The San Francisco call., 1908-12-23
tPANIC FOLLOWS
DISCOVERY OF
FIRE IN HOUSE
Herald Square Theater Gutted,
but People Escape From
the Building
Actors in Scanty Attire Dash
From Stage Into Binding
SnOwStOrm
Goodness of Attaches of Play
house Prevents Loss of Life
When Flames Appear

NEW YORK, Dec. ga sudden flash
Of flame from the second gallery pre-
cipitated a panic tonight in the Herald
Square theater just as the audience was
leaving the playhouse. The spectators
rushed pelimell for the exits, while the
principals and chorus, in their scanty
and unconventional attire. dashed from
! be stage through the rear door into
he binding snowstorm. Bessie Nc
Coy, the leading woman, tainted, many
women were hysterical, but no one was
seriously injured. The interior Of the
theater was ruined.
1t was during the last act OF the play.
Three Twins" that two women in the
upper gallery saw a thread of smoke
rising along the wall behind them.
Crossed wires running to the electric
sign in front OF the Auditorium had
started FIRE, which was slowly gain
ing headway. The women notified the
attaches Of the theater. Treasurer Lyon
FASTENED behind the curtain, explained
the situation TO the actors and told
them TO cut the play short In a mo-
ment the curtain was lowered and the
large audience began to leave. not
knowing that the building was on fire.
PEOPLE DISCOVER FIRE
As the people filed out the orchestra
played with spirit. The lower floor had
almost cleared and the spectators were
passing out from the galleries when
suddenly a great cloud OF dense smoke
poured into the interior, followed in
stantly by a lurid tongue Of flame.
From a dozen thrOats came the cry OF
Fire. The 200 persons still in the
theater were transformed into a strug
Cling mass endeavoring to reach the
exits. Precaution had been taken to
open all the doors and with the aid OF
The special fire detail and the house
attaches the spectators passed. out in
safety.
Hardly had the crowd reached the
street before the entire front of the
structure was IN flames. Thousands of
persons had gathered and the street
about the playhouse was choked with
humanity.
In the rear the members of the COM
pany stood in their fantastic costumes
in the raging storm. Shelter was Of
fered in the Marlborough hotel near by.
where the actors and actresses were
made comfortable.
The Herald Square theater stands at
Broadway and Thirty-fifth street and
is one Of the well known playhouses of
New York. It is under lease to Lee
Shubert and Lew Fields, who estimate
their loss between $50, ,O0o and $4,000.
SPECTACULAR AFFAIR
A IRE in Broadway is always a spec
tacular affair, and coming as il did to-
night when the theaters were pouring
their thousands into the streets to
mingle with the belated Christmas
shoppers. il quickly caused a tremen-
dous jam in the neighborhood OF Herald
square. A binding snowstorm, which
disarranged all streetcar traffic IN
Broadway and the added inconvenience
Of strike Of the cab drivers, all
tended 10 create a rather unusual state
Of confusion.
only The coolness of the theater at
taches prevented a serious disaster
When the curtain was lowered upon
the final ensemble, the orchestra con-
tinued to play and Police Inspector Nc
Closkey and Deputy Police Commits
sfoner Hansen, who were in the au-
dience, went hurriedly to the exits and
quietly treasured those who had dis
covered the smoke in the second gal
lcry.
Among the occupants of the boxes
was a party consisting of Mr. and Mrs.
Reginald Vanderbilt, Miss Carroll D.
Winslow and others. They made their
escape through the Broadway entrance
Some time after the fire was prac-
tically out the theater gallery fell and
"A moment later 3J feet of the roof on
the Broadway end Of the building came
down. The damage was confined chiefly
10 the angle formed by Broadway and
Thirty-hfth street, in which were
located the Offices of the Shuberts,
Fire in New York Hotel
NEW YORK Dec. 22.-Fire that
started in the Gilsey house. one Of the
famous hotels on Broadway, today
threatened at first to destroy the build