SATURDAY EXTRACTS. THE DISASTER AT MUNICH.

Evening Post, Volume XXI, Issue 88, 16 April 1881, Page 4

SATURDAY EXTRACTS. THE DISASTER AT MUNICH.

♦ TERBIBLE SCF.NB AT A FANCY FESTIVAL. The correspondent of a Home paper writes :— " Friday. 18th February, will be remembered by mo as long as I live. I should premise by saying that it is the custom of the artists in Munich to hold annaally a feste, called the ' Kunstler kneipe. On the occasion of this festival no ladies are admitted, and the artists go in every conceivable costume, from that of the Spanish grandee to that of the most hideouslooking beggar. The students belonging to the several schools give various entertain* tnenta, and as there is much drink to be had, and much drauk, I need not say that it is a very lively affair. At about 12 p.m., just as the feste was at its height, I (who was in the American ' Block hut') heard shouts of ' Fire ! ' and shrieks for help. There was a small opening into the street from our hut, and a crowd of shrieking people came surging in. We, however, joined together and forced them out into the great hall, where a terrible ecene confronted us. Amid a mass of panic-stricken people, rushing in all directions, and wildly dashing through the crowd, were five or six students completely enveloped in flames. One of the most terribly burnt (Herr Kriest, who has since died) came shrieking along, one mass of flame, and endeavored to get into our hut. We succeeded in throwing him down just at the door, and, after pouring all the water we had upon him, threw a blanket over him, and at last extinguished the flames. He was so terribly burnt as to be unrecognisable. As I assisted to get him into a sitting posture his flesh seemed to peel off in my hand. We gave him some whisky, which revived him a little, and he was then carried to the hospital. Altogether, 17 perBons were burnt, 12 of whom most seriously injured, were at once taken to the hospital. Up to the present (Sunday, 3 p m.), eight are dead, one ia expected to die, and there are throe whose recovery is doubtful. What made it still more terrible was that most of those burnt were dressed in the Esquimaux ooatume made of flax, and fastened to a akin-tight canvas covered with a sort of pitch, which melted with the flames and stuck the tighter to them. It was horrible to see their frantio efforts to rid themselves of their fiery robe, but, of course, without success. A curious incident is that the Esquimaux had painted on their hut words to the following effect :— ' Will be seen to-night, such a sight as has never been seen before 1' and ' Is not the devil painted on the wall ?' The origin of the fire was in the Esquimaux hut, where three of the students were sitting together in a small cave at the back selling herrings. One of them reached out to get some money, and put his arm in the flame of a candle that was standing on a barrel. His coat of flax was at onco in flames. The cave being bo small, his companions could not escape, and bo were at once on fire also. They rushed madly through the hall, and in that manner communicated the flames to the others. The greatest praise is due to Herr Neidhard (music conductor), who, as the bandwere rushing away, ordered them to remain, and play a selection from ' Carmen,' which, restoring the confidence of the panicstricken people, prevented the oatastrophe, the extent of which is dreadful to contemplate. The hall was crowded to such an extent that it was soarcely possible for it to have held more, and as moat of the people knew but of one exit, the loss of life, had the panio continued, must have been great."