
| to n window In the rear of the build
ing around which window mass OF
screaming women and children were
congregated. g. Little. the head cook.
| mounted to the top OF the ladder and
told them to juamp into his arms.
Fifteen women and children did this
and were passed by Little down to the
other men on the ladder below them.
one woman attempted 10 jump into his
arms before he was ready to take hold
OF her and she fell to the alley fractur-
ing her skull, dying instantly.
One of the marvellous escapes that
was made was by the members OF a
theater party given by Miss Charlotte
| Plamondon of Chicago. The party was
made up of a number of society people;
Miss Elsie Gilmore of Astoria, Or; Miss
Mary Peters OF Columbus. o.. and Miss
Josephine Eddy of Evanston, Ill. Miss
Plamondon was the first Of her party 70
notice the fire. which crawled along the
top of the drop curtain. She called the
attention OF other members of her party
to the blaze and they all watched It.
Miss Plamondon said.
AUDIENCE WATCHED FIRE.
81 could see the little girls and boys
in the orchestra chairs pointing up.
ward to the slowly moving lines OF
| flames, One of the stage hands wear.
Ing overalls appeared before the foot.
lights and requested the audience &c
keep their seats, as there was no dan.
ger.
Eddie Foy hurried to the front of the
stage and commanded the people 10 re.
main calm, saying that IL they wout
keep their seats the danger would be
averted.
THE curtain however, still burned
pieces OF the smoldering cloth falling
into the orchestra pit. An effort was
made by the stage hands 20 arrange III,
curtain SO that the blazing fragment.
would not drop into the pit.
II looked over the faces of the audi
\ ence." said Miss Plammondon. land re
marked how many children were pres
ent. / could see their faces filled viii
interest and their eyes wide open al
they watched the burning curtain.
A WOMAN CRIED FIRE.
Just then the people In the balcony
rose to their feet and crowded forwarC
10 obtain a better view of the fire. Ed
die Foy rushed to the center OF tn,
stage and waved his arms In n gesture
meaning for the people TO be seated. A
that instant woman In the rear OF tn,
place screamed 'Firei' aud the entir,
audience of women and children rose 4
their feet, filed with uncomfortable ter
ror.
In another instant there was a con
fused roar made by thousand people
as they rushed madly from the impend
Ing danger.
ION the stage the chorus girls, whit
had aroused my admiration by thell
exhibition of presence Of mind, turned
10 flee, but many of them were over
come before they could take n step.
Several OF them fell to the floor and
! saw the men In the cast and tn,
stage hands carry them on the stage
Miss Elsie Gilmore was the first e
leave our box. The upholstering ON the
railing was then on 1re and we were
compelled to brush fragments OF the
burning curtain from our clothing In