Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1908-01-14

Boyertown, Pa, Jan. 13.-Nearly
one hundred persons of this borough
were killed in a theater fire and panic
tonight and nearly three score IN
jured, many of them fatally ma
jority of the killed We're members Of
the leading families of the town.
While the Scottish Reformation"
was being produced in the Rhoades
opera house by Mrs. Monroe of WASH
ington. tank used in a moving pic
ture scene exploded Immediately
there was a wild rush for the exits of
the building. Men with cooler heads
endeavored to still the panic but their
voices could not be heard above the
shrieks and screams of the terrified
women and children, who composed
the greater part of the audience
1t seemed as though the entire audi
ence made a mad rush for the exit the
moment the explosion occurred. IN
their attempt to quiet the great crowd
those persons who were on the stage
accidentally upset the coal oil lamps
used at the footights. The burning
oil scattered in all directions and the
lamps which We're used to light the
opera house exploded throwing the
blazing oil over the terror-stricken
people who were fighting frantically
10 gain the exits In the mad rush a
section of the floor gave way, precipi-
tating scores of persons to the base
ment.
It was scarcely five minutes from
the time of the explosion of the tanks
until the entire heart of the struc-
ture seemed roaring furnace, There
was mad scramble for the stairway
leading from the balcony and scores
of women and children We're
Knocked down and trampled upon
many Of them doubtless beng
crushed to death AT least fifty plr-
sons, realizing that exit by the
stairway meant almost certain dea b
risked their lives by jumping from
the windows. Limbs We're broken ano
skulls were crushed by this daring
method of escape.
In the meantime a relief corps was
at work at the entrance to the theater
endeavoring to release those who wert
wedged in the doorway, and unable tt
extricate themselves. Many person
who otherwise might have made gooC
their escape from their furnace were
held in check by the awful Jam a
the doors. AS the flames cut thei
way toward the front Of the building
women could be seen to clasp thei
hands and fall back into the flames
once the doorways We're cleared tn
rescuers dragged many women AM
children from the stairways leading +
the balcony Some of them were s.
badly injured that they died befor
reaching temporary hospital. Skull
were crushed and the faces of som
of the victims We're so horribly mutt
lated that they We're barely recognlz
able. In one instance the skull Of
child apparently about 70 years Of ag
was crushed almost to Jelly
To add to the terrible disaster, tn
fire apparatus became disabled an
the structure was left entirely to tn
mercy of the flames. 1t is almost eei
tain that not a yestige of the bodlt
of the unfortunates who were oNel
come by the smoke and perished wi
ever be found Assistance was four
from Pottstown, but before the q
apparatus from that city reached tn
place the entire center Of the structul
was a roaring furnace.
Had the women and children hee'
ed the warning Of the cooler heads
the audience the horrible loss OF II
might have been avoided, but the
was the usual panic and stampe
which invariably follows at such
catastrophe, the flames spread rapid
and communicated to the other pal
of the theater. Men, women and ch
dren rushed for the many exits a.
the weaker sex and children we
trampled and manned in the ~
rush TO escape
Assistance was at once asked frC
both Reading and Pottstown and 81
cial trains carrying nurses and doct'
were rushed to the scene of the q