The morning journal-courier., 1908-12-23
"The Three Twins" Is Cut Short, But Chorus Girls Flee to Broadway in Scant
 Costume.
S60,000 DAMAGE IS DONE
Actors See Flame In Empty Top Gal lcry at old Herald Square, But Play Out tho Plny--Ghost
 Walked, Too.

New York, Dec. 22-F'lre broke out
 fin the Herald Square theater at 35th
 street and Broadway tonight ten
 minutes before the close of the per formance of The Three Twins and
 before 1t was brought under control
 had done considerable damage to the building, driven the actors and chorus
 Into the streets in their scant costumes and caused great Commotion among
 the theater crowds on Broadway.
 There was no panic and no one was injured, the audience remaining in ig norance of tho fire until most of them
 had passed into the streets.
 The fire caught from large electric
 sign on the front of the theater build
 ing, and spread to the executive offices
 which are opposite the second gallery
 of the auditorium II was just ten
 minutes before the time for the per
 formance to end, when two women came down from the second gallery and reported to the theater attaches that there was smoke in the upper part of the building Treasurer Lyon quickly went behind the curtain and explained the situation to the actors and told them to cut the play short This was quickly done and the cur tain was lowered without any an nouncement to the audience.
 The big crowd shufFed slowly out, not knowing that fire was being fought in the upper gallery. Most of them had reached tho streets, but some remained behind waiting for their wraps to he taken from the cloak room. As the flames continued to gain headway the theater employees urged the tardy ones to hurry ont as there was fire in the theater Some
 of them left without waiting for their wraps and hraved the driving snow storm in their evening clothes Alarm spread among the actors and many of the young women left the building hy the stage entrance and went out into tho storm without giv- ing thought 10 their scant and uncor vent'onsl attire With the temperature lowering around the twenties and a fierce wind driving l-ie falling snow Into their faces, the ci rus girls heat hasty retreat for cover at the Marl borough hotel. a block further un Broadway, where they were made com fortahle.
 An alarm quickly brought the fire engines and water was soon turned upon the flames. but not until probably ss0.o0G damage had heen done to the front part of the theater building and | to tho gallery of the auditorium A saloon and cigar store next door were practically destroyed
 Only the cooness of the theater at taches prevented panic When the curtain was lowered upon the final en- so nhle the orchestra continued to play pnd Police Inspector McC'loskey and Deputy Police Commissioner Hanson who were in the audience, went quick ly to the exits and quietly reassured those who had discovered the smoke in the second gallery. Behind the cur tain there<was good deal of excite ment This was pay day for the chorus girls, of whom there are some fifty ot sixty in the play, and all of them made rapid rush for the dressing rooms tc secure their money.
 Several of the actors said after the fire was out that they had seen the
 smoke for some time before Treasurer Lyon came behind the scenes and or dered the performance cut short, but that they went bravely on with the songs and dances in order not to alarm the audience
 Among the occupants of the boxes was party consisting of MT. and Mrs Reginald vanderbilt, Miss Carroll D Winslow and others They made thelr escape toward the Broadway entrance
 as soon as the crowd began to move toward the door and got out without difficulty
 Some time after the fire was prac. ! ticaly out the theater gallery fell and a moment later thirty-nve feet of the roof on the Broadway end of the building came down. The damage was confined to the angle formed by | Broadway and 65th street, In whicl was located the offices of the Shu- | berts Lee Shubert later said that ile
 estimated the loss at between S50.O0t
 and $60,OO0, Lee Shubert and Lew Fields are the lessees of the theater