SYDNEY THEATRE BURST.

Otago Witness, Issue 2506, 2 April 1902, Page 45

SYDNEY THEATRE BURST.

ONE LIFE LOST. (From Our Own Correspondent.) MELBOURNE, March 2*. The leading playhouse of Sydney, Her Majesty's Theatre, was completely destroyed by fire on Sunday morning. March 23, brtveen 5 and 6 o'clock. " Ben Hur," Mr Williamson's latest great production, with a specially imported company of English actors and actresses, had been played on the Saturday night to a full house. The performance closed at 11 o'clock. For the next five hours the theatre wa« in the hands of the night wptchman and a number of men whose duty it wa? to fumigate and disinfect the building. This was a precaution. again.«t tli9 plague, and had been carried out since the theatre had been compulsorily closed for a week. At 5 o'clock this work was finished. After that the watchman was alone in th^ theatre. He states that between 5 and 6 o'clock his wife, who had been up all night nursing- a sick friend, called to see him on her way home. Shortly before 6 he phowed her over portion of the theatre. There was no indication then of fire, but a few minutes later he heard a noise at the rear of the stage, and found that flames had broken out. He realised that they had gone 100 far to allow of his doing anything to stop them, and gave the alarm. The Fire Brigade was soon at work with 11 engines, including the large and powerful "Big Ben," which had not seen serviea since the monster blaze at Anthony Hordern's last year. There were 100 firemen engaged, aided by 40 volunteer?. No fewer than 17 lines of hose were in simultaneous operation, their discharging capacity being about 5000 gallons per minute, and the flow of water was fortunately always equal tc the heavy drain upon it. But all efforts were unavailing. The fire spread through the building with great rapidity. Thera was nothing wanting to make a great conflagration. The immense stack of magnificent scenery, running into acres of canvas, and all the accessories, which go to make up a gigantic theatrical leprescntation like that of " Ben Hur " provided the requisite. All that was necessary was a draught to carry the flames on, and this was provided sufficiently to ensure the total destruction of the interior of the theatre. Happily, the morning was calm, and the firemen had little difficulty in preventing the spread of the flames. The building adjoining the theatre on each side wae a hotel and the inmates of each mode a wild stampede to the street for safety. There were some incidents worth noting. One gentleman, half-dressed, rushed downstairs, and when he reached the footpath and saw that the hotel was safe, he suddenly recollected that he had left a gold wa+ch and £100 iv notes under his pillow. He 'rushed back up the staircase as fast as he had just previously come down, and the smile on hi 3 face when once more he gained the pavement showed that he had recovered his watch and money. In another case a lady had left the top floor hurriedly, and was heard calling " Save my birdie." The deputy Sre superintendent (whose name, oddly enough, is Spartee) ordered her io retire as quickly as possible, as her life was of more value that that of her bird. She would not go, a,nd had to be taken downstairs, but she returned, and cried out for her '" birdie " a second time. The lady was quickly escorted to the street, but a second time &he came back, and wailed for the canary. Ultimately she triumphed, for it was brought to hei in a. cage, and she emerged into Pitt street in tnumph. Her Majesty's Hotel suffered most, having two bedrooms burned out and being otherwise damaged. A woman named Belle Pye. a widow, 27 years, lost her life. She was employed in an adjoining shop, and lived in a room at the rear. Mrs Pye, when^-he alarm was given, gained the street with other occupant* of the premises, and foi a time stood talking to them on the footway. Suddenly she recollected that she had left something she prized behind. She did not mention what it was, but merely saying she would be back in a few seconds, made her way to the rear of the premises. As a high wall reparated the theatre from the room she occupied, there appeared to be no actual danger from the fire. She gained the room safely, but did not return, for the wall crashed through the roof of the Lack premises, and she was buried beneath the debris. When her body was recovered a small gold brooch of horseshoe pattern wa.s firmly grasped in the right hand. The theatre and hotel buildings were owned by Mrs M'Quade, a widow, who has just returned from a visit to Europe and has been staying at Menzie's Hotel in Melbourne. They were insured for £18,000 only — a theatre being regarded as a policy of great risk by insurance companies, — and the theatre itself is stated to have coat over £80,000 originally Mrs M'Quade takes her loss philosophically. When she heard of the fire on Sunday she sent foi Mr Williamson, and describes amusingly what occurred. "As soon as he entered the room," she says, "he shook his head, and taid impreseively, 'We are in the soup.' So w< were, and the expression seemed so appropriate that I began to laugh, although I felt thst he, as well as ourselves, had lost heavily." Mr J. C. Williamson, the lessee of the theatre, is ? heavy loser. The plant engaged in the production of "Ben Hur" alone coat him £6000. In an interview he says : — " ' Ben Hur ' will be an unpleasant memory for me. It was the most elaborate piece of stage work yet attempted in Australia, and was splendidly received, but after half-a-dozen performances had been given, the theatrt was closed foi a week on account of the bubonic plague. This was. of course, a heavy loss, but since the reopening of the theatre it did excellent business, and I was looking forward to Easter time for a re' nai of the great audiences which crowded the theatre during the opening week. I «- pectpd to get back a portion of my outlay, at all events, with th-> increased holiday business, but the- whole thing has gonp now; everything — music, co=tume«, =cenery. electiical appliances, motors, dynamos — all are desrroved. " "Will you replace it?"' " Tliat if the great mi-fortune. It will be hardly possible to do so. ' Ben Hur ' could only bo adequately staged in Sydney and Melbourne, and as it had run for about half its term in Sydney it would not be possible tr. incur the groat expense necessary for another production in Mc!bourn». No : 1 must simply write it off as a dead los« " Mr H. H. Vincent, the stage manager, estimates Mr Williamson's total loss at not Mi» tium £14,000,