THE EXETER FIRE.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume I, Issue 40, 13 September 1887, Page 2

THE EXETER FIRE.

A FBIGHTFUt SCENE. TOTAL LOSS 190.—RECOVERING THE BODIES. London, Sept. 10. Further details of the Exeter catastrophe show that the scenery took fire just as the drop scene was being lowered. The side escape doors were opened, and the draught from these had the effect of causing the fire to burst through the gallery portion of the auditorium, A fearful struggle took place in the pit, the whole of the occupants of which escaped. Sixty of them were injured in the struggle, and one of them has since succumbed to his injuries. Dead bodies blocked the stairway leading from the gallery before the flames reached them. Scores of people were suffocated and their bodies burned to cinders. The scene among the spectators outside who had friends and relatives in the burning building was a terrible one. Thitty unknown bodies have been recovered, beside a heap of charred remains. In many instances children were found charrod, their arms encircling their mothers' necks, The Press are making strong representations on the faulty construction of many public buildings. September 11. The total loss of life at the late fire a t the Exeter Theatre proves to be one hundred and ninety. Upwards of fifty bodies have been recovered from the ruins that could not be identified in consequence of their being so dreadfully burned as to be beyond all recog, nition.

[A Hastings resident who knows Exeter well, gives some interesting details ol the theatre which was the scene of so terrible a disaster last week. In the course of his letter which appears in the Hastings Star, he says:—“ The building was rather a nice one. It was fronted by a colonade supported by Corinthian pillars and adorned by statuettes. Under the colonade are shops, one of which is the box office, through which a very short passage leads to the dress circle, which is on a level with the street. An easy flight of stairs leads to the upper circle. Thus it will be seen that these two last were in compariiive safety, but that the pit and gallery are enough to make one shudder. The pit is one literally, having been excavated below the surface, and I can imagine the terrible scene there, jumping over benches to reach the stone steps leading to the upper passage, which becoming blocked in a solid mass, the most active or most selfish would be literally walking on the heads of others. But if it were bad in the pit, it must have been a very pandemonium in the gallery. There is only one entrance to it, which is narrow, over several flights of stairs at all sorts of angles and corners, and, besides being thus tortuous it is intersected by several doors. It will not be difficult to imagine why some broke the windows and jumped full forty feet into the street, for they must soon have been suffocated by the smoke from the stage. As to the passage, only the lucky few at the top of the gallery, for the only door is there, could have got away. No doubt during the performance they thought themselves ill-used by fate in having such a bad place, but it saved their lives. On any ordinary occasion it takes a long time to clear the passage, but this time the people must have blocked into a solid mass impossible to move. The present lessee is Mr Frederick Neebe. Mr Neebe has been lessee for many years.