The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1908-01-16
SCORES PERISH IN
THEATER HORROR
SHOCKING DISASTER IN OPERA
HOUSE AT HoYERToN, PA.
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DIE
Tank Explosion Throws Audience
Into Panic and Building Burns r
Victims Members Of
Sunday School.

4 q. . ).
Boyerton, Pa, Jan. 14.-Between
so and rs persons were burned to
death Monday night in fire which
completely destroyed Rhoad's opera
house in this place.
The opera house was crowded with
the members OF st. Johns Lutheran
Sunday school. who were attending a
benefit given for the church.
While the show was in progress a
tank exploded. The actors endeavored
to quiet the audience, but in their
anxiety to make themselves heard
and to avoid the awful stampede of
the women and children the coal oil
lamps which were used as footlights
were overturned, setting the place on
fire.
The flames, fed by the oil, shot al.
most to the ceiling, and there was a
rush of the several hundred persons
to escape from the burning building,
Scores Of women and children were
trampled on and several who escaped
being burned to death died after be-
ing dragged from the opera house.
In many cases, it is stated entire
families have been wiped out.
Scene is Awful.
The scene which followed the ex.
plosion is indescribable. Scores of
persons who were in the balcony at
the time the explosion occurred
jumped from the windows and sus.
tanned fractured limbs and skulls.
10 add to the terrible disaster the
fire apparatus became disabled and
the structure was left entirely to the
mercy of the seething flames. 1t is
almost certain not a vestige of the
bodies of the unfortunates who we're
overcome by the smoke and persisted
will ever be found.
Hundreds of persons surround the
burning structure apparently uncon.
scious of the danger from the falling
walls. Many parents who had chill
dren in the opera house are pacing
to and fro, almost maddened by the
awful sight.
Assistance Too Late.
Assistance was asked from Potts.
town, but before the fire apparatus
from that city reached this place the
entire structure was roaring fur
mace. The flames spread rapidly and
communicated to other parts of the
theater. Men, women and children
were trampled and MANNED in the
mad rush to gain the street.
Assistance was then 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 a radius of half
a dozen blocks of the opera house was
made temporary hospital, where the
wounded were rushed by carriage and
other means of conveyance.
Boyertown is a borough with pop
ulation of about $500 and is located
about midday between Pottstown
and Reading. The fire is not yet I'M
der control, but it is not thought that
it will communicate to other property,
as the opera house is on plot of
ground by itself.
Death List Grows,
An examination of the ruins OF
the opera house and a poll of homes
of the parish made this afternoon
show that $50 are dead. Seventy-five
bodies have been identified, according
to the coroner. Several more fatali'
ties may result among the rs injured
Many bodies of the victims were en-
tirely consumed. Others protected
under piles of dead bodies are badly
mutilated. The entire disaster is
due primarily to the panic and STAN
pede of children, as the explosions
really amounted to nothing. AS soor
as the children on the stage saw the
people rush for the doors, after the
explosion, they leaped over the foot
lights. This action caused even the
coolest headed ones who had KEEP
their seats to rush for the doors. On'
little boy in jumping stumbled ant
kicked over the first of the lamps