The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1904-01-08
the scene on the stage and the cause Of
the fire. as follows:

the scene on the stage and the cause OF
the fire, as follows:
II was standing in the wings when I
heard the explosion. and then immedi-
ately afterward a cry of fire on the
stage and all over the theater. Look
ing up. I saw that the curtain was
curtain. We got 1t half way down.
when the wind, rushing in from the
broken skylights. bellied it out 80 that
1t caught and we could not bulge 1t.
With the stage hands climbed to
where 1t was suspended, and together
we tried to push it down. Our efforts
were futile, and seeing that no man
the stage was a mass of flames.
turned my attention to warning the
actors and trying to save those who
We're in trouble. The women were fran
tic. and the men not much better.
stood at the stairway leading to the
dressing rooms where the chorus girls
We're, and kept some from going up to
get their street clothes AS the others
came down 1 forced them to leave the
building. I don't know how they ever
got out, all those girls and men, who
came crowding down the stairs for the
stage entrance was blocked by mass
OF flames"
~ 6to1OPs
Among the hundreds of persons who
rushed to the rescue when the call of
fire was heard on the streets was
Bishop Samuel Fallows. who was pass
ing the theater. Without hesitation he
made his way through the darkness
and smoke to the top gallery and as
sisted in carrying out the victims.
"God forbid that ever again see
such a heartrending sight" said the
bishop last night. II have been in
wars and on the bloody field of battle,
but in all my experience 1 have never
seen anything half SO grewsome as the
sight that met my eyes when, with
the aid of a tiny lantern. 1 was finally
able to penetrate the inky darkness of
twisting and bleeding bodies ten feet
high, with blackened faces and rem
nants of charred clothing clinging to
them. Some We're alive and moaning
in their agony. Others, and by far the
greater number, We're dead
The presence of children, hundreds
of whom were in the audience, and the
efforts of frantic mothers to save their
young caused much of the pandemon-
ium.
Alexander H. Revell, who had sent
his little daughter Margaret with
friend in charge of maid to see the
performance. heard of the fire soon af-
ter it started.
He drove hurriedly from his store to
the burning theater. One of the first
persons he encountered was the maid,
who informed him that the two chill
dren had been saved without injury.
Mr.. Revell then hastened into the the
ater and participated in the rescue.
Horrors of the Balconies.
Il worked in the upper balconies"
said he. THE sight of those women
and their little children, with their
clenched fists raised as though trying
to beat their way to safety, and then
stricken down in the very act, is too
horrible to attempt to describe. I as
sisted in carrying down more than.
twenty bodies.'
Sheriff Barrett and score of depu-
ties assisted in carrying out injured
people and keeping order among the
mob of frantic relatives.
Il have never before witnessed such
scene in all my life" said Sheriff
Barrett. "On all sides were heaps of
mangled and charred humanity. We
carried out so many injured and dead
that we We're unable to keep count of
them. Crazed men fought to get with
in the corridors, thinking to find their
loved ones among the piles of corpses.
Men stood on the sidewalk and called
loudly the names of wives and children,
as though the dead might hear them"
E. Leavitt, ticket taker at the the
alter. was at the main entrance. He
burst open the three double doors and
then ran to turn in fire alarm.
II heard the cry and saw the crowd
rushing for the door," said he. II
could not see the fire, and did not
think it was so bad as it really was.
When the first of the frenzied audi
ence reached the outside door tried to
calm them, but in less than minute
C1y fl,.lt nd T L,,,,
open the doors. Then I ran for a fire
alarm box. Coming back, assisted in
the rescue as much as l could, but was
overrun with the terrified crowd that
pushed and showed each other out of
the doorway, and l was caught in the
mass of struggling humanity and car
ried out to the street"
Miss Plamondons Description.
A theater party given by Miss Char
lotte e. Plamondon of Chicago had a
narrow escape. The party was made
up Of a number OF Chicago young
women and Miss Elsie Elmore of AS
toria, Ore, and Miss Mary Peters of
Columbus, o. Miss Plamondon was
the first of her party to notice the fire.
She called the attention of other mem
bers of her party to the blaze, and
they watched it, Miss Plamondon said:
II could see little girls and boys in
the orchestra chairs pointing upward
One of the stage hands, wearing over
alls, appeared before the footlights and
requested the audience to keep their
seats, as there was no danger. Eddie
Foy then 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
averted. The curtain, however, stiH
burned, pieces of the smoldering cloth
falling into the orchestra pit. An ef-
fort was made by the stage hands to
arrange the curtain SO that the blazing
fragments dropped in the pit. l looked
over the faces of the audience and re-
marked how many children were pres
ent. l could see their faces filed with
interest and their eyes wide open as
they watched the burning curtain.
Just then the people in the bal
cony rose to their feet and crowded
forward to obtain a better view of the
fire. Eddie F'oy rushed to the center of
the stage again and waved his arms in
gesture meaning for the people TO
be seated. At that instant woman in
the rear seats screamed Fire and
the entire audience rose to its feet. In
another instant there was confused
roar made by thousand persons as
they rushed medly from the impending
danger.