The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-05-22
Men, Women and Chill
| dren Fight for Their
Lives.
.STRA Y MATCH SETS
THE TENT ABLAZE.
Within an Hour Vast Canvas ia
Burned to the Guy Ropes. j
Circus Employees Are Swept /
Aside in Wild Scramble
Of People for
Exits.
[specialt to The Times-Dispatch.1

sess5aad9 me n Y Rag sarhs
main tent of the Barnum & Bailey
circus caught fire at this afternoonss
performance, when the great canvas
walled Enclosure was crowded with l5.- /
600 patrons. and burned completely
within less than an hour.
a panic started at the first outcry,
and in an instant thousands were en-
gagged in a mad scramble for the.
exits.
The circus employees kept thedr heads
and worked valiantly to check the ex-
element. but in the rush for safety
they We're swept aside. Several of
them were knocked down and tram
pied under the feet of the frantic
crowd.
Men, women and children tumbled
off the high-decked tiers of narrow
seats to scramble and fight with one
another In heaps upon the earth be-
low. Regaining their feet they ran
into the rings. entangling themselves
in the guy ropes and falling over the
show gear. One woman was injured.
but not severely. and hundreds tainted
and We're carried out by policemen,
| firemen and show people.
The fire is thought to have started
from a lighted match that was droppeu
by a boy in the bleachers. The blaze
to the roof. which burned as II 1t
had been coated with oil.
The flames spread rapidly. feeding
on the wide stretches of dry cloth and
the painted poles
Main Top Abinzc.
In an Incredibly short time the whole
of the main top was ablaze. The wind.
eddying under the side walls made
cross currents that sent blazing brands
flyinv in every direction.
First reports We're that all the spec
tators escaped in safety. A minute
or two later word came that num-
Der of persons had been crushed in
the press or injured by falling rigging.
but that so far as could be ascertained
no one had been killed outright
This last report turned out to be an
exaggeration, however. Before very
long the circus management was able
to assure the city authorities that only
single spectator had been hurt. and
that while a few of the circus people
had been inquired by falling debris.
none of them was in serious condt-
ton.
While some of the circus staff. aided
by performers. policemen and cooler
headed citizens. tried to restrain the
rush, the canvasmen and animal trains
ers. working with the discipline of a
perfect organization. stuck to the
menagerie and the lesser tents and
removed all the stock. the Gagged ami
mails and the horses to places of safo-
ty without casualties.
The main tent burned to the guy
ropes together with most of the seat
ing accomm odations, and practically
all of the paraphei ALA. The loss Will
run up into the thousands.
Manager Bailey, in commenting on
the conduct of the crowd said to-
night:
something marvellous. In all my ex-
perience of circus life, have never
seen anything like it," At least 10000
of the crowd were women and chill
dren. and they all filed out like vet 1
eran soldiers. Well, perhaps. few
of the women did faint and perhaps I.
few OF the children whimpered. but
they we're taken care of by the others.
The crowd never lost It's mead. Ihere 81
was no danger for one moment OF q (
stampede"
Tho management attributes the fire
to the obstinacy OF a careless smoker.
Falls 1000 Feet.
Pittsburg, Pa. May 3l.-F'ive thou
sand persons saw Oscar Leroy, OF
Percy. Okla. fall 1000 or more fess {
through the air to-day at Ellwood. Pa. /
near here, and escape with MS me- 4
his only injury being broken les.
LEROY, who Is an aeronaut attached
to a circus. had made balloon ascent.
and when he cut loose his parachute.
soaked with the rain of the past forty
eight hours. refused to open until the
aeronaut had almost reached the
ground
An hour later. when the performance
was in progress, the Grandstand sec
ton of seats collapsed. carrying down
women and children. The tent .oo.
fell over the struggling people. but
while MANY were thrown into Mysteries !,
nome sustained a serious injury.