Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1908-01-15
TOWN DAZED
BY TERRIBLE
CATASTROPHE
ENTIRE FAMILIES LOST IN
DISASTER
BODIES OF THE DEAD BURNED
BEYOND RECOGNITION
Hardly a Person in Village Who Has
Not Lost a RelatlVe-oeeds Of
Heroism Seen During Prog
ress of Blaze
1contlnued from Page one.l

were creeping toward the terrified mass
of people who were frantically shriekinE
and fighting to get out. The noise was
| dreadful and few heard the cries Of thos'
who found the fire escapes.
Dozens Saved
Some of the bravest who had gained
the fire escapes pulled dozens from tbs
struggling mass and dragged them to tbs
sides of the building.
While the frenzied people were fighting
to get down the front steps the calcium
light tank exploded and the fire wa;
spread over the entire mass OF people
This added horror was more than th'
feeble rescuers could stand, and In order
to save their own lives they were forced
to flee down the fire escapes.
On the front steps outside the door mer
pulled frantically to open a way for the
wedged in people, but not more than hall
dozen were rescued in this manner.
The explosion of the calcium lamp ane
the flames from the front of the stage
which had by this time reached the strug'
Cling people, made further rescue impos-
sible. The entire Interior of the building
was one seething furnace. Firemen threw
feeble stream of water into the burning
building, but it had no effect on the
flames.
Fathers and brothers, frenzied by the
thought that loved ones were in the fiery
place, were compelled to retreat Nothing
could be done to get their people out, and
they were forced to stand by and watch
the awful sacrifice of life.
After the flames had entirely enveloped
the building and were threatening the ad-
joining property, the fire department OF
Pottstown, nine miles distant. was sum-
moned. The flremen from Pottstown
found the situation very bad and went to
work with a vim to stay the progress OF
the flames This was accomplished after
the building was entirely destroyed and
several adjoining structures badly dam
aged.
Fire Companies Fight
While the flames were being checked
some of the Boyertown firemen and
others who were assisting them made
frequent trips to nearby saloons, with the
result that toward morning some of the
men became unruly. There were fire.
quent fights among themselves.
At one time it looked as though the
entire two fire companies would become
involved in a free fight and it was only
the good work of the state police, who
had been summoned from their barracks
at Reading to assist the town in its af-
fiction, that saved a more serious affray
The condition became so serious that
the burgess dL d. OIQ6EEu
saloon keepers within tho borough to
close their places The order was prornp'
" complied with and the saloons will re-
main closed until further notice.
Bodies Piled High
| When the flames were extinguished anC
the rescuers entered the building, hor
rible sight met their gaze. Bodies wer'
piled in one solid mass six feet high OF
the second floor. So solidly were they
wedged that pickaxes and crowbars haC
to be used gently to separate the victims
As each victim was taken from the pile
a number tag was attached and the body
placed on boards. The body was Their
covered with a quilt, hundreds of which
were furnished by stores and citizens
and lowered to the street by means OF
ladders. They were placed in wagons and
taken to the four morgues. So rapidly
were the bodies removed that wagons
were not always on hand, and the dead
were carried through the streets to th'
morgues.
DR. j. K. Davis, burgess of Malvern
who supervised the removal of the bodie:
on behalf of the coroner, said he did no
believe that ten per cent of the victims
would ever be identified. In nearly every
case the upper portions of the bodies wer'
burned away, and in great many in
stances the lower parts of the bodies
were not touched.