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fsrfli platters. SAD CALAMITY,BURNING OF THE GAIETY THEATRE LAST EVENING.TWO PERSONS BOOKED TO DEATH.A NUMBER OF OTHERS BADLY r BURNED.A SHOCKING SCENE.Shortly after 9 o’clock j,la«t evening box S wag rung in, and at ike sum time a dense mass of smoke nnd flame was seen bursting out of the building No. 315 Main street.known as tho Gaiety Thentro. The building burned like a tinder box, and tho affair proved one of the most heart-rending calamities that has taken place in our city for many days, resulting in the burning to death of two persons, and in the serious injury of several more.was a bed all building, of brick, two storioB in front and running back one. It was built many years ago as a bowling saloon, and was known for yeare as tbo Badger Bowling Saloon. In lSfiG, after the Varieties Theatrewell fitted ike placo up as a sort of clt; saloon, and it was then known as the Varieties, a place visited by those fond of snob nmusoments. It was a long, narrow building, the concert room being on tlie first floor, and running back aomo 150 foot, an rooms above and in front being UBed bfrom the theatre jifloper, man had reachedthus far.a r-foot by thethe body of a boy was brought out and taken! to “the station house. His name was Willie Brewer, and he was. an apprentice in the News office. ;Tl*e i ______the stage of tbe'theatre, andthe poor victim had no doubt perishBd without being able to move from the spot whereif to protect h the fingers weA long and. tborongh'Bearoh vno more bodies could be found in thor,te victims, as they lay in the des house presented a most sad and heart eickoi ing spectacle. AH the clothing was burned off, and the flesh was fairly roosted. Tfc-Beemed drawn upin a heap topresei11 a Burface to the flames as possibh this position the poor fellows suffero tho worst agony and died. Their faces wex crisp and defied all attempts* recognition. Their handB wore burned, the ends of their fingorahaiug burned off. Many rero fuHy satisfied -look,and turned away heart sick.I withoTho first body brought out was identified i that of Waller Brown, a young man we known in tho city. Ho was shipping clerk iweek the place 1i C. King r hero and leased it, bringing a company liim, advertising extensively, and as a ri filling the place every niglit. As Milwaukeevisited ito concert saloon going orllioplace was crowded to Hr utmost capacity. Wo have heard tho number present oBtima-tod from 150 to 200, many of these being more boys. One of tho dam finished nnu loft tho stage, am orciso, a test drill, had jimt commenced. It should bo stated here th prist or turned tho gas off from the building I lighted it with Brilliant oil,a just i:. distilled from with this oil were scattered o building.ill was in progross one of tho i a lamp and it fell to the stage. It a coat hanging near and threw Line. In doiug tliiB the lamp was i nr upset ancl the dangerous upon the stage. Instantly llie was given from tho stage, and inic, so rapidly did tho fluid bumreu, wlien the fire broke out, re compelled to rush through outside. Tho actors on thewas made for tius front of the building. It is a mystery, and will remain 60 why the flames spread with such rapidity, for all prcecnl units in earing that the fire spread all aboul them, filling the entire building. IIany nom the front, and but a few feet from the door... fruit house onEast Water Btreet. Chief . McLaughlin on entering the building pas Bed tho spot whero Brown lay, but as he lay close o the partition wall, and was unable to re-;pond to the coll mads by the Chiof, he es-.ped notice. It is quite certain tt - ‘lmlo d the flames when the flro first brokiMessrs. Eummol Kempf, in wlioso en ploy the decoBBcd was, Bpoak in tho highci tonne of Mr. Brown, as a young man of i) legrity, honesty and sobriety. He was i yeure of ago and unmarried.Tho second body was identified as that lt;Willie Brewer, whoso father is a traveling agent for Mullen Brothers, and who rceidi at till Grccnbush Btreet, on tho South Sid Tho boy was an apprentice at tho printing business in the office of the News, ant' thought a great deat of.A FRIGHTFUL DEATH.Poor Walter Brown must havo met with a frightful death. It is now shown that a though notscvorely burned, if burned at al he was choked an d smothered with the smoki He tried to crawl to tho outlet, and succeeded until ho reached the partition wall. Here hi became confused, and, turning, went directly towards tbo burning stage. A few beyond he struck a bouck which had l pulled cut of its place, and could not proceed. In his confusion it was evident that he felt himself in a pen from which there o escape. Sinking on bis knees, his hands wcro thrown over the bench, aa if he •as in the attitude of prayer.. Hero he died, o doubt witb a prayer upon hia lips, and died a horrible death.actresB who como out of the second window, had her clothes in flames, sb une through, and the fire was not ex-tmguiBhcd until ehe struck tho walk.THE SAD AFFAin created a wide-spread sensation. All night ng hundreds of neoplo rcmaiued about the ;ins of tho theatre, and this morning the owdwas large at tbo same spot. All day they have been there, close upon the ruins,nloettlso badly injured ap-it a melancholy interest to and they could not bedriveL BRILLIANT on,r hair oa burned.Ssldoie terrifice under tlio iuilud those who reached tho door ; elves HRfc„lingcrcd and looked i1 the fire, liras keeping the crlt;tollnghlln’ rough t out o'CramKidly burned, wDaly.Muruliy brought on tainly have perished, and when tho building was in tlnines, .Tamos Creefl, hearing a groan, elimbeil in al R window and fairly dragged out Henry Sparks, a colored man, -badly liurt. These men were burned about the head, and on the arms and lmmls badly, aomo ol them i( was thought dangerously.rinjuiBe tor Schneider, of Racine, both hands■tiger at the Bout head ai frightfully Iml suffocation.House: suffering much iJTr. Bangs of the firm of Williams lt;t Bangs was badly burned about tho face and hands. Ho was wi ll in front, hut started for tho door is scon as the alarm was given, Tho flnroou-,e says, surrounded him, but he had prepuce of mind sufficient, to keep his mont losnd, and ao inhaled none of tbc flnmct He hands are so budly burned that it is feat •1 they will have to he ampulatod.j without help i icdical aid was summoned.It is saitl to-day that at least a dozen puilly burned, hut not so seriously as to p .'lit them from going to their homes. M f them wcro burned about the face cleparimci.argo (.a busy extinguish-:xei lenient among the srowd gathered at the fire was great, reported that after the flames had closed all avenues to the building, groanB and :rio£ for help were beard and some who had ascapnd were confident that at least lia'f n dozen persons were still in the building. Before the flames were fairly out and while there Was danger of being crushed by tlic falling walls, tho anxiety to ha tho Aral in was eo great that it was neooBsary to turn tho streamsf theeWithin an hour after tho fire broke out it was quoDClied so that Chief Engineer McLaughlin wont in and through it. Tho crowd waited is broathleBB anxiety to know Uio result. Ere long an order was heard to bring in 1 door, and in a moment:,t bringing tho remains of a man. It was a Bad eight, but the crowd msbed Pel1 eroded eo closely abouttho bearers that they could scaroely move. IfcnV followed up the street and to the'eta-tin houBO seeming to delight in feasting , oSs upon'the Bad' and sickening spec-. I Wnr/them; The body was found neartaole before them. The body was fo the partition dividing the front or .1was the cause of the sad calamity last night, we aro informed by oil inspector Hool-ey, ib not a particle less dangerous than gunpowder. It will stand test of only Co to 80 degrees, whereas no oils are allowed to be sojd that will not stand a test of 110 degrees. Those selling it hive been ordered.tall the oil in theHadday .; might.liavlj-, whosly injured. Dr. N. vaa the firet physician called, and who was ai ho Russell House by 10i o’clock, remained iy the sufferers until 7 o’clock this morning. 3c is in frequent attendance to-day, aB it also A. E. Foote, druggist on Spring Btreet, sufferers who are staying at tbo Russell e receivo tho kindest care, and all done that skillful medical aid and good m in accomplish to relieve their suffer-Goorge Crime, who was badly burned and almost suffocated with smoke, has so fa!i hisSAD ACCIDENT..lUanat tUe Rolling M tnnce of KlgUty Feet «1A sad accident occurred at the Rolling Mill I tho Milwaukee Iron Company, at Bay-View eslerday afternoon. Fred. Morgan Bur-iok, a hob of Morgan L. Burdick, a well-iiowd farmer of the .town of Lake, was at oik upon the new elevator, when a derrick a it gave way, falling and crowding him off io platform. Ho fell a distance of eight;him otherwise that he died within twenty minutes from the time tho sad acci-Hc was taken up and io his home,Phillips, but the injuries wcro so serious that no. hope w»b felt for him, nor could any ical aid eavo him. He was insensible the accident. Young Burdick was 22 years of respected and beloved by allSINGULAR AFFAIR.Bod) of a Man 1ora Burned Building.itcrdoy, «a wc learn from a .gentleman that placo, while Mr. Wm. C. Janos Luna, Rock Co., was removing rubbish from he eide of his barn which had been burned tim work of an incendiary, no doubt) he die* lovcredthe charred and mutilated rci .f a human being, comprising the pelvis and ■pinal column with several ribs attached. Large Btrips of burned muscle Btili adhcrodaled a bullet imbedded in the front part : the .spine. Several coat and shirt buttons, to pocket knives, a email cartridge revolver id a large silver ring were also found.Mr. Janes promptly notified the Coroner,11 be hi to-day.lie Missing Schooner J. B. Martin.Nothing has rb yet been heard of the missing schooner J..B- Martin, Captain Lord, of port. The Martin left hero on the 2d in-t with 21,000 bushels of wheat for Buffo-On the morning of the 4th she was seen entering the Straits, and she had time «-et through and into Lake Huron beforeshe htmmet with some sorious disaster. It mav be imagined that intelligence from or of the' missing vosael is looked for anxiously.— Capt. Lord?of tins city, had his son with him. Hie family is very anxious, and very much troubled.Tho cargo of the Martin was insured for 525,200 in the variouB agencies of the city,-..... .d for $15,000 in officeshere.__ [The Sheri'The fiBhing boat, Genera) Sheridan, having been taken trom the water, a clue to the die-which caused the loss of four lives is a Tho upper rudder iron, which held the Tiidder in its place, was broken ehort off, all appearances it was carried away by hu Tho fishermen on-ihe lBland think that there is no doubt but the rudder was dia-' . There was also found a strap fixed asaBten an oar so that tho boat might he stoereil by tMj, tod in the bottom ofr the boat lay Capt, Dunn’s vest as tf it had been thrown off to relieve him in the difficult work of steering the boat in the heavy Bea; with an oar. Nothing has been heard of the four51,039,811 to 5724,614 for thoaukeeSBtmbnthpra
Newspaper Details
Semi Weekly Wisconsin
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, US
Sat, Nov 20, 1869
Page 3
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
USA 04 Nov 2024
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