The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1904-01-06

society people Of this city: Miss Elsie
Elmore, of Astoria, Oregon; Miss May
Peters, of Columbus, Ohio, and Miss
Josephine Eddy, of Evanston, Ills.
Miss PIamondon was the first of her
party to notice the fire, which crept
along the top of the drop curtain. She
called the attention of the other mem
bers of the party to the blaze and they
all watched it. Miss Plamondon said :
st could see little girls and boys in
the orchestra chairs pointing upward to
the slowly moving line of fame. One
of the stage hands wearing overalls
appeared before the footlights and re-
quested the audience to keep their
seats, as there was no danger. Eddie
Foy hurried to the front of the stage
and commanded the people to remain
calm, saying that if they would keep
their seats the danger would be avert
ed. The curtain, however, still burn
ed, pieces Of the smouldering cloth
falling into the orchestra pit. An
effort was made by the stage hands to
arrange the curtain so that the blazing
fragments would not drop into the pit.
looked over the faces of the audience
and remarked how many Children we're
present. I could see their faces filled
with interest and their eyes wide open
as they watched the burning curtain.
Just then the people in the balcony
rose to their feet and crowded forward
to obtain better view Of the fire.
Eddie Foy rushed to the centre Of the
stage again and waved his arms in a
gesture meaning for the people to be
seated. At that instant woman in
| the rear of the place screamed Fire y
and the entire audience Of women and
children rose to their feet filed with
uncomfortable terror. In another in
stant there WAS a confused roar made
by a thousand people as they rushed
nladly from the impending danger.
son the stage the chorus girls, who
| had aroused my admiration because Of
their presence of mind, turned to fee,
but many of them were overcome be-
fore they could take a step. Several
of them fell to the floor and saw men
il the cast and the stage hands carry
them off the stage. Miss Elsie
Elmore was the first to leave our box.
The upholstering on the railing was
! then on fire and we were compelled to
brush fragments of the burning curtain
from our clothes in order to prevent
them catching fire. Then there came
great roar and a great draft of air
and. the flames shot out over the
parouette of the theatre until it seem
ed to me as though they must reach
the very front walls of the building.
There were but few men in the audi
ence, but saw several of them pull
ing and pushing women and children
| aside as they fought like maniacs to
reach the exits. l saw a number OF
little children trampled under foot
and none of them arose again. In the
balcony the scene was beyond my
power to describe. There was a big
black crush of human beings, each
one apparently fighting everybody else.
The balcony was so steep that many
fell before they had left the first four
rows of seats. The exits to the fire
escapes were choked and those in the
rear rushed with all the strength they
possessed upon those who were nearer
the doorway.
cit was almost incredible, the speed
with which the flames ran throuh the
scenery, and although was bus 8
second after Miss Elmore in jumping
over the railing of our box to the aisle
in front the stage was mass Of
flames. AS started up the aisle &
man rushed into me and knocked me
down. I was SO terror stricken that
grew weak and sank into one of the
orchestra chairs, and after that
hardly remember anything. In some
way I reached the main entrance.
where men were kicking against the
doors and shattering the glass anc
panels in their attempt to afford {
larger space for the exit Of the people.
Many fell as they reached the doors,
where few steps more would have
carried them to fresh air and safety.
AS I look at it now / must have beer
walking on prostrate bodies as
struggled through the opening All
of our party escaped in about the same
manner as I did. but all of them
suffered SO terribly in the matter 0!
clothing that the first thing they did
was to rush to the stores to buy wraps
to cover them"
WHAT THE HOUSE FIREMAN DID.
William G. Sellers, the house fire.
man, who was severely burned in
trying to lower the asbestos curtain,
describes the scene on the stage and
the cause of the fire as follows:
81 was standing in the wings when
I heard the explosion and then i'm
mediately afterward cry of fire from
the stage and all over the theatre.
Looking up, saw that the curtain
was ab]aze end at once I ran for the
fire curtain. We got it half way down
when the wind, rushing in from the
| broken skylights. bellied it out so that