Carolina watchman. [volume] (Salisbury, N.C.) 1871-1937, 1908-01-15
SCORES BURNED TO death.
Exploding Tank Causes Stampede and
Panic in PENNSYLVANIA Opera Reuse. ):

Panic in Pennsylvania Opera Aeuse.
Boyertown, Pa, Jan. 13-Be
tween SO and Is persons wer
burned TO death tonight in
fire which completely @destroye,
Rhoad's Opera House in thi
place.
The opera house was crowde,
with members of st. J ~ - tn
eran Sunday school, w. ht
tending benefit givx Ia
church. While the i
progress, tank ex1 q
actors endeavored h'
audience but in IA |te
make themselves hear tt
avoid the awful stampede q tn.
women and children, the ooel OF
lamps which were used as the
footlights were overturned, set
ting the place on fire. The flames
fed by the oil. shot almost to the
ceiling and there was a wild rush
of the seven hundred persons tc
escape from the burning building
Scores of women and children
were trampled upon and several
who escaped being burned to death
died after being dragged from the
opera house.
In many cases, it is said, entire
families have been wiped out. The
scene which followed the explo.
sion is indescribable. Scores of
persons who were in the balcony
at the time the explosion occurred
jumped from the windows and
sustained fractured limbs and
skulls.
To add to the terrible disaster
the fire apparatus became dis
abled and the structure was left
entirely to the mercy of the sxth-
ing flames. It is almost ce dain
not vestige of the bodies of 1.-The
unfortunates who were overS me
by the smoke and perishet, i'll
ever be found. Assistanoe1 IS
asked from Pottstown, but III Re
the fire apparatus from tha. city
reached this place the entire cen.
ter of the structure was roaring
furnace.
Had the women and children
bee ded the warning of the cooler
heads in the audience the horrible
loss of life might have been
avoided, but there was the usual
panic and stampede which inva.
riably follows at such a catastro.
phe. The flames spread rapidly
and communicated to the other
parts of the theater. Men. WON.
en- and children rushed for the
many exits, and the weaker sex
aud the children were trampled
and MANNED in the mad rush tc
gain the street.
Assistance was at once asked Of
Reading and Pottstown, and spe
cial trains carrying nurses anc
doctors were rushed to the scene
of the disaster.
Boyertown, Pa, Jan. ID -
When nightfall put stop to the
work of recovering the dead from
the ruins of the Rhoades opera
house, whore last nights holo.
caust occurred, the official roll o1
victims numbered 167. Whether
any more bodies are buried be.
meath the ruins cannot be posi-.
lively stated, but it is believed
that the total list of victims will.
not 60 above ITO. The ratio oil
women and girls to men and boys
is about 8 to 1. The work o1
ident tifcation will not be begun
until tomorrow, as most Of the
bodies are still lying in a confused
state at the four improvised NOR
CUES.
/ The inhabitants of the little
boroughs in the Berks county hills
are tonight stepped in grief. The
calamity has paralyzed the little
town of $500 people. The inhab
itants scarcely realize what has
happened. Everybody in thu
place lost some one or more O:
their relatives, or intimately &C
quainted with those who died il
the fire. In several cases Who'll,
families have been wiped out.
A Higher Health Level.
II have reached higher health
i level sinca T hauan nsinn Dr