The Red Cloud chief., 1908-01-17

Ueen curious 10 iearn -i,a, ".s 80
ing the noise. Hearing the hissin
sound and the slight commotion IN
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 " 10 and
three inches high. II Conta uoi ,03l
oil and about ten lights. In ra.s.N7
the curtain the performer %accident.
ally turned this tank over and It fell
those persons in the front row.
The Rev. Adam A. Weber. pastor OF
st. Johns Lutheran church, for the
benefit of whose Sunday school the
entertainme was being given. tried
TO pick up the tank, with the assist.
ance of others, but before they could
do so the oil flowed out and caught
fire. Then came the inevitable cry
of Fire and what followed has been
impossible to accurately tell. Eye-wit.
nesscs say that the audience rose en-
masse and the one impulse was &c
reach the front door. All attempted,
but few got out. In the scramble to
get out many persons fell over the
CHI RS and were never again to regain
their feet. Those who did reach the
front entrance found it damned. One
of the double doors had been bolted
shut so rs to better enable the ticket
taker to take up, tickets. Not more
than two persons could pass this door
at one time, and after the first halt
dozen got through the narrow passage,
1t became clogged with the struggling
a OF humanity. Men, women, boys,
girls and chairs were tangled up In a
solid mass that no one from the out.
side was able to disentangle. In the
meantime, some one discovered that
there were fire escapes on each side OF
the building, and dozens made then
exits by those emu 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 creep.
ing toward the terrible mass of PEG
pie, who were frantically shrieking
and fighting to get out. The noise
was terrific and few heard the cries OF
those who found the fire escapes.
the fire escapes, pulled dozens from
the struggling mass and directed them
to the sides of the building.
Calcium Light Tank Explodes.
While the frenZied people were
fighting To get down the front steps,
the calcium light tank exploded and
fire was spread over the entity mass
Of people. This added horror was
more than the feeble rescners could
stand. and in order to ave their own
lives they were forced TO flee down
the fire escapes.
On the front steEs outside the door
men pulled frarSsCally - open a way
for the weased.in people, but not more
than half 4 dozen were rescued in
! this n The explosion of the
Saicium tank ana the flames iron, the
Atont of the stage, which &niS by this
time reached the struggling Rro6ae
made fyrther rescue impossible. The
entire interior of the building was
one seething furnace.
The cries of the struggling people
many With their clothing already
ablaze. and the means Of tYe dying
were he1rtrending. Fathers ana broth
ers, trenzied by the thought that loved
ones We're In the fiery place, We're com
PEELED TO retreat. Nothing could be
done to get their people out II they
We're forced to stand by and watch
the awful sacrifice of life.
Everything possible that could be
done TO get the people out before the
flames envcloped them was reSortcd
TO, but too late. The flames adfanced
rapidly as a prairie fire.
Bodies Piled Six Feet High.Y
When the flames were eXtingulsheC
ana the rescuers entered the building
a horrible sight met their gaze. Bod
les were piled in one solid mass, 81,
feet high on the second floor. So sol
idly We're they wedged that pickaxe,
and crowhaIs had TO he used gently
' to separate the victims.
Or. j. X. Evans, who supervise,
the removal of the bodies ON bchal
OF the coroner. said that there Were
nine female victims 10 n male. III
did no believe that 10 per cent OF The
victims would ever be identified II
nearly every case the upper portion,
OF the bodies were burned away an,
in a great many instances he lowe
parts OF the bodies were not touche,
by the fire,