Year: 1876

Enquirer, in giving an account of th'
burningo of the Brooklyn Theater, says:


At the investigation by Fire-Marsha
Ready, John Lyons testified he was IN
the top gallery, and first saw the fire
through crack in the scene on the left
hand side of the stage. 1t was quite q
large fame when heard the cry of fire
my friend and myself ran down stairs
and called him back again, and we sal
down again, but only for minute.
dropped over the banisters at the head oi
the stairs, and when got up police.
man tried to push me back. Several
others jumped on top of me. The stairs
were crowded then and the police tried
to keep the crowd back. There was also
a crowd down ahead of me, but met with
no further obstruction. Not half of the
people had got out of the gallery when l
left. There was nothing to indicate the
breaking ofstairs when came down. The
people were panic.stricken and were
falling on each other. There were very
| few women.


Marshal T. Bryan, who was in the
parquet, testitied-I do not think there
were six persons behind me when got
out; am sure when got out there was
not man or woman in the parquet.


John Boyle-Was in the gallery at the
time of the fire. When the alarm was
given all made rush. About one hun
dred got out before he did. First saw it
was in the flies over the stage, and the
cry of fire was raised behind. Murdoch
came to the foot-lights and requested all
to be seated. Saw others sit down again,
and saw flakes of fire falling on the stage.
Thought it was in the play, got up and
went out when it increased. Some one
fell and then twenty-five or thirty fell
over him. A rush of fire and smoke then
came through like whirlwind. John
Turner, an old fireman, said, "Look out
for yourself; the place is all ablaze." The
people were panic-stricken and cried out
that the stairs were falling behind them.
They begged some one, &C. for Gods sake,"
to let them out. Did not see the stairs
fall. Thought not more than seventy
five people got out. There were, perhaps,
fifty women in the gallery. Turner was
buried.


Charles Adams-Was ia the dress cir
Gle. First saw the fire in the scenery on
the left hand cornero of the stage from the
audience. 1t was then small. The cry of
Fire!" was given, and all started on a
rush for the door. told the people to
keep quiet, and they did SO. Mr.. Studley
then said, "Go, and 60 quietly" They
then rushed out, and I got knocked
down, but got up again and took out a
lady who was with me. saw several
ladies knocked down in the parquet, and
others in the vestibule. There was even
flash of fire to the ticket Office. From
the dress circle to the front entrance the
people were all in panic. Women were
knocked down, and the crowd rushed
over them. think if the audience had
been requested to leave quietly when the
fire first broke out they could have been
saved. There might have been trouble
in the gallery. don't think all the peo-
pie got out of the dress circle. The place
was very hot when left it. Il did not
hear any stairs break, but heard the fire
cracking on the stage.


Mr.. Richardson-Was in the gallery.
We saw men with poles trying to pull
the fire down. The sparks were then fall
ing. The actors tried to quiet the audi
ence, and some sat down moment. A
panic ensued and all rushed for the door.
There was mass of people there when I
got to the door. In going the first flight
all were pushing, but on their feet. The
lights were up at the first landing. Near
the box Office the lights went out and a
man tell and l fell on top of him. Then
it seemed that all who followed fell on that
heap. The place was dark and volumes
of smoke came up. was on my face, but
familiar with the stairs, and got out and
went down. There was no baluster or
hand-rail. looked back from the street,
but saw no one coming out. don't think
any one got down from the gallery after
me. They were all piled up in heap on
the first landing from the street, near
the box Office. l went round to the stage
door, and it was shut and on fire. Then l
came back to the front, and the police
were clearing the streets. Panic and the
want Of a better means of exit prevented
the people from getting out. was about
minute extracting myself from the
crowd. The jog or landing on the stairs
caused the people to fall, and there were
so many they could not get up again. j
don't think that one hundred people out
of the four hundred or five hundred in
the gallery got out.


Charles Holloway-Was in the gallery
at the time of the fire and was about to
jump down into the dress circle, when
saw some ladies below and was afraid oi
hurting them. Then drew back and ran
to the door leading to the stairs. En-.
countered crowd and jumped over the
heads of the people, and was at the
ticket Office when the lights went out.
then fell, but got up again. Upon going
little further found pile of women or
the stairs in the dark. He thinks about
fifty got out. Those he got over on the
stairs seemed to be dead. There we're two
separate heaps of people on the stairs
The fire reached HIM before he got out
and burned his ears. Was nearly sui
focated by the thick smoke.


William Ii. Smith, an actor, employed
by Mrs. Conway, testified that he was a
the parquet door when the fire broke out


Was on the stage about three weeks ag,
whex The Long Strike was played, a


which time the rubber connection of tn,


border-lights in the second entranc,
caught fire, but the excitement did no


pass beyond the few people who stoot
around, and the gas was shut off at once
Witness was i'm the gallery ON the secont
night John E. Owens played in Our Boy,
That night an alarm of fire occurred
J There was movement of the people
when Murdoch told them to sit down
, Heard that this fire was in curtain i
, box. He thought at the time of the fir
there were axes on the stage labled "No
, to be used except in the case of fire.
+ He knew that the "fire.door" from tn
. parquet to Floods alley was open at th
} time of the fire, and number of peopl
/ went out there.


A very interesting escape from tf
flames was that of one of the stage hand
: Timothy Owen, who made his wa
through an underground passage 10 I'll
coal-bunk under the pavement, and SUI
ceeded in getting beneath the coal-hol
where his rappings on the cover a
tracted the attention of some bystander
They saw the cover move, and prying
up, pulled out the fortunate fellow and