Year: 1876




police platoons were fighting at the en-
trance TO keep back those who were anx-
ions to get into the theater, and were
trying to aid those who were struggling
in the lobby, and all this Transporting
quicker than it can be described. The
inertia OF the two bodies which met at
right angles in the lobby threw many
from their feet, and it was necessary for
men to Hght to keep their wives from
harm. Many women who tainted were
picked up by the men, and held up
above the center of the crush. Clothing
was torn off like paper, and furs, hats,
shawls and overcoats were dropped as
worthle IS in the struggle for life. For
about seven minutes it was sight
never to be forgotten by those who saw
it. Sergeant John Cain and Sergeant
Eason, by skillfully placing the men in
their control at different points in the
lobby, kept from the floor those who
faltered or who were upset, and steadied
and guided the thronS into the street.


1t was not long before a pyramid of
fame reached toward the sky, visible
for miles from Brooklyn. The roar of
the fire and the cracking of the tim
bers drowned all cries of the scorched
and dying, and the fremen worked in
ignorance that several hundred men
were probably burning TO death within
calling distance. There were plenty to
rush into the main entrance in the ex-
citement, but the gallery occupants
seem to have been forgotten. The re-
porters, who ran about the throng with
questions for policemen, fremen and
theater attaches, could learn OF but one
dead man, whose body was seen by the
light OF the fire hanging half way out
of one of the rear windows. There
were three men slightly injured, who
had been carried to the hospital, and it
was thought ON all sides that these, with
q few who had been injured in the
crush in the lobby, were all who had
suffered. The fremen labored faith
fully to keep the flames from the ad-
joining buildings, and it was not until
about four o'clock that they learned Of
the awful loss Of life. Chief Engineer
Nevins, in entering the lobby, stumbled
over the body of woman, and on 60
ing further saw in the remains q heap Of
dead bodies. The reserves which had
been ordered from the other police sta
tions ut first, and had returned home
when the fire was got under control, were
resummoned and put to work taking out
the corpses.


At about three o'clock in the morning
the fire had been nearly extinguished,
and the major part of the throng of
sightseers had gone to their homes,
ignorant of the fatal consequences Of the
confagration.


The flames had subsidized sufficiently
to permit the firemen to make an inves-
tigation near the main entrance OF the
theater. Chief Nevins passed over the
trembling floor of the hallway toward
the inner doorway. Inside the doors
the flooring had fallen in, leaving O deep
pit of fire and fame, from which dense
smoke and steam assembled. Here a
sickening spectacle met his Mortified
gaze. Close up to the flaming furnace,
and clinging to the splintered verge of
the demolished flooring, was the body
OF woman, burned to o crisp. Her
hands clasped the framework Of the
door in desperate grasp. She had
fought hard for life. Evidently she
would have escaped had not the flooring
given way beneath her. All the cloth
ing was burned off, and the features
were so blaokened that she was unrecog-
nizable, and the body was removed to
the morgue, where il awaits identifoa-
tion.


At four o'clock in the morning the
flames were put out, and the heap of
debris was black and cold. From the
vestibule platform the fremen saw o
most horrible spectacle. The mound
that had at first appeared to be simply a
heap of ashes proved to be almost
wholly composed OF human bodies.
Heads, arms, legs, shoulders, shoes, and
here aud there entire human remains
protruded through the surface of the
mound. Policemen and fremen
hesitated for moment before leaping
down upon the sickening heap. An in.
clined plane of plain deal boards was
hastily constructed to reach from the
tender vestibule platform to the pit,
and upon this o ladder was rested.
Upon the ladder the men went to and
fro. Upon the plane, cotins were
hauled up and down. At first the fire.
men lifted the bodies from She debris,
after having carefully dug around them
and loosened them, and ten minutes YVES
consumed in exhuming each body. Bat
as it became apparent that there were
scores and scores of human remains, and
that day, and perhaps a night, would
end before the last corpse was taken
out, less tender means were used in The
operation, and the work assumed more
earnest and energetic character. In
stead OF five men, ten men set at worn
among the ruins, while on the yestibule
platform dozen sturdy fremep manned
the short ropes by which the cofins
laden with human remains, were drawr
up and dragged to the sidewalk. Ali the
bodies were bent into horrid shapes, as
sumed in the struggles of death by suf
location and by burning. Nine out oi
ten OF the corpses had an arm upraised
and bent to shield the face.


Something was missing from every
one. This one lacked head or foot
this nose, an ear, or hand, another
its fingers or the crown of the skull
Very many broken limbs and protrudinf
bones were found, and there were cash
es in the upturned faces or fractures il
the smooth burned skulls, so that eacl
corpse as it was dragged into the ligh
was new revelation of ghastliness.
few lusty pulls disengaged each body
Two or three men seized its stiffenet
limbs and pressed them into coffin,
pair of sharp pointed tongs clutched th,
coffin, and the firemen overhead dragged
it even with the street, where clotl
was thrown over the coffin, and it wa
dragged to the dead wagons, which KEEP
noininr md nnirn oil dnnr In,,n