The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1908-01-15
PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD
GIVES MUCH ASSISTANCE
Said That Everybody In Community Suffered
Loss of Relatives or Friends--Firemen
Become Drunk and Engage
In Several Fights

Local talent On the stage, who were
giving a performance of the Scottish
reformation The entertainment was
nearly over, the audience waiting for
the curtain to go up on ne last part,
when something went wrong with the
calcium light apparatus aud there
was loud Kissing sound which eaus.
ed many Ia the audience to turn their
heads III curiosity to see what it was
Hearing the kissing sound and the
Islight eommotion in the audience one
9f the performers raised the curtain
from the floor. IN iron; OF the cur
tain and serving as foot light was
a tin tank perhaps eight feet Ions
three INCHES wide and threR inches
thigh. II contained coal ca and about
ten lights In raising thu curtain the
performer accidentally turned this
| tank over and it fell to tho floor
within a few inches of those persons
| in the front row, and caught fire, then
came the invitable cry of fire" and
what followed has been impossible to
accurately tell
Audience Rose Enmasse.
Ego witnesses say that the audi
ence rose enmasse. and the ono i'm
pulse was TO reach the front door.
While the frenzied people We're fight
ing to get down the front steps the
calcium light tank exploded and the
fire was spread over the entire mass
Of people. The entire interior of the
building was cne seething furnace.
The firemen threw a feeble stream
Iof water into the burning building
but it had no effect on the flames.
Heartrending Cries.
The cries of the struggling people,
many with their clothing already
'abEaze, and the means Of tho dying
We're heartrendine
The flames had entirely enveloped
the building and was threatening ad.
joining property when the fire depart
ment of Pottstown, nine miles distant
was summoned Tho firemen from
Pottstown found tho situation very
bad and went to work with vim to
stay the progress of the flames This
was accomplished after the building |
was entirely destroyed and several |
structures we're barely damaged.
Fremen lmbibe.
While the flames were being check |
ed a rather unfortunate scene oc-
CURED Some of the Boyertown fire |
men and others who were assisting |
them made frequent trips TO nearby |
salons with the result that this morn !
ing some OF the men became unruly |
There were frequent fights among |
themselves and with the Pottstown |
iremen. At one time II locked as /
though the entire two fire companies |
would become involved in a free for |
all fight and il was only the good |
york Of the state police who had been |
summoned from their barracks at |
Reading to assist the tcwn I'm its az |
Fiction that more serious affray dii |
not occur
Saloons Ordered Closed.
The conditions became SO serious /,
that Burgess Kohler at o'clock I'm |
the morning issued an order to all sa-
loonkeepers within the borough to |
close their places The order was
promptly complied with and they will
remain closed until further notice
When the flames were extingushei /
and the rescuers entered the building
horrible sight met their eyes. Bod !
les were piled in one solid msas six /
feet high on the second floor. So solid /
y were they wedged that pick axes
and crow bars had to be used gently /
to separate the victims.
Many Bodies Not identified.
Dr. J. X Evans Burgess Of Nal /
won. who supervised the removal OF
the bodies on behalf OF the coroner. .
said that there were nine female vic !
tins 70 one male. He did net be
lieve that ten per cent Of the victims
would ever - identified. In nearly
every case the upper portions Of bod (
les were burned away and in a great
many cases the lower parts of the /
bodies were not touched BY fire.