The Gainesville star. [volume] (Gainesville, Fla.) 1903-19??, 1904-01-05

one and carry them out. The only
possible thing to do YVES to seize limb
or some other portion of the body and
pull with main strength.
Men worked at the task with tears
running 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 men were compelled to
abandon their task and give 1t 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
trampled into a pulp and whose faces
were marred beyond all power Of iden-
tihcation.
Origin Of the Fire.
The accounts Of the origin OF the
fire are conflicting and none Of them
certain, but the best reason given is
that an electric wire near the lower
part Of piece of drop scenery sudden.
ly broke and was grounded. The fire
spread rapidly to the front OF the
stage, causing the members Of the
chorus, who we're then engaged In the
performance to fee to the wings with
screams Of terror. The fire In Itself up
to this time was not serious, and pos
slbly could have been checked had not
the asbestos curtain failed TO work.
AS soon as the fire was discovered,
Eddie Foy, the chief comedian of the
company, shouted to lower the curtain,
and this was Immediately done. 1t de-
scended about half way and then
stuck, The fire thus was given practi-
cally fue through which strong
draft was setting, aided by the doors,
which had been thrown open In the
front Of the theatre.
With a roar and bound the flames
shot through the opening over the
heads OF the people on the first floor,
and reaching clear up to those In the
FIRST balcony, caught them and burned
them to death where they sat. Imme-
dlately following the rush OF the flames
there came an explosion, which lifted
the entire roof OF the great theatre
from It's walls, SCATTERING the immense
skyllght into fragments.
As soon rs the flames first appeared
by the curtain q man In the rear Of
the hall shouted Fire" Fire" and
the entire audience rose as one per-
son and made for the doors. II is be-
lieved that the explosion was from the
flames coming in contact with the gas
reservoirs OF tho theatre, causing them
! 10 burst
VIII T. Davis, manager OF the thea
tire, said after the catastrophe, that II
the people had remained In their seats
and had not been excited by the cries
OF Are, not single life would have
been lost. This is, however contra
dlcted by the statements of the fire.
men, who round numbers .: people sit
ting in their seats, their faces directed
toward the stage as II the performance
was still going on. II was the opinion
OF the fremen that these people had
been suffocated at once by the flow OF
gas which came from behind the as
bestos curtain.
AS near as can be estimated at the
present time, about thirteen hundred
people were in the theatre. Three hun
dred OF these were on the first floor,
the balance being in the upper balco'
nIes and in the Railways back OF them,