Albuquerque citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1907-1909, 1908-01-14

BoyertoWn,. Pa, Jan. 14.-When
daylight dawned the full extent of
last nights fire when the Rhoades
opera house burned was fully ap-
parent. The list of dead is placed
at one hundred and fifty. The In
jured at seventy-fiye.
The exact number of killed may
never be known for among the VIC
tins were some strengers who may
have had no relatives to trace their
fate. II is estimated that there were
four hundred people in the play
house when the gas tank. being USED
in connection with picture exhlbl-
tion, exploded. Instantly some one
yelled Fire" and in a moment the
center of the opera house was
blazing furnace.
The rapid spread Of the flames
was can sed by thr upsetting Of coal
oil lamps used as footlights, by the
persons on the stage who endeavor-
ed to allay the fears of the fright
ened children and quiet the audience
Men Fought With Women.
Even men lost control of them
selves and fought with the women
and children, who composed the
greater part of the audience, to gain
the street
The weaker ones were brushed
aside and in the mad scramble,
trampled to death in the stairways.
Scores of persons on the second
floor risked their lives by jumping
from the windows. Several were
killed in that way.
Boyertown is town of about $500
people and there is scarcely a home
i'm the place not affected by the dis
aster.
ENTERTAINMENT for Church.
The entertainment being given was
an amateur performance, the Scot
fish Reform alton" for the benefit Of
St. Johns Lutheran sunday school.
When the explosion occurred there
were at least thirty boys and girls
on the stage and more behind the
scenes
The flames first consumed the
scenery then spread through the
house like a great wave. The sufto-
eating SMOKE dropped men, women
and children in its path and the
flames then burned the bodies.
Had the men all remained cool
the loss Of life would have been
small.
The fire was not brought under
control until an early hour this
morning.
About fifty members of the state
constabulary came over from Read
ing today.
The work Of removing the bodies
from the debris will be tedious and
hazardous. When the rush was It Us
height, the floor gave way precipitat-
hos nj
These bodies are buried beneath
the charred timbers and brick from
the walls.
In addition to the opera house, the
Farmers National bank. store and
several dwellings were burned. The
loss IS $4,000.
People Went Mad.
The scenes at the fire last night
beggar description. When the stair
way and doors were jammed with
writhing lighting, screaming cursing
men. women and children, those be-
hind this human mass fell easy vic
Tins to the flames. They had no
chance 10 escape and were observed,
in several instances. to throw them
selves back into the fire as though
trying TO hasten the end of their ter
rible sunerings.
The people were mad with fear
and torture. Relief corps tried to
extrlcate those in the door"ays in
order To save as many lives as poSSI-
BILE bu, all their efforts were in vain
and dozens perished within sight ~
those in the street
There are twenty-five hundred
families here and not one is eX-
empt from the loss OF relative or
close friend
Horror was added to the fire when
in the excitement the poorly equip
ped hre department found that It
could not use Its apparatus.
II was almost an hour before the
fire department from a neighobring
town arrived and in that time the