The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1908-01-16

Boyertown, Pa, Special.-Betweeu
80 and rs persons were burned to
death Monday night in a fire which
completely destroyed Rhod's Opera
House in this place
The opera house was crowded with
members of st. John IS Lutheran Sum
day school, who were attending a
benefit given for that church. While
the show was in progress, a tank
exploded. The actors endeavored to
quiet the audience but in their anx-
iety to make themselves heard and to
avoid the awful stampede of the wo-
men and children, the coal oil lamps
which were used as the footlights
we're overturned, setting the place Oh
fire. The flames, fed by the oil, shot
almost to the ceiling and there was
wild rush Of the seven hundred per-
sons to escape from the burning
building. Scores of women and child
rem were trampled upon and several
who escaped being burned to death,
died after being dragged from the
opera house. :
In many cases, it is said, entire
families have been wiped out. The
scene which followed the explosion
is indescribable. Scores Of persons
who were in the balcony at the time
the explosion occurred jumped from
the windows and sustained fractured
limbs and skulls.
To add to the terrible disaster, the
fire apparatus became disabled and
the structure was left entirely to the
mercy Of the seething flames. It is
almost certain not a vestige Of the
bodies of the unfortunates who were
overcome by the smoke and perished,
will ever be found. Assistance was
asked from Pottstown but before the
| fire apparatus from that city reached
this place the entire centre Of the
structure was roaring furnace.
Had the women and children heed
| ed 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
catastrophe. The flames spread rap
idly and communicated 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 disaster.
Every home within a radius Of a
dozen blocks of the opera house was
made temporary hospital, where
the wouned were rushed by carriages
and other means Of conveyance
Boyertown is borough with a
population Of about $500 and is 10.
Gated about midway between Potts
town and Reading.
The night was one of wailing and
anguish. The shrieks Of mother.
who had rushed to the scene as soon
as they learned of the fire was pitt.
full. As the night wore on, the
crowds surrounding the building
grew to such proportions that it was
almost impossible for the police force
which had been augmented by a
score of men from Pottstown and
Reading, to keep the people back
One woman who said she had lost
her entire family in the theater wa:
with difficulty restrained from
throwing herself into the flames.
At l O'Clock a special train from
Reading, bearing physicians ant
nurses, reached here, but there wa:
little for them to do as the injured
who had dashed themselves to tn
payment, had been cared for. A few
minutes after midnight the rear wal
of the theater collapsed. The flame
broke out anew and those who ha.
hoped to be able to find the remain
of some of their loved ones, turne,
in dspair from the scene.
| It is estimated that at least Il
persons were injured by being tram
pied upon either on the stairway o
| by jumping from the windows.