The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-12-31
HALF 4 THOUSAND.
SOULS PERISH in
FLAMES And
smoke,
(continued from First Paseo
-. \ ! snriato1l l,ress.l

fire In the lrpuuolss Iiicat g 80 ~ ,,,,.,,
ife largest. and, as far as human power ',',
ro,,la mako e. the shfcst theatre In en-.
gs caso Estimates of the dead and lnlu'Ee :!
a vilfy The police account OF the ueau -
Y k6. Tho estimate OF the newspnl'es's -. -
bso Resides this there are iiitS-liNe. peor
lid missing Al midnight, the MAJ l:.s y, ~
whom are probably among INC usMu ~. ~. ~
,nnTDi,e ana various undertaking estab-
lish,ncnts. E,i,shty-slx Of the dead nave
hcen nosItively identified. and ninety-two,
others are known to be injured re-" "a
these people were burned 70 u' ' VI ~ J
ira many were suffocated by gas, ana
scores were trump.ed TO death ~ liiS
pa,1;c that followed the mad plunge ~
the frightened audience for the EMS Us.
II will pc many hours heioro 'he au., ILL.,.
Of dead is accurately known, ana ni man,
nary DAYS before all Of them VIII DC
idnniified. There are bodies lying by Inc
p dozens tonight In tho undertaking rooms
IN the, nollcc stations. and In the hospl,
#ttals from which nearly everything that
A. couid reveal their identity to those VINO
knaw them best Is gone. Their clothing
r. torn to rags or burned 10 cinoers'' anu
s their faces have been crushed lhto .il
understandable pulp by the heeis ~ lll ny
I. crowd that trampled them down as 'theS
fled for safety
FIRST PRODUCTION
Tha rlro broke out during the seconu
net of the play Mr.. Blue Beard winch
was the first dramatic production pre-
scented III the theatre since IT'S cfectloll
The company. which was very large
escaped to the street In safety' neuIlS ~ ~
y of them, however. being compeiIea 20 ne
into the snowy streets Win no cloenins
but their stage costumes q rev mem
Ears OF the company sustained minor in
jures, hut none were ser,ousiy hurt
-r,,s .ccounts If the origin of the fire
are conflicting. and none Of them certain,
but the best reason given ~ that an
s electric wire near the lower part OF "a
piece of drop scenery suddenly broke
and was grounded. The fire spread rap
idly toward the front OF the stage, caus-
ing the members Of the chorus. VINO Ware
then engaged in the performance. TO
= flee to the wings with screams OF terror.
The fire. In itself. w to TINS time. WIS
not serious, and possibly could have been
# checked had not the asbestos curtain
failed to york. AS soon as the fire was
discovered, Eddie Foy, the chief comedian
of the company shouted TO over the
curtain and this was Immediately done.
IT descended about half way and then
stuck.
THE fire was thus given practically a
A flue through which strong draft was
4 setting, aided by the doors. which mao
been thrown open In the front Of the
theatre.
With a roar and bound the flames
shot through the opnnlas ovef ene nes ~,
+ Of the people on the first 1907, ana,
reaching up to thos.e IN the llrst oai-
,srony, caught them and burned l'eha 70
death where they sal.
4 immediately VI, FOLLOWING TINS rus y OF
g flames there came An explosion, Whlch
\ lifted the entire roof OF the theatre rom
!. n Il
unto fragments. as soon us ING ll'tit'ea
lfirst appeared beyond ne curtain n man
I'm the "aar OF the htlit shouted elTc'
Fire. and the entire audlenco rose DIS
ore person and made forsthe doors.
1t Is believed that tho explosion was
caused by the flames coming IN contact
with the gas reservoirs OF the thcatre'
causing them TO burst.
4 VIII J. Davis, manager OF the 'hsatre'
said after the cat"strophe that u me
people had remained IN their seats ana
had not been excited by tho cry OF ire,
¬ single life would have been lost
This Is. however, contradictcd By the
statements OF the frernen, who round
numbers Of people sitting In their seats,
their faces directed toward tbs stage as
If the performance was still going on. 1t
PEOPLE had been suffocated ut once by
III, flow of gas. which came from behind
& the asbestos curtain,
,rr1,, ,rr,,r r1o1,s,N,,
Dfsi- IT,, l..,.,' o.A.D 49,.
As near II .S:,ii T.. ~ estill.h,eu ~ .i,e ~.
present ti!pe an2n. 10y, people were N
me theatre 1hree hundred OF 1heso
were On inc first floor; the balance belns
IN the TWO upper balconies ana IN the
railways back or them.
The theatre Is modelled after the Opera
Comique in Paris, and from the rear
Of each balcony there are three doors
leading out to passageways towards the
front Of the theatre. Two of thcs., door
ways are at the end Of the balcony and
one In the center.
The audience. in its rush for the outer
air. seems to have, for The prant mart,
chosen to flee Ia the left entrance md n
attcmnt "a mako its usv down tbo nnet
ern stairway ,.o1;np into ,ra in,,by -,
~ ,Io.trn ntst,'af ~ 49,, ~ l,,,,.,, y,
ava .,,ff,n,,nd ~. IL nuVp'I
,,ra d.',.,ra,. ~ -, 10 e. 80 "a .ns nv. !,
.n,o nGa, M ~, ~ ins' ~, n'lu ssc1,tu
a s''a. vac sfeaes' 'oSs OIL NE
Il otSu''Su'
w., - D ..T.I. ~ LES,
~, ~, ne .lietiisn entered INC p'iilulnR
.na nsuu t %sre touhu s.retcheu IN PIC
rtaI..ins l,pn. ne mead OF the stairway
a. iea .et .tsh. tee. from tie door oach
u