The morning journal-courier., 1908-01-15
But One Tenth of Bodies Re covered from Ruins of the Opera House Can be
 Identified.
NINETY PER CENT. WOMEN
While Panic Stricken People Are Massed at Exit Explosion of Cal cium Tank Sets Cloth-
 ing Afire.

Boyertown, Pa. Jan. 14-When night
 fall put step to the work of recover
 ing the dead from the ruins of the Rhoades opera house where last nights
 holocaust occurred, the official roll of victims numbered 167 Whether any
 more bodies are buried beneath the
 ruins cannot be positively stated, but
 it is the belief of those who had charge
 of the gruesome work that all of the
 dead have been removed, and that the
 total list of victims will not go above
 TO. The ratio of women and girls to men and boys is about nine to one, The work of Identification will not be begun
 until tomorrow, as most of the bodies are still lying in a confused state at the four improvised morgues.
 The Rhoades opera house was locat- ed on the second floor of a three story
 brick building. The first floor was oc-
 cupied by national bank and several
 stores and the third floor was used for lodge rooms. The entertainment hall
 was a large room about fifty feet wide and 75 feet long. It had no gallery.
 There was stairway at the front of
 the building and a narrow exit in the
 rear of the stage. Fire escapes were
 built on both sides and on the front
 of the building
 So far as can be learned there were
 about 425 persons packed in the room,
 most of whom were adults. The num-
 Ter of children present was compara-
 lively small. There were about 65 per- sons, all local talent, on the stage
 H. w. Fischer, of Carlisle, Pa, says a rubber tube slipped from one of the tanks of the calcium light. There was a loud hissing sound which caus d many in the audience to turn their heads in curiosity to see what it was There was absolutely no panic up to this time and nothing probably would have happened if one or more of the performers behind the curtain had not been curious to learn what was caus- ing the noise Who he, or they, were, probably win never be known. Hear ing the 'hissing sound and the slight commotion in the audience one of the performers raised the curtain from the < floor. In front of the curtain and serv- 2 ing as footlights was a tin tank per haps eight feet long, three inches wide sand three inches high. It contained coal oil and about ten lights. In rais- Mentally turned this tank over and it Hell toN the floor within few inches of 4ythose persons in the front row.
 The Rev Adam A. Weber, pastor of Est. John's Lutheran church. for the %henefit of whose Sunday school the en- was being given, tried to ''7pick up the tank with the assistance ssof others, but before they could do so I4the oil flowed out and caught fire. M Then came the inevitable cry of fire Band what followed would be mpossi- usble accurately to tell. Every eye wit Eness says that the audience rose en |sn1asse and the one impulse was to Breach the front door. All attempted Mt, but few got ont. The seats in the Ecenter of the hall were of the usual b@foldlng variety, screwed to the floor. Nwhile those along the sides of the hall Ewere loose chairs. In the scramble ERto get out many persons fell over the Iachairs and were never able to regain stheir feet.
 Those who did reach the front en- stranee found it jammed with people
 who were fighting and shrieking to get
 out. One of the double doors had been J !. IL. ticket taker to take up tickets. Not fsnore than two persons could pass this sdoor at one time and after the first half dozen got through the narrow pas Esage it became clogged with the strug- E gling mass of humanity. Men, women, jAboys. girls and chairs were tangled UT ! fln a solid mass that no one from the
 Outside was able to disentange
 In the meantime some one discovered that there were fire escapes on each } side of the building and dozens made their exit by those avenues of escape
 Gnd gave the alarm. The fire bell was
 rung and the whole town was aroused |And went to the rescue. All the time
 the flames from the oil tank were @reeping toward the terrible mass of
 people who were frantically shrieking
 and fighting to get out. The noise was Terrific and few heard the cries oi
 hose who found the fire escapeS some 3@f the bravest who had gained the fire
 escapes pulled dozens from the strug- |Agling mass and directed them to the
 sides of the building. While these
 renzied people were fighting to get
 Town the front steps the calcium light
 ank exploded and fire was spread over ! zhe entire mass of people. This added
 horror was more than the feeble res
 uers could stand and in order to save
 heir own lives they were forced to