The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1904-01-08

with the smoke curliEg abcat them.
everything plunged in absolute dark
/ ness. not even az friendly lantern to
show them the way out OF this dance
OF death.
The theatre, with its classic outlines,
beautiful plush hangings, the arched
windows. with their stained glass, ana
the stately pillars became morgue IN
| FIVE minutes after the first little flame
made its way along the stage.
Women who had managed by
| strength or terror to get into the aisle,
found their awful ending in mingled
doom OF smoke and fire and tearing OF
! limbs in the aisles and in the open
space back of the seats. Dozens OF
(; Others, swept, carried, dragged or
thrown ont to the stairways and even
beyond them to the landings in actual
sight OF the daylight that streamed
! through the big front doors in sight OF
/ the throngs outside, with fire wagons
and the smoking horses. died in great
! ma ssesr .a--md IL feet high, limbs MIN
gle-- anlly together, clothing buri1-
ed off and faces caught in Their. last
agones all turned toward the doors
| they could not reach.
From windows at the north and west
end OF the building they streameGd
blinded by the smoke and crazed beylves
/ any possibility OF helping therof the
| farther or OF taking ADVANTAGE unper
aid extended to them fronnp the TIE
floors OF the buildings
atre. H. las a
Ladders, planks, Jssiblv serve to as
thing that could satures in their battle
/, sist these poorfigged and turned into
! for life wersew got across alive. Rap
bridges, DIickened corpse after another
idly one Ed along until every building
was p2 north and west side was filed
on | them.
wiBarely five minutes after the first
,iralarm was turned in fremen were strug-
| Cling into the theatre, making their way
in some miraculous manner, though
the maddened mob was pouring out
OF the auditorium, doing what little
they could not only to check the fire,
which was fast turning the whole in
terror shell into a cauldron, but to res
| cue the frantic hundreds in the upper
baconies by ladders stretched from the
main floor.
a few-3o at most-were rescued in
this way. and then the hremen after
controlling the flames abandoned their
| lengths OF hose to go with the gather
| ing police and make their way to the
| horrors that waited for them Oil the
upper stairways and in the balcony
| seats. Here was no more struggling.
no more frantic haste Hundreds with
homes in every part of the city still
showing at their windows Christmas
wreaths, still filled with the decora-
tons OF the holiday season. lay be-
yond all thought of worldly things in
silent heaps OF death.
| And still outside the main entrance
10 the building many passersby at
tracted by the presence OF the fire en-
gines had no knowledge Of the fearful
disaster inside Tens OF thousands
passed and repassed within a block
without knowing it. Hundreds OF po-
lice officers stationed in the roadway
were asking one another if there had
been any among the audience badly
hurt
But when from the inside began to
stream procession Of hremen carrying
between them the charred bodies OF
those who little while before had
been happy in the enjoyment of an af-
ternoon's pleasure the scene without
changed as il by magic. From every
business street Of the city men whose
wives and families had gone to the mat
inee. came with white faces and eyes
blinded with tears TO the theatre and
screamed like madmen the names OF
those they were seeking. Many of
them found their loved ones safe but
still half crazed in surrounding stores
and hotels Others discovered them
among the dead by some particle of
dress, half-charred hair ribbon, shoe
or locket.
Eyewitnesses of the Iroquois fire de-
clare that no words. can begin to de-
scribe the pandemonium that occurred
nor the frenzy OF the men and women.
Among the hundreds of persons who
rushed to the rescue when the call OF
fire was heard on the streets was Bish-
OPP Samuel Fallows, who happened TO
be passing the theatre Without fear
or hesitation he made his way'ti1fougIi
the darkness that was intensified by the
volume of smoke which filled the audi
forum to the top gallery and assisted
in carrying out the victims.
God forbid that ever again see
such heartrending sightW said the
Bishop later II have been in wars
and upon the bloody field OF battle, but
in all my experience | have never seen
anything hall so gruesome as the sight
that met my eyes, when. with the aid OF
tiny lantern, was finally able to pen
citrate the inky blackness OF that bal
cony.
There was pile OF twisted and
bleeding bodies 10 feet high. with
blackened faces and remnants OF char
red clothing clinging to them. Some
were alive and moaning in their agony.
Others. and by far the greater number,
were dead. ! assisted in carrying many
OF the injured down and ministered to
them the best could" ---7---
Sparks From Ine WIPES.