The semi-weekly messenger., 1908-01-14

Apparatus Becomes Disabled and
Flames Have Full Sway.
Boyertown, Pa, 13.-Between fifty
and Is persons were burned to
death tonight in a fire which COM
pletely destroyed Rhodes opera house
in this place.
The opera house was crowded with
the members Of ST. Johns Lutheran
Sunday school, who were attending
benefit given for that church. While
the show was in progress "a tauk ex-
ploded The actors endeavOred 60 quiet
the audience bbut IN their anxiety 10
make themselves heard and to avoid
the awful stampede IF the women and
children the coal oil lamps which were
. used at the footlights We're overturned,
setting the place Cd fire The flames,
fed by the oil, shot almost to the cell
ing and there was a wild r~sh OF the
seven hundred persons to escape from
the burning building. Scores OF wO-
men and children were trampled un-
der foot and severa! who ESCAPED
being burned % death died after b.
ing dragged from the opera house. In
many cases, !, is said, entire families
have been wiped out. The scene which
followed the explosion is indescriba-
ble. Scores OF persons who were in
the balcony at the time Of the expio-
sion occurred jumpted from the win
dCws and sustained fractured skulls
and limbs.
To add to the terrible disaster the
fire apparatus became disabled and he
structure was lef1 entirely TO the
mercy Of the seething flames. Z is al
most certain not a ycetge of the bodies
Of the unfortunates who were overcome
by the smoke and persisted viii ever
be found. Assistan e was asked from
PottstoWn, but before the fire aDpara-
tus reached this city the entire Interior
Of the structure was a roaring furnace.
Had the women and children Eeeded
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
Invariably follows at such a time The
flames spread rapidly and communicate
ed TO the other parts Of the theatre.
Men, women and children rushed for
the many exits and the weaker sex
and the children were trampled and
manned in the mad rush to gain the
street.
Assistance was at once asked of both
Reading and Pottstown and special
trains carrying nurses and doctors
were rushed to the scene of the dis
aster.
Every home within radius of half
dozen blocks of the opera house was
made a temporary hospital, where
the wounded were rushed by carriages
and other means of conveyance
Boyertown is borough with g pop
ulation of about 2,500, and is located
about midway between Pottstown and
Reading
The fire is not yet under control, but
il is not thought that it will be COM
municated to other property as the
opera house is on a plot of ground by
itself
Hundreds of persons surround the
burning structure, apparently uncon-
scious of the pending danger from fall
ing walls Many parents who had
children in the opera house are pacing
to and fro almost maddened by the
awful sight
The night was one of wailing and
anguish. The shrieks Of mothers who
had rushed to the scene as soon as
they learned of the fire was uitiful.
AS the night wore on the crowds sur
rounding the building grew to such
proportions that it was almost i'm
possible for the police force, which
had been augmented by score of men
from Pottstown and Reading, to keep
the people back. One woman who said
she had lost her entire family in the
theatre was with difficulty restrained
from throwing herself into the flames.
At one o'clock a special train from
Reading, bearing physicians and nurses
reached here, but there was little. for
them to do, as &ie injured who had