Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1911-08-29
FILM EXPLODES
Is ARE DEAD
OjxTY HURT FOLLOWING CRY OF
FIRE IN THEATRE IN
PENNSYLVANIA.
WOMEN AND CHILDREN SMOTHER
Discovered When Playhouse 10 Emp
tied That Building 10 Not AbIaze.
Flames Restricted to Oper.
ator's Booth.

Canonsburg, Pa, Aug. ga moving
picture film, exploding in the Morgan
opera house, caused a panic in the
audience and mad rush to the doors
and exits. and before the theater was
emptied rs lives had been sacrificed
and over 60 were injured. Immediate
ly following the flash of the film, some
one shouted fire" There was rush
for the exits, and in moment there
was a writing, screaming mass OF
humanity, ten feet high. in the narrow
stairway leading to the entrance OF
the theater.
Most of the dead were smothered.
In the fierce rush for the exit, people
were thrown from their feet and tram
pied upon. Others were thrown upon
them, and those at the bottom of the
human pile were suffocated. The vic
Tins mostly are women and children.
When two volunteer fire departments
reached the theater the sight stag.
sered them. Those OF the audience
who had escaped from the building,
and other spectators drawn to the
scene, were rushing about the front
Of the building. No person, it seemed,
was making any effort to aid the strug.
Cling mass within the theater.
The firemen pushed into the build.
ing and practically threw persons into
The street. AS they regained their feet,
they ran wildly about, shrieking in ter
ror. AS the firemen neared the bot.
tom of the pile, they began to bring
out the unconscious forms of the in.
jured, and later came the dead.
The Morgan opera house is In the
center of the town and on the main
street. 1t is large structure and has
two galleries which, with the main
aoor afford seating capacity for 1000
persons. The house was crowded at
the time of the explosion, but hun.
lreds were standing in the rear Of
he ground floor. The moving picture
sage was located on the second gal
cry floor and it was there that the
explosion occurred. It made a loud
loise and Immediately the cry Of fire"
vent up from the audience.
The spectators on the main floor and
ne first gallery heard the cry and all
:0se en- masse and started for the OK.
to.
Confusion at Main Entrance.
Other people, maddened with fear,
fought the fire escapes and reached
he street in safety. But those that
tad made for the main entrance not
snly found their own number filling
he entrance, but they were stopped
q their progress by crowd of eager
Ieople trying to force their way into
ne theater at the same time. Tho
after saw the crowd coming out and
vere trying to get in for the second
performance, which was to begin In a
aw moments.
The Aim booth was fire proof and the
ire went no further than its interior.
John Mccullough, operator of the
moving picture machine, had just
thrown the subject of the next series
II pictures on the screen, entitled "A
Little Girl Shall Lead Them" when
The film exploded and the asbestos
cabinet was filled with flames. For
several moments the audience. mum.
,ering upwards Of $500. was totally un.
aware of the accident and the operator
aeroically fought down the flames and
succeeded in extinguishing them.
Then, with his hands frightfully
burned and almost suffocated, he
opened the door of the little box and
staggered out. With the opening Of
the door, dense cloud of smoke
poured into the auditorium. The panic
followed.