THEREAT FIRE IN VIENNA.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2734, 24 December 1881, Page 3

THEREAT FIRE IN VIENNA.

SECOND EDITION

The burning of the King Theatre in Vienna,,intelligence of which was received lately, was attended with even greater,loss otr life.than waSiStated.,., A fresh cable message :says that 600 bodies have been taken out of the ruins, and that 2QO more are supposed to bo lying mutilated beneath the pile. Some particulars of the site on which the building stood; its surroundings, add a sketch of the building itself, will not be uninteresting- There are at present eight theatres hr Vienna, all of them subsidised by the Government, and the Ring Theatre Was the second in point, of architectural beauty and the, splendour of-its internal decorations. The position on which it stood is a commanding one, and hr the vicinity of some of the finest buildings in, .the ’ Austrian capital; The theatre was in the very heart of the most aristocratic quarter, and it is greatly to be feared the lamentable loss of life will carry dismay and desolation into many of the’ 'noblest families in Austria. The building was, designed by the well known ; architect Herr E. von Eorsters, and was a very handsome structure. If-jyas built in the style of the ■ Renaissance, and a .wealth of rich ornamentation* was lavished upon it. It had J a,, spacious parterre oh the ground floor, two tiers of private boxes after the plan of Her Majesty’s Theatre'/ In London, and three gab leries. It was capable of accomodating from 2000, to ,2500. spectators. The decorations were oft white and’gold, while the lovely frescoes which adothecl the panelling of the circles wore the theme of admiration of all who saw them’. These frescoes, perfect cliefs-d 1 - avre, were the work of some of the most celebrated artists in Germany, under the direction of the, painter employed in the Court Theatre. The theatre was built in,the most modern style, and on the soundest acoustic principles. Every elegance and comfort was lavished on the auditorium, while the stage appliances embraced every triumph in the art of stage mechanism. The means of ingress and egress were of the most satisfactory character, the building, corridors, .and staircases being fire-proof. These facts render the enormous loss of life the more extraordinary. Originally intended for grand opera, . the Ring Theatre has alternately been devoted to opera comique, the classic, and the domestic drama.-’ Last-Christmas the celebrated diva- Adelina Patti and Signoro Nicolini sang there. At the end of the year the theatjfe was closed for the purpose of undergoing a thorough renovation, and was re-opened on the 30th of last Sept. During the interval extensive alterations and improvements were made. The.lpss.of this fine theatre—built at a cost. of. £lso,ooo—without counting tfie fearful loss of life and consequent suffering, may be regarded as a national calamity, being only equalled in tragic interest by the great conflag rations of the cathedral in Santiago and the Park Theatre, Brooklyn, and lastly, by the ( terrible catastrophe of the Grand Opera atNice^ —(/‘Australasian.”) , . . t