Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-12-31
Fighting, Screaming Children
Caught in Jam as They
Seek to Reach Exits.
MORE THAN 15O INJURED
YOUNGSTERS RESCUED
Horror-Stricken, Helpless Parents
Stand Outside as Scottish Fire
men Fight Way In.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
PAISLEY, Scotland, December 81
Between so and 80 persons, most of
them children, were officially estimated
to have perished in a fire which swept
through a motion picture theater here
crowded with youngsters on a holiday
matinee.
The panic of the children as they
jammed the exits in a wild effort to
flee the raging flames within brought
the death roll up until officials said
that the number of victims would go
over 60 and would probably be
nearer 80.
More than $50 children were taken
to a nearby infirmary suffering from
burns and injuries which they had re-
ceived in the mad rush from the
building.
Victims Brought Out.
A constant stream of tram cars and
wagons pressed into service arrived at
the infirmary bearing the little VIC
TINS, many dead and other, in q coma
tose condition. All emergency measures
were taken to care for the injured.
So great was the crush of struggling
boys and girls, who only a few mo-
mentS before had been watching a pro-
gram which featured 1.-THE Crowd" to
gain safety from the holocaust that
tiremen had the greatest difficulty in
dragging them through the doorways.
Outside stood many parents, horror
stricken and helpless, as flremen, con-
stables and civilians repeatedly braved
the flames to bring the young victims to
safety.
The dense clouds of smoke which
came from the structure made 1t nee
eSsary to use gas masks, some Of them
irnproviSed.
The first started in the operators box
and sped with terrifying rapidity
through the crowded auditorium.
Many Die at Hospital.
Many of the deaths occurred at the
hospital, where the victims of the
those who succumbed at the inf1rmary
died from injuries, chiefly internal
rather than from burns.
The theater was filled to capacity,
and the film had unwound about half
Of the story of The Crowd" when a
sheet Of flames shot out of the projec-
ton box. The sudden ending of the
show turned all eyes to the operators
quarters, and there was an immediate
cry of fire" from all sections of the
house.
A wild rush started for the exits, the
aiSles were filled with struggling boys
and girls who fought blindly to reach
the doors.
The doorways were also quickly
jammed. AS those in front went down
under the crushing pressure from the
crowd in the rear, the victims piled
themselves into struggle heaps.
Fire Does Not Spread.
1t was this condition which confront
ed the firemen and conStableS when
they reached the place. The rescuers
fought grimly to disentangle the chill
dren and clear the way for those who
were still held In the theater. The task
was made the more difficult by the
crowding forward of parents, who rushed
to the scene as the alarm spread rapidly
through the murky mill town.
Fortunately, the fire itself did not
spread to the theater, and after the
place had been cleared it showed little
trace of damage. Had the flames taken
hold of the structure the death list
would have mounted into the hundreds,
because none of those imprisoned be-
H4IlO Tie JdHlIneO OOOIWdyS COuIQ nave
escaped asphyxiation.
The theater seats 750 persons. AS to-
days performance was billed as a Spe-
cial holiday matinee for children the
house was fully occupied by youngsters
of from to IA years of age.
Noted for ShawIS.
Paisley is a town of $4,000 inhabitants
on the White Cart River 3 miles above
its junction with the Clyde. It Is only
miles from Glasgow.
The place became internationally ia
nous for Paisley shawls, an industry
which flouriShed from 1900 until the
early 80s of the last century, These
shawlS were woven on hand looms with
a pattern in imitation of Cashmere
products.
Paisley is largely mill and manufac-
turing town. It turns out soaps, starch,
machinery and textiles, the latter in
Cluding fine muslins and tartans. A
large amount of thread is also manu-
factured.
Historically, the city is marked chiefly
by an old abbey church colonized orig
inally by the Benedictines in 1853 In
its present form this structure dates
from the fourteenth and fifteenth CEN
turies Tt contains the tomb of Mar
gerry, daughter of Robert Bruce, and
Robert III of Scotland is also buried
there.