Year: 1872

The gathering OF all things colossal and
noisy nj Boston. was crowned on the
Fourth by tempest with thunder and
lightning accompaniment In what way
the daring Gilmore prevailed upon the
managers of that branch OF explosive ac-
compartment to he resent is not known
but it was there The Herald gives the
following account


The second concert had iuSt commenced
and the English Band was Just playing
its first piece, when the clouds which had
been for a few moments before drifting
from the southwest suddenly became more
dense and an ominouS darkness pervaded
the Coliseum Al that moment a cloud of
lust was taken up by the wind half Il mile
south of the building, SO dense Us to shut
out from view the Rnxbury landscape be-
YOnd. Onward came the storm travel
ing at furious speed, taking up small fra @
ments of wood and large pieces of tarred
paper and other debrts lying around loose
on the sandy plain that stretches out from
the Coliseum, and whisking them high in
air Through the cloud of dust the light
ming played torked tongues, daring ver
ticallv and horizontally with unceaSing
frequency, while the thunder cracked and
roared in startling peals. The officers
stationed at the doors on. the south side
had presence of mind sufficient to close
the portals before the tull force of the
storm burst upon the building but they
We're not shut until "A dense cloud of dust
had been forced into the auditorium and
laI ,a
darkness still more gloomy. In mo-
ment more the wind had reached the
structure and struck it with great force


Not a timber was started, but some OF the
large glass gas light shades which skirted
the tence-top on the south side were blown
off and against a window, which was
shattered The noise of breaking and
falling glass. Ghe tall of small bile; OF
wood from one of the ventllators to the
auditor um floor, the invasion of the dust
cloud, the crash of the thunder which re
sounded high ahov" the strains of the
overture to "Zanpa0 all combined to
throw the audience into a momenttry pan
ic, which might have been attended with
serious results had not the action OF cool
heads prevented its spread. A. it was,
probably two-thirdS OF the audience OF
three on -four thousand persons present,
We're affected, and there began the scream
ing of women. the shouting OF men. the
tanting of susceptible ladies, and an in
discriminate clambering over seat tops
and over each other, of people bent on
reaching the doors and making exit, in
the fear that the Coliseum was tumbling
down. The police mounted seats and
shouted and gesticulated to the audience
10 stop. The doors were shut in the faces
Of the fleeing multitude and their exit in
to the wind and rain. which We're at this
moment violent, prevented. BY happy
thought the English Band under Mr.. God
frtY's direction, at an opportune Instant
sounded the strains of the ''S,ar Spangled
Banner" which instantly diverted the at
tention of the dismayed multitude, and in
moment set them TO cheering the noble
anthem. Thus happily was disaster avert
ed, for the storm eXerted its worst fury
on the first blast, and although the rain
continued to beat turiou,lv upon the root
and penetrated quite cop iou5ly through
nnguarded chinkS, thus dlscOmmoding
hundreds and causing them to spread par
asols and umbrellas hy the score all trar
had departed and the auditors settled
themselves for musical en 0vmtnt.