Norwich bulletin., 1913-03-31
CRY OF FIRE" STARTLED
 THEATER AUDIENCE Rush for Exits Started, But Panic Was AVerted by Cool Headed Theater Staff


 Startled into terrified of "Fire!" when an electric light bulb in the as
 beStos booth at the Davis theater blew up with loud report on Saturday aft
 ernoon, during the first act of Girls
 a woman sitting in the balcony in front of the booth, came so close to
 prec1p1tat1ng serious panic that Lessee Davis and Manager Craig con graduated themselves after the thing
 was all over that the worst damage done was in some torn clothes crushed hats. wracked nerves and the loss of gloves. veils or other small articles of clothing. The fright given the audi ence demonstrated for one thing that the Davis had an entirely efficient staff of employees for an emergency of this kind, for every man stood to his post kept cool. had all the exits open and calmed the people down so that the serious panic that threatened was averted.
 Manager Craig was in the lobby he said, when he heard that a woman in the balcony had tainted and he hur- r1ed upstairs with a glass of water He found the audience in a state of ex- c1tement, many of them starting to rise or leave their seats and he learned afterwards that an electric light bulb in the booth had blown up. The ex- cltement was spreading fact, and to qulet the audience down the manager took up the air that the orchestra was playing and starter to sing it from his place in the balcony. Meanwhile down stars the excited crowd that had left Iheir seats were pushing towards the doors, and some were out on the fire escapes on both sides of the building Lessee Davis was at the front entrance telling those who were heading for the street that there was no danger. and from the stage the members of the Myrkle- Harder company were doing their best to hold the audience in their seats. Alice Launberg and Etta Ray nor staarted waltzing the stage, and MT. Depew, the funny man. who has done all the anouncing through the week. grabbed a megaphone and shout ed through it for the audience to keep their seats as there was no danger.
 Manager Craig said he believed that go per cent of the audience, which was a crowded house, kept their seats, and to these as much as any thing was due large credit for avert ing a complete panic. He thought Possibly 20 people reached the street. and of these all but two or three came lack when quiet was restored and the show went on On Friday night he said the theatre was cleared in five minutes with a. crowded house. and it could be cleared in three minutes with ali the exits in use if people went out ir orderly fashion and this would be a lesson to theatre audiences not to jump from their seats at the first alarm. as nothing would happen to them if they would go out quietly, a s equipped exits.
 With no smoke and no fire. and the small cause for the near-panic, some of the incidents of the afternoon as sumed somewhat ludicrous phase when told of later. A young woman with a big bunch of violets pinned on her breast climbed out of box over the footlights to the stage and i'm plored one of the stage hands to save her. Then she fainted One excita ble man was hanging over the balcony. 1 shouting: Where shall I drop? Where i shall I drop?" He didn't drop. because 3 chance. Two women clung to the i violin player in the orchestra. inplor- l in~ him to show them the way out l but he kept on Adding.
 Later in the afternoon Fire Chief | Stanton visited the theatre and was shown that conditions there were all | right
 The following is a warning card that l is distributed in all the Davis thea tres:
 Read this carefully; take it home 1 and read it again; then give it to your l dear ones and have them read it.
 few very important things to re- member in case of panic:
 1. That it is practically impossible for a fire in motion picture booth to get beyond that booth. because it is freproof.
 2. That a fire in any other part of the theatre cannot get far where there are watchful. fire drilled employees, with every facility for putting out blaze in this theatre.
 B That fire on the stage cannot possibly get to the auditorium until after the audience has had ample time to get to the street. because of asbes- tos curtains and other pfeVentiVes.
 But most of all, remember that in 99 cases out of loo a cry of fire is given when there is none at all-given by some foolish. hysterica1 and, some times, criminally malicious person. az in this New York fire. or in the panic recently in Boston at a ramatic the 1 atre when tiny mouse made a wom- | Hn cry 'hre!" and be the cause of