New-York tribune., 1905-02-12
THE CASINO BURNED OUT.
CHORUS GIRLS ESCAPE.
TSCo Hours Later Fire Would Prob
ably Haze Been q Disaster.

10 TeopeHeu Altnougn a company was
hearsing at the time because of the GOODNESS OF
the stage manager. Gerald Coventry. and the
chorus girls themselves. nobody was hurt,
escaped from the burning building. insisted
going back to recover her dresses. She was
overcome by the dense smoke and had to be
carried out by policemen. Lillian Russell was
not present
Thankfulness expressed by every
concerned that the fire had not happened two
hours later If it had, disaster equalling the
Iroquois Theatre fire in Chicago would probably
have occurred, in the opinion of those who
know the interior arrangements of the Casino
and saw the house after the fire. Because of
the long. winding stairway leading to the or
chestra floor of the Casino, this house has al
ways been specially watched by the Fire
Department The fire yesterday was at the
rear of the orchestra, where the flames played
out over the stairways so that It would have
been practically impossible for any person to
pass through them to gain the stairs and live,
while in a great measure they also shut off ap-
proach to the Broadway fire escape
Shooting up from the balcony, the flames kim
died the floor of the family circle, and the Broad
way side of the house was practically flame
swept and smothered in the smoke pail. which
formed the greatest source of danger and the
houseful of women and children-a matinee
house''-disaster would have accompanied the
first shout of "F1re!" While the orchestra floor
itself was not touched by the flames, in the rush
which inevitably would have occurred when the
alarm was given the treacherous turns in the
marble staircase would probably ,have been
death traps, piling up their victims as did the
stairs and closed exits of the Chicago theatre
while the people in the balcony exposed to the
actual danger of the flames would have caused
panic by their frantic efforts to escape the peril
by way of the fire escapes.
while think the theatre is absolutely safe"
said Lee Shubert II am very. very thankful that
this fire did not come a couple of hours later"
CHIEF CRoKER's COMMENT.
IT'S mighty good thing that this didn't break
out little while later" declared Chief Croker
I'D hate to think what a little delay would have
meant, with an audience of women and chill
dren."
Managers of nearby theatres took every pre-
caution for their own places and each one ex-
pressed his thankfulness that the Casino had not
caught fire while the performance was going on.
Such a possibility too horrible to contem-
plate they declared
The fire itself was not serious. The damage
amounted to about $4,000, Chief Croker esti-
mated. The whole place was soaked by the
water which 1t necessary to pour on the
flames. Chairs and scenery pieces were thrown
about and demolished. Jake" VOLTS cafe was
a dismal picture of broken bottles and dripping
walls Jake" leaving his stock with the COM
ment that water couldn't hurt it much" res
cued pictures and famous autographs. More
spectacular than the fire. which hardly touched
the outside of the great red brick pile. with its
towers and turrets. was the vast throng of curl
GUS who lined Broadway almost from 33d
TO 42d ST. and fought TO get closer to the burn
ing building. The police reserves had their
hands full and because of the numerous hotels
cafes and theatres in the neighborhood. nothing
like strict police lines could be maintained
Chorus girls beseged the stage entrance for
their belongings.
The Broadway cars were blocked for two
hours, but the elevated road. the subway and the
9th and 7th cars discharged hundreds of
passengers near the fire. all of whom added to
the dense mass Of spectators already choking
Broadway. The windows of nearby hotels and
apartment houses were filled with people watch
ing the work of the hremen Actors of every
kind and degree filtered through the crowd and
congregated they could get to the
burning theatre. where they stood, dsmally
shivering in the cold, waiting TO see what would
become Of one of the best known houses on the
Rialto.
VI,
became greatly alarmed when the fire began,
and there was much hustIng about of women
and packing of goods before their fears could
be dispelled Then the Audubon became box
seats for the exhibition
The fire started in small room at the Of
the orchestra on the Broadway side of the build
ing. This room used a kind of storeroom
by the ushers and attendants. 1t had formerly
been office. Chief Croker thought that an
imperfectly insulated electric light wire must
have caused the blaze. Mr.. Shubert believes a
match careessly thrown into a pile of rubbish
set the blaze. From this room the flames spread
to the balcony, playing among the seats. which,
with their upholstery, aided the spreading of the
fire. Up the walls to the second balcony or fam
ily circle climbed the blaze scattering in all di-
rections there.
Gerald Coventry, stage manager for the Lady
Teazle Company rehearsing a chorus of
about one hundred persons for the road COM
pany. On the stage also most of the prin-
cipals of Lillian Russells company. among them
w T Carleton. Van Rensselaer, Wheeler Miss
Lucille Saunders. Miss Elsa Ryan Miss Phoebe
Coyne and Miss Nellie Mccoy Coventry had
lust dismissed the chorus. which retired TO the
rear of the stage to be fitted for shoes and called
forward the principals. when he happened TO
look vi, and saw a puff of smoke floating over
the edge of the balcony. This followed by
another one, denser. and then the call of Fire"
rang through the empty house
RANG DOWN THE ASBESTOS CURTAIN.
Get out of here quickly Coventry ordered
fbe chorus Don't wait for your hats or coats
Take the stage door-don't try for the front door
and whatever you do keep your nerve with
Won and get out of this in good order" Then
he rang down the asbestos curtain.
l- 1IrGI