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Show HUNDRED PERISH IN THEATRE FIRE Victims Were Attending Benefit for Sunday School When Flames Caused Wild Panic. In Addition to the Heavy Loss of Life, Three Score Were Injured, Many of the Unfortunate Ones Being Be-ing Members of Leading Families of the Town. Doyertown, Pa. Nearly ono hundred hun-dred persons In this borough wero killed In a theater flro and panic, Monday Mon-day night, and nearly threo score Injured, In-jured, many of them fntally. A majority ma-jority of tho killed woix) members of tho leading families of tho town. Whilo 'tho "Scottish Reformation" was being reproduced In Ithoado's opera houso by Mrs, Monroe of Washington, Wash-ington, n tunk used In n moving picture pic-ture scono exploded, and Immediately thero was a wild rush for tho exits of tho building. Men of inaturo years cndcnvore.l to still tho panic, but their voices could not bo heard above tho shrieks nnd screams of tho tcrrllled women nnd children, who composed tho greater part of tho nudlcucq. It seemed ns though nearly tho en-tiro en-tiro nudlcnco mndo a mad rush for tho exits tho moment tho explosion occurred. In their nttcmpt to quiet tho great crowd thoso persons who wero on tho stnge accidentally upset the coal-oll lamps used at tho footlights. Tho burning nil scattered In nil directions, nnd tho lamps which woro used to light tho opera houso exploded, throw ing uio mazing on ovor tno terror-stricken terror-stricken peoplo, who wero fighting frantically to gain tho exits. In tho mad rush n section of tho floor gavo way, precipitating scores of persons to tho hnscmont It was scarcely flvo minutes from tho tlmo of tho explosion of tho tanks until tho ontlro heart of tho structuro seemed a roaring furnnco. Thero was a mad scramble to tho stairway, and scores of women and children woro knocked down and trampled upon, many of them doubtless being crushed to donth. At leal t fifty persons, realizing real-izing that exit by tho Btalrway meant almost certnln death, risked their lives by Jumping from tho windows. Limbs wore broken and skulls wero crushed by this dnrlng method of es-capo. |
