The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1904-01-06

The fire broke out during the second
act of the play "Mr. Bluebeard," the
first production in the theater since
its erection.
The theatrical company, which was
very large. escaped to the street in
safety. nearly all of tham. however. be-
ing compelled to flee into the snow
with no clothing but their stage cos
tunes A few members OF the COM
pany sustained minor injuries but none
were seriously hurt
Grounded Electric Wire Caused Blaze.
The accents OF the origin of the
Fl e are CO" ic,ing and none of them
certain hut the best reason given is
that an ell ctric wire near the lower
p9rt Of niece Of drop scenery broke
and grounded. setting the scenery
ablaze. The fire spread rapidly to-
warl the front of the stage. causing
the members Of the chorus who we're
then engaged in the performance to
flee to the wings with screams of ter
ror.
AS soon as the fire was discovered
Eddie Foy. the comedian of the COM
rany, shouted to lower the curtain. IL
descended about half way and then
stuck The fire was thus given prac-
tically a fue through Nich a strong
draught set to the doors which hal
been thrown open in the front of tho
theater With roar and bound the
flames shot out through the opening
over the heads Of the people on the
first floor and up to those in the first
balcony. caught them and burnad them
to death.
Immediately following this rush Of
flames there came an explosion which
lifted the entire roof of the theater
from its walls, shattering the great
skylights into fragments.
1t is believed that the explosion was
caused by the flames coming in con-
tact with the gas reservoirs of the
theater, causing them to burst.
AS near as can be estimated about
1900 people were in the theater Three
hundred of these were on the first
floor. the balance being in the two up
per balconies, and in the Railways back
of them.
Outside of the people burned and
suffocated by gas 1t was in these two
doorways on the first and second bal
comics that the greatest loss Of life oc.
Cured. When the firemen entered the
building the dead were found stretched
in pile reaching from the head OF the
stairway at least eight feet from the
door back to a point about five feet in
the rear of the door.
This mass of dead bodies in the cen
ter Of the doorway reached to within
two feet of the top of the passageway
All of the corpses at this point were
women and children.
Horrible Fight For Life.
The fight for life which must have
taken place at these two points is
something that is simply beyond hu-
man power to adequately describe.
Only faint idea of its horror could
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
bodies OF those who had died before.
The bodies were in such an inextric'
able mass and so tightly were they
jammed between the sides of the door
and walls that it was impossible to lift
them one by one and carry them out.
The only possiN'e 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
running down their cheeks andthe sobs
OF the rescuers could be heard even in
the hall below where this awful scene
was being enacted.