Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1908-01-16
There Has Been i67 Bodies Re-
moved from the Ruins Of the
Burned Opera House.
SCENE WILDLY DESCRIBED
The Main Exit Became choked by
Struggling Mass Of People and
Hundreds Behind Thorn
Burned.

covering the dead from the ruins o.
the Rhoades opera house where Mon.
day nights holocaust occurred. the Of
fetal roll Of victims numbered 167
Whether any more bodies are buried
beneath the ruins cannot be positive
| ly stated, but 1t is the belief Of those
who had charge of the work that all
OF the dead have been removed and
that the total list Of victims will not
| 60 above 10. The ratio Of women
and girls to men and boys is about
nine to one.
The calamity is terrible when It is
realized that the population Of the
place is about $500.
The Rhoades Opera house was To-
Gated on the second floor Of a three
story brick building. The first floor
was occupied by national bank and
several stores and the third floor was
used for lodge rooms.
The entertainment hall was large
room about 50 feet wide and rs feet
Hong. It had no gallery There was
a stairway at the front Of the build
ing and narrow exit n 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 entertainment was nearly over,
the audience waiting for the cur
tain to go up on the last part when
something went wrong with the cal
cium light apparatus that was perched
on small platform near the front en-
trance Of the building and back OF the
audience.
Hearing the kissing sound and the
slight commotion in the audience, one
Of. the performers raised the curtain
from the floor. In front Of the curtain
and serving as footlights, was a tin
tank perhaps eight feet long, three
inches wide and three inches high.
1t contained coal oil and about ten
lights. In raising the curtain, the
performer accidentally turned this
tank over and it fell to the floor with
In few inches Of those persons In
the front row.
The Rev. Adam A. Webur, pastor
Of st. Johns Lutheran church, for
the benefit of whose Sunday school,
the entertainment was being given,
tried to pick up the tank with the
assistance Of others, but before they
could do SO, the oil flowed out and
caught fire. Then came the newt
able cry Of fire." and what followed
has been impossible to accurately
tell. Eye witnesses say that the au-
dience rose en- masse and the one i'm
pulse was to reach the front door.
All attempted but few got out. The
seats in the center Of the hall were
Of the usual folding cariety, while
those along the side Of the hall we're
loose chairs. In the scramble to get
out many persons fell over the chairs
and were never again to regain their
feet. Those who did reach the front
entrance found 1t jammed. One of
the double doors had been bolted
shut so as to better enable the ticket
taker to take up tickets. No more
than two persons could pass this door
at one time and after the first half
dozen got through the narrow pas
sage, 1t became clogged with the
struggling mass of humanity, men,
wsmen. boys. girls. and chairs were
tangled up in a solid mass that no
one from the outside was able to dis
entangle, In the meantime some one
discovered that there were FIRE es-
capes on each side Of the building
and dozens made their exits by those
avenues Of escape and gave the alarm.
The fire bell was rung and the whole
town was aroused and went to the
rescue. All this time the flames from
the oil tank were creeping toward the
terrible mass of people, who we're
frantically shrleklng and fighting to
get out. The noise was terrific and
few heard the cries Of those who
found the FIRE escapes.
While the frenzied people were
fighting to get down the front steps
the calcium light tank exploded and
Are was spread over the entire mass
Of people. This added horror was
more than the feeble rescuers could
stand and In order to save their own
lives, they were forced to fee down
the fre escapes.
On the front steps outside the door
men pulled frantically to open a way
for the wedged In people but not
more than half q dozen were rescued
in this manner.
The explosion Of the calcium tank
and the names from the front Of the
stage which had by this time reached
the struggling people made further
rescue impossible.
When the flames were extingulshed
and the rescuers entered the building,
horrible sight met their gaze.
Bodies we're piled In one solid mass,
six feet high on the second floor. SO
solldly were they Eedged that pick
ares and erovbars had TO be used