The Red Cloud chief., 1908-01-17
DEATH LIST IS NOW |67
OFFICIAL ROLL OF VICTIMS OF
BoYERToWN HOLOCAUST.
PEOPLE ARE pAzED az GRIEF
Entire Families obIiterated and Every.
body in the Borough Lost Either
Relatives, Friends or Acquaintance
in the Awful Panic and Fire.

IN the Awful PANIC and Firc.
Boyertown, Pa, Jan. 15.-The on.
cial roll Of victims of the Rhoades
opera House holocaust numbers l67.
Whether any more bodies are buried
beneath the ruins cannot be positive
ly stated, but II is the belief of those
who had charge of the gruesome work
that ali Of the dead have been re-
moved and that the total list Of vic.
tins will not go above 10. The ratio
of women and girls to men and boys
Ia about nine to one.
The work OF Identification was be.
gun this morning. Most of the bodies
are still lying ia n confused state at
the four i%mprovised morgues. The in.
habitants OF the little borough in the
Bhrks county hills are STEPPED in
grief.
The calamity is terrible, when it IL
realized that the population of the
place Is about $500 and has paral.
yzed the town, and the people are GO
ing about dazed. They do not realize
what has happened and cannot believe
that loved ones. friends or acquaint.
anccs were lost in the awful panic and
f1re. IL Is safe TO say that everybody
in the place either lost one or more
relatives or "A intimately acquainted
with those who died in the fire.
Entire Families Obliterated.
In several cases whole families wers
wiped out. II ever a community was
truly in mourning, ii is the substantial
town Of BoyertOwn today. II was al
most daylight before the flames were
extinguished and scuer were able
In enter the ruins to remove the dead.
The morning was bitter cold and by
the time the benumbed and exhausted
frcmSn began the task Of disentan.
Cling the mass of burned beams and
twisted iron, the entire MINIS were
c0atel with ice and there was danger
Of the walls gSlling.
COIpner StrasSer Of ReadIsg Mad
detail OF men ready to tag the Ysd-
les and keep a record of the descrip.
tiep Of every corpse removed. The
bodies, we're so badly burned. however.
that there was little to descrtte t4em
by, and It is safe to say hat not half
Of the victims will ever be Identified.
BY noon the rcscuers became thor.
Oughly exhausted from the cold and
hard work and for IA time the work
came almost to "A standsriil, Fortunate.
ly, the Philadelphia aud Reading Rail
q company sent two carloads of la
horers and carpenters and the work
OF recovering bodies moved so rapidly
that victims were being taken from
the ruins at the rate of two every
fve minutes.
Cause Of the Holocaust.
There We're many different stories
AS to the exact cause of the panic and
fire and there were several rumors OF
arrests, but the borough officials ant
Coroner Strasser denied that any az
ton whatever had been taken.
The RhOades Opera House was 10
Gated on the second floor OF a three
story brick building. The first foo
was occupied by a national bank ant
several stores and the third floor wa,
nsed for lodge Don The entertain
ment hall was = large room. abou
nifty feet wide and se~venty-fve fee
long, II had no gallery. There was
stairway at the front Of the buildln,
and a narrow exit in the rear of tn,
stage. Fire escapes were built ol
both sides and on the front of tn
building. SO far as can he learned
there were about 425 persons packe
in the room, most Of whom wer
adults. The number OF children pre-.
sDt was small. There were abor
siXty-fve persons, all local talent. o
the stage, who were giving a perform
snce of the Scottish Reformation.
The entertainment was nearly owe,
the audience waiting for the curtai
to go up on the last part, when som,
thing went wrong with the calcium
light apparatus that was perchcd o
trance of the building and back of In
audience.
Performer Upsets Oil Tank.
The light was in charge of II. "
Fischer of Carlisle. Pa, and he say
rubber tubing slipped from one {
the tanks. Al any rate, there was
loud kissing sound, which cause
many in the audience to turn the
heads in curiosity To see what It wa
There absolutely was no panic up
this time and nothing proha ~. NouI
have happened il or or more .; III
performers behind tho cn'ts;S lsa II