New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-05-07
FIRE in PROCTOR'S.
NO PANIC; NO ONE HURT.
audience. Without Excitement, Ont
an Three Minutes IN I25th-st.

Fire broke out in Proctor's observation-disclosures
twentyffth-st. theatre last night at 9:30 o'clock
while "A Rose o Plymouth Town being
performed by the stock company OF the house,
and in less than three minutes after the alarm
was given the seventeen hundred people In the
audience We're out In the street without a sign
OF q pan!c. The fire. which restricted 10
the third and fourth floors. completely destroyed
the property room and its contents but did no
damage to the theatre proper. II was under
control In an hour.
From the fourteen exits of the house iucIud-
ing the lobby opening into One-hundred-and-
twenty -fifth-st.. the people poured forth. The
iron fire doors shut and four-foot brick
wall shut off the flames I'm the from; part Of the
building
The fire was in the fourth. or top. floor Of the
structure. Here stored great quantities OF
scenery a7d stage properties used In 81! of the
Proctor theatres throughout the city.
Aside from the nearness Of the theatre to the
blaze although the heavy retaining wall saved
the lremen worry from that source. the fire In
itself under usual circumstances. would have
been little more than ordinary. But with
great five alarm blaze In East EigSty eighth st.
which took a big force Of apparatus, 1t was diff
cult for while to get enough engines for this
fire Al the time when the first alarm was sent
in much of the apparatus In the upper part of
the city was in transfer. according to Fire De-
partmeut rules. from one station 10 another
nearer the East Side fire Two alarms brought
so few engines that n third was ordered. and
these extra measures brought hardly half the
force they would ordinarily bring.
The fire was discovered about 9:2J o'clock by
Policeman Teevans. of the East hundred
and-twenty -sixth-st. station. who was standing
outside the lobby entrance. Smoke was then
curling out of the windows the top floor and
going upward. but for "A few minutes ii was
mistaken for steam which came from the en-
gine IN the cellar When Teeyans became
convinced that the top floor was abla1e he went
into the theatre and told Manager Harry Bruneil
and Assistant Manager William II. McNey,
who were then near the entrance.
There We're haIt a dozen policemen deteied
about the theatre and or nearby posts They
we're quickly summoned. and with them came
Detective Sergeant Meehan and Fireman Hayes.
OF Engine No "A, who. although on his day on
was in the house OF Truck No: IA. next door to
the theatre The policemen and fireman quietly
opened all the FIRE exits and stood by them,
II was almost time for the curtain 10 go up
for the third act. The leading man, Paul Nc
Allister. was told of the fire. ana mt the same
time the orchestra leader without showing
trace Of excitement. started a quick march.
McAllister went to the front of the stage and
in cool tones told the audience that there was
a small fire in the front part of the building,
but that there was not the slightest danger. He
asked them all to go out quietly. ana assured
them that there would be no trouble IL they
did.
Most of the crowd did not stir at first. seem
ing to be unwilling to go without getting their
money back or seeing the finish OF the play.
In "A few seconds. however. the greater part or
the audience started for the exits and inside
h1,t a fpNVV N
hundred n nd twenty -hfth-st. or in the two
twenty-five foot alleys which are on the east
and west sides of the theatre proper
The few who wanted to argue about their
money were chased out by the theatre en-
ployes and the police, the fire doors were changed
in place and the theatre was Isolated from the
blaze So quickly and calmly had everything
been done that the only thing 10 mark the sud
den exit as unusual was that one woman left
her hat behind. She was the most frightened
one of the audience. She got her hat.
The theatre cut eff from the flames the
dremen attacked the blaze on the top floor from
the fire escapes. Acting Deputy Chief Callahan,
who sent in the last aIa1n, tea them on. and
himself held a hose ON the hot steel bars of the
fire escape while flames and smoke poured
around him and two other fremen, Time ard
opain he would be completely nhscuTed by the
smoke and sometimes II seemed even by the
fames FTremen from below kept the three wet
constantly.
The only part of the theatre which sustained
any damage from the blaze was the lobby.
Neither sn7oke nor water entered the theatre
proper and Manager Brunell said that he would
give the regular performance to day.
STAGE Manager Culiington i'm anticipation of
The need for such Il system had trained the
stage employees In fire drill When the alarm
was given every man Jumped to his place the
fire doors were manned. and the hose fed from
a tank on the roof, was ready, had there been
need for H. The asbestos curtain on the stage
was run down In its place. and the combustibe
property on the stage and the drops and seem
ery we're slowed where they would have the
least chance of catching fire.