PANIC IN A THEATRE.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 11129, 31 July 1907, Page 2 (Supplement)

PANIC IN A THEATRE.

FALSE FIRE ALARM AND ITS RESULTS.

A MOB OF FRAN-TIG WOMEN.

NEW YORK, June 12. In Brooklyn on Saturday a thousand women and children were thrown into panic, at a performance at the Gotham Theatre, and another national disaster, such as overtook the Iroquois Theatre at Chicago, was only avoided by a hair's- - breadth. .... .'--'■•-.. During a performance of "The Silver King," which is still th_ most popular of tbe half-dozen ;plays by Mr Henry Arthur Jones now running in America, a, foolish, boy climbed the .Ere escape, opened the door to the balcony, and yelled "Fire, fire t _rre." <_..., . * ...., As the boy ■ opened the door a shaft of sunlight shot through the darkened auditorium. The matinee audience, which included only a. sprinkling of men, thought the flash of sunlight was the reflection of flames in the balcony, and instantly: every^ person in 'the theatre jumped up and 'started screaming, struggling and fighting to reach the doors and emergency outlets. Women battled like demons, the weaker being thrown to the floor, and children separated from their mothers were trampled, under foot. Hie gangway became. jammed. f A FRUITLESS APPEAL.

Mr Hal Clarendon, who plays the Silver King, immediately dftw how matters stood", and advancing to the footlights he stood there with outstretched arm, a dignified picture, liis white Stage locks flowing over the collar of his black Inverness cape. Mr Clarendon, like others of the company, had seen the boy open the door/ and knowing there was no cause foi alarm, they tried to quiet the frantic women and children, but in the uproar thpir words were hardly heard.: The orchestra started to play, but no one paid attention to it, and the curtain was rung down.

In the meantime the stampede continued unabated. Women fought with hatpins to reach the doors first, and childen were passed over the heads of the crowd. 'Now and then someone fainted, and hysterical shrieks were heard. Mr Edward Girard. manager of the theatre, and Mr Dudley Clements, the treasurer, ran from the box office into the auditorium, and tried to check the onrush. Mr Girard worked his way a short distance down the centre gangway and was caught in the middle of the crush. His coat and vest were ripped off, and he found himself powerless. Mr Clements was overwhelmed* by another rush, and also lost his clothing. The attendants saved many people from serious injury. PANDEMONIUM.

In the balcony there was another mass, of fighting, screaming women. They found then* way to the lower floor blocked by other women, who Were struggling to reach a. small room off the balcony, where more than a score of them had left their babies in the hands of the caretaker. At the shout of "fire" the first thought of the mothers had been for their babies, and while many of them were unable to get to the balcony, enough started upstairs to block them. Several women tripped and fell. Fortunately this theatre has extra good emergency facilities, and at the first alarm the policemen and others opened every outlet, and so within a few minutes which seemed hours to the struggling mass, inside, the pressure was relieved and the panic quieted. After the audience had left the theatre the floor looked something like a battlefield. Twelve bushel baskets of torn garments, wrecked hats, hair combs, pieces of whalebone, belts, and miscellaneous articles of feminine attire we r gleaned. Many who lost their pi*' - e were given their tram fares ■hon.'' "£ se , s tunately the injuries were co r ' fi J ' , ?* scratches, a-few pin thrusts, ' j u • and none were particularlv ctn . ct bruises, The boy who started 'i.J 6 " 0 " 8 " * pite a painstekiug ~^Z»&&