Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1904-01-07

| running down their cheeks, and the
/ sobs of the rescuers could be heard
even in the hall below as this awful
, scene was being enacted. A number
of men were compelled to abandon and
, give over to others whose nerves had
not as yet been shaken by the awful
experience. AS one by one the bodies
were dragged out Of the water soaked
blackened mass of corpses, heart
rendering scenes multiplied.
WOMEN MANGLEp AND TORN.
There were women whose clothing
was torn completely from their bodies
above the waist, whose bosoms had
been trampIed into a pulp and whose
faces were marred beyond all power
of Identification. In some places they
four deep, where one had fallen and
others tripped over and all had died
where they lay. evidently suffocated
by the gas. Others were bent over
the backs of seats where they had
been thrown by the rush for the doors
and killed without hardly chance to
rise from their seats. One man was
found with his neck bent nearly
double. A woman was found nearly
torn in half by the back of seat, she
having been forced over it face down.
ward.
TRAMPLED TO PULP.
There were scores of people whose
entire face had been trampled by the
heels of those who rushed over them
and in one aisle the body of a man was
found with not the vestage of clothing,
flesh or bone remaining above his
waist line. The entire upper portion
of his body had been cut and carried
away by the feet of those who
trampled him. Search was carefully
made with the hope of finding his head,
but at late hour it had not been dis.
covered and all that will ever tell his
friends who he was is the color and
appearance of the clothing on the
lower limbs and this is in such a con.
dition as to be hardly recognizable.
NO FIRE ESCAPES.
|, The theater was so recently con-
, structed that fire escape ladders were
not yet in place. The balconies to
which they were to be attached were
up. When the panic was at its height
great numbers of women ran for the
fire escape in the alley, only to find
themselves on a small iron platform sc
: to so feet from The ground, with the
fire beside them and no means OF
escape in FROM.
LEAP TO DEATH.
The crowd following pressed upor
: those who reached the platform ant
soon the iron lodges were jammet
: with women, who screamed, tough
: and tore at each other like maniacs
This lasted but a brief interval, an,
the rush from the interior was s.
G violent that many were crowded OF
p and fell to the granite-paved alley be
!. low. Others leaped from the platform
g fracturing legs and arms, and tw
were picked up at this point wit
fractured skulls, having been killed IL
stantly,
RESCUE TOO LATE.
II Men occupying offices endeavored t
II secure ladder to rescue those on tn
. platforms but not finding one caugh
up some planks at hand and construc
ed bridge across the alley, betwee
!, buildings. Before this was comple
ed less of time ensued, the wome
! being pushed every instant into tn
alley and by the time the bridge wa
constructed Dut few remained to TAX
advantage OF it.
LIGHT APPARATUS CAUSE.
The management of the theater de-
I clares that fire was not caused by a
. electric wire, but by the bursting of
T calcium light apparatus, the explosion
> which blew out the skylight. lhi
a statement is contradicted by man
I who were in the theater and who sa
I that before the explosion they saw
q flame near the upper part of the dro
! curtain.
, William o. Sellers, house foreman
says he heard the explosion im
4 Heuldteiy lOllOWeu ny the cry OF 1re
that locking up he saw the curtain
, ablaze. He attempted to lower tn
, fire curtain but when half way dow
, the wind from the broken skylight bel
lied it out and it could not be moved.
Herbert Cawthorne, member O
the cast, is positive the fire was caus
ed by the calcium light 1t appeare,
, that the light Jared up and spark
ignited the curtain. He says the hcus,
; fireman attempted to use the ex
tinguisher but instead Of the stream
,, striking the flames he says it went II
almost the opposite direction.
SAVED THROUGH THE ROOF.
About score of people in the sec
ond balcony were saved by the fire
, men, who took them through the roo
: and carried them down ladders in the
! rear of the building.
NARROWING INCIDENTS.
The body of 12-year-old girl was
found impaled on the iron railing OF