Show SAFETY OF PUBLIC HALLS Nearly lives were lost in an au opera house fire in Boyertown rn Penn on Monday e of last week Th The usual number of editorials arc are being published over it its the tile burden of or most of or them being that the e danger in a case of or that kind is panic not fire That is true but of what avail is such a state state- menU Will Vill that lessen the panic in another fire a week h hence boned 1 r. r The rhe 1 he true business is not to quell a panic but to prevent it rind and for that there is but one way The place must be made so safe safo and kept so safe that people at the first alarm will see that there is no dan- dan cr There Thero must be he ample means of e egress ress and thc they must be bo HO so kept as tA to be instantly available a When rhen a few years ago a great theater cau caught ht on fire in Chicago and scores of people were killed in inthe inthe inthe the crush a whole row of doors which were made to avoid in nn any possible accident were found closed clos-cd and andt t impossible of opening opening- they ther had not nol been opened for 01 months In very many man public halls the doors still till open inward which makes them a complete barrier bar bar- rier when a rush is made upon them from within It should hould be the duty of or chiefs of police to see sec to it itI I every every da day that when a public performance is ison going on the doors can all be opened do in a moment and that when this is neglected the tho managers arc promptly cd and fined j There Ther is more than one public hall in this city 1 where people frequently as assemble that is not safe fare r It would be good discipline for all public hall mana mana- x 8 gors gOlS firs to at nt frequent intervals give the audiences v notice just as the curtain i is a about out to fall faIl that it j is the desire to lo see ee how swiftly tho the building can be safely cleared that so soon as the curtain falls the is i requested to see how quickly without hurry ry the place can bo be vacated Two or three preliminary preliminary pre pre- drills of or th that t kind a month apart would impress upon the tine people that there is ample time tine to tu c escape in case of an accident It is needed for a stampede among among- g men is just as 18 reasonless onlea s as S it i is among cattle It is just as pitiless s too Men will hear bear down and tread upon women and child children with th thI I no nu more consideration for others than so many frenzied fren freu- cattle cat lie Ip It i is not a question of what what- to fu do in ill a panic panie for brutish beasts and men then judgment ment has tl fled d to have lost their reason The thing to do is to see that public halls are first made safe um and then kept that way war |