Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-09-07
PANIC IS BLAMED.
FOR MOVIE DEATHS
Group in Unprotected Irish
Theater Refused to Dash
to Safety.

By the Associated Press.
DRUMCOLLOGHER County LINER
lex. Ireland, September An old
wooden building. without any sort of
fire apparatus. packed with men.
women and children: an unprotected
motion picture protector. standing
in the middle of little hall. and in
filamma BILE films lying on q nearby
table. with a candle burning at the
other end--this was the stage set
ting for the Drumcollogher' movie
disaster as described at the inquest
today.
William Ford the owner gave this
testimony himself in relating the
story of how some so persons were
incinerated in Sunday nights trag-
edy and many others injured. Ford
said he did not even have buckets
Ae water or sand for protection
against fire.
Patrick Downing, the operator Of
the machine. told DIR. Timothy Han
nigan. the coroner. how two Aims on
the table caught fire, and sobbed as
he described the terrible stampede
which followed. He declared he had
not wanted to start the show at all. as
he did not like the place. hut Ford
was anxious to stage the first per
forma nee After telling how III" two
films blazed up. Downing said:
Il ran over and clapped my hands
on them. but unfortunately some one
came along and hit the burning
films with a CAP. and the flames went
over onto the other films. The crowd
STAYED still for awhile, as II expecting
the fire would he u,lenChed. then they
ran 10 the door.
II shouted, Keep cool: keep your
seats.A but they rushed down to the
door.
Honestly, whether 1t was the eN-
citement or not, | thought thef@ was
nobody else in the hall when ! rush
ed out myself"
One of the ghastliest episodes re-
,.ted at the inquest was the case of
q woman. Mrs Daniel Collins. whose
feet became caught in the bars OF
window through which she was
attempting to escape. ana VINO "dS
burned to death in that position.
John Davis. a civic guard. clNlnS
his account of the tragedy. said:
"Ahout so or so people were huddled
IN corner. l called on them to FOL,
low me. caught two girls anu
started to rush them to the entrance
door, but had only gone a Few yaros
when they stopped and pullen me
hack heard some one shout: come
hack" and the girls tore away if"i''
me and ran back.
Zone Of them IA n toward llttIe
dressing room and tried to get out
nv the window. followed her. and
started to run with her again toward
the entrance door. Four or nNe lei.
lows rushing across the hall. knocked
us down l then tried to force the
side partitions. but failed.
II looked up the hall. and saw that
the front Of the place. near the en-
trance, was all ahlaze. The Specta-
tors were hudded in mass. clinging
together in death-like grips, with nor
ror and fright in their faces.
az tride once more to rouse them.
and shouting for them To follow. l
started to run. dashed through the
flames. and flung myself down the
burning stairway"
With tears streaming down his race
Davis concluded: unfortunately. they
did not move and all persisted.
William r. Coscrave. president ~
the executive council Of the Free
State. motored here from Dublin to
dav and attended A requiem mass IN
memory of the victims.
The villa ge lost an appreciahle per
oentage Of its population, and scarcely
a family is untouched by the tragedy.
II was only the second occasion on
which a motion picture performance
had been given here.
There were public expressions OF
hitter resentment today against the
conditions under which the peifo' m
anCe was given.