The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1904-01-08
HCAC0 Observation-Disclosures:
|DEA THuST REACHES 564

through which a strong draft was
formed, aided by the doors, which had
peen thrown open in the front Of tha
theater. The flames shot. roaring
itongue-shaped, through the opening
over the heads of the people on the first
llloor, almost licking the faces of those
M the nrst balcony. and s~mothering
many where they sat.
Explosion Starts Horror.
Immediately following the rush Of
flames came an explosion, which lifted
the entire roof of the theater from its
walls, shattering the great skylight
into fragments. a hail Of glass. the
lettering galleries, the quakins Of the
building and a cry Of fire. from sew
efal persons In the rear started the
panic. The entire audience rose as one
person and made for the doors,
1t is believed that the explosion was
caused by the flames coming in contact
with the gas reservoirs of the theater.
VIII j. Davis, manager OF the the
alter, said after the catastrophe that If
the people had remained in their seats
ana a not been excited by the cry of
fire and other noises not a single life
would have been lost.
This is, however, contradicted by the
firemen, who found numbers of people
sitting in their seats, their faces direct
ed toward the stage as If the perform
ance was still going on. 1t was the
opinion Of the 11resnen thai these peo-
pie had been suffecated at once by the
flow of gas which came from behind
the asbestos curtain.
AS near as can be estimated about
1900 persons were in the theater. Three
hundred of these We're on the first
floor. the remainder being in the BAL
comics and in the aisles back of them.
Architecture of Theater.
The theater is modelled after the
Opera Comieue in Paris. From the rear
of each balcony there are three doors
leading out to passageways toward the
front Of the theater. Two Of these door
ways are at the end Of the balcony, n
being in the center.
Most of the spectators, in the rush
for the outer air, seem to have chosen
to flee to the left entrance and to at
tempt to make their way down the
eastern stairway leading into the lob
by. Outside Of the people burned and
s~utfocated by gas, it was in these two
doorways on the first and second BAL
comics that the greatest loss of life oc-
Cured. When the flremen entered the
building the dead were found stretched
In a pile reaching from the head Of
the stairway at least eight feet from
the door back to a point about five feet
III lle rear OIL the DOOR. u
This mass of bodies at the center
doorway reached within two feet of the
top of the hall. All the corpses al this
point We're women and children. Here
a fight for life took place thai dis
mantled many persons in death. This
is shown by the aspect of the bodies
as they lay when found.
Women on top of these masses Of dead
had been overtalien by death as they
ira uyIN6 m h1y ri ~-1A .- A.
bodies of those who had died before. 9th
ers lay with arms stretched out in the d.
rection of life and safety, holding in their
hands fragments of garments not their
own. They had evidently been torn from
the bodies of others whom they had en-
deavored to pull down and trample under
FOOT as they fought for life.
Scenes Of Horror.
As the police reviewed layer after layer
of dead in these doorways the sight be-
came so sickening that policemen and fire
men. hardened as they are to horrible
scenes, turned away In horror. The bodies
were In such an inextricable mass. and
so tightly were they damned 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 a leg or arm or a piece
of clothing and pull with main strength.
dragging several entwined bodies away
together.
Policemen and fremen worked at the
task with tears running down their cheeks.
and the sobs OF other rescuers could be
heard IN the street.
A number OF men were compelled to
abandon the work and seek the open air.
while Others whose nerves had not as yet
been shakSn, proceeded with the untan-
Cling.
A Whited SepuIcher.
There were fears that In the base
ment, beneath ten feet of muddy wa
ter, would be found more Victims OF
the smoke and flames. The big fire en-
g1nes that had deipsea the place were
10 being utilized to draw forth dozens
OF streams of thick, murky water from
the basement, while a dozen firemen in
hip boots made q thorough search Of
the basement for bodies. l.
The exterior Of the tleater presents
almost the same appearance as before,
but its interior marked 1t as a true
whited sepulcher- Among the thou
sands OF bits of brilliantly colored glass
in the f1ghs against the
flames lay many scorched bits of cloth
ing and occasional fragments OF
charred bodies.
From the upper galleries the view
was a reminder Of a burned out vol
crater. In a saloon near the the
alter was guarded a huge pile Of gar
ments and furs gathered up in the the
after the fire.
Five bushel baskets were filled with
the purses, gloves and handkerchief
OF the fleeing mob OF terror-stricken
women.
Two barrels were needed to hold the
overshoes, and SHOES were found. The
great center OF excitement was Roll
ston's morgue, to which the majority
Of the dead were taken. All the
morgues were surrounded, but about
Rolston's were massed hundreds Of
men, and surrounding them, like a huge
fan, spread hundreds Of weeping Wom-
en- and children.
Tho Morgues Besieaed.
The numerous police stationed there
could not begin to handle the crowds,
and extra details were hurried to the
besieged morsue. On a lesser scale the
same fearful siege was in progress at
the various other morgues.
e. G. Frady. president Of h Stroll
Der Piano company, today after un-
ceasing search found hve dead of a
theater party Of six headed by his
wife. Each n was found at a differ
.nt morgue, One.is still missing. Those
ID Identified were Mrs. Lillian NJ. Frady,
Mrs. J. Fl. spindler, FrAdy's sister,
Eurdette Spindler, aged 10, Leon Frady.
aged 10. Mrs. William Rise, sister of
is still missing.