Show STRICHEN STRICKEN TOWN TOYN IS DEAD WITH HORROR All Boyertown in Mourning as asI asp I p Result of Terrible Theater Disaster j. j i WHOLE FAMILIES ARE LOST i I Investigation Shows Fatalities i Were Needlessly Caused lm by Wild Panic I S U. U H o Boyertown 1 Pa Jan Tan 15 2 t a. a m. m m Coroner places 4 tho th S 5 total dead In the Rhoades 4 r 7 theater at approximately zoo O t Th There I here re have o been recovered from t T th th the ruins so far Car the thc bodies of or HO 10 females 43 3 males and 12 S t 4 sex unknown Of or these 22 are aref S f the bodies of or children In adliS addi- addi S ton to these these there are three sacks of oC skulls hones bones hands S and feet eel 4 Sixty un undertakers ar are at work S 4 embalming such bodies have as ha e 4 S S f been heel Identified S 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 L I r T T T T T T s 4 f 4 C c BY fly Y WILLIAM I HOSTEn S BO ro n i Pa Jan lati an One nOne hUl hun him hell tl 1 and sixty seven bodies 11 dug dUb one on i. i S h by nv on one from the ruins here tola today tell tel the tho stor story of oC one nights night's tragedy at the lic o opera era er house j or of victims two thirds two are arc oi Women Cn an am 1 lm Nearly ten tem I In lr all al are recognizable some somo perhaps h by 13 t- t S scraps craps of r clothing cud and blackened trinkets S lna may ho he moie more In truth rut It Is alt al- al t thI probable that there there are more S at least hast to bring tho lie total l lf h list t up l to 2110 Hut Dut at this hourS hour S 28 hours after the st ni-st Ill fated fatt f-fatt un tin un- seasoned tJ senseless cr cry o of Tire lire no On one knows for or certain It I JR IR A f simply known that Ion sion inn tickets wore wIe sold All Al the lest rest Is confusion and terror fir In a community of oC on only I 2500 persons fair wL- wL blackened lr at least ruins to lo be bo carried from the tho of oC a pleasure palace S in n shapeless masses means that scarce scarce- JJ 33 1 anyone In the 1 hn line c C O. O H n m. m wn w- w S 'S SIn th hand hond of oC grief w. w In con consequence n lies n st stUnned nned b Jes by the blow or Of the borS bor bor- S administration only one official V S Burgess 1 suffered neither th the lOath death l nor Injury of oC a n cd loved one S Whole hole families have haye hen ben wiped 1 out outS S of on one e orphan child S fl or of n rt n family of oC s1 six or seven ln hU 1 J mourn Fun TJI civil ohU arm rs if C The taco ore arc In inI 1 polen Il L olin TIe a 1 L A Ai 1 Uil i I om 00 loor ti In n the best bet i ts pru-ts I S t tho el city sli sti earners ot of lack back tHUU p. l S The rhe streets are anent though h thronged All U Folk Tu n ot iC I 1 have havo o ha not nol heard a loud Ou spoken word wordS S S a wh t. t a r on song nong ur or a laugh since inco 1 in inS 11 o'clock this morning Men with grave gra c fa faces women with s tear stained tear eyes eeR thron throng the HIP hotel hoh l corridors gather on 01 the tho corners or stand before the hideous t tives yes b 1001 h o of their friends frh aiu and rela rela- Al All the talk is of teath death They h meet on the hl highway hwa and speak thus In lii I 1 hushed h 1 tones it terrible How Bow many of H were there r My father Cather and sister I 1 have lost 1 my wife and anti boy A 7 To fo one who d does es not know known n it would woul I sound apathetic commonplace heart- heart 5 IC lefts R. R It I l la Is none nono of ol these rhe They dont don't f 5 realize It yet rot They fhy are numb to surprise sur sur- 1 S prise or grief They do 10 not OOL compre- compre I hund ThoRe who are arc gone entered the Ill fated l-fatel l hall The They never emerged u again It Is like a ship lost at ot sea 1 S AVe We e know kno that our loved 10 1 ones sailed on the steamship antI and the news nes has reached us that the ship has gone down doit with nil all ni on board They went to this I 1 entertainment anti and thc they never came back That's all al For the rest In course of oC time there may be e u a I complete complete cornS com corn S list of oC dead deal prepared by process process pro- pro r cess of oC elimination All 1 lt efforts to pio- pio ES- ES cure such a list failed aled today From S the breal break of oC day when until long after aUer sunset nil alt who were vet wen u able uble le to lift lf a hand hanl devoted themselves to digging J the ruins for Cor the bodies o of the vic vic- 1 t urns tre ms School houses undertaking establishments es- es and churches turned s were into morgues and In these places toS tonight to- to S nl night ht a force oree of oC undertakers recruited from Reading and Pottstown are at S endeavoring to restore to tIRs corpses some semblance of or humanity S S for the morrow when the throngs will file Hie in to attempt the Men catlon t mention oi 01 the victims I Corone- Corone Seeking I II J I r Meanwhile Coroner of Derks county who has been een laboring count all day at tho scene Is seeking men for Cor al his ta Jury of or Inquest who do not feel teel tho the burdon burden JUr of ot personal grief and loss lose S S This Jury will wi fix Ox the responsibility for fOl the calamity It I will wl have a serious S task taRk Indeed save e for the fact that the hall hal appears to have been een crowded S beyond Us Its is capacity there docs does not nots S s seem em 1 to have been ao any direct Individual S responsibility surveying the ruins now and ant listenS listening listen listen- S S In big ing to LO the stories of oC the few who ho es esS escaped escaped es- es S unscathed there ther is absolutely no noS S reason to be e found oun wh why a a solitary soltan soul soulS S should have Tho The lint hall hal was wason wason wason on the second There were es esS escapes es- es S capes apes on either cither side of or the auditorium She windows at the rear eight more moreS moreon moreon S S on fl each side Bide and at tho ho front lont cl eight eightS ht I S more that opened upon a roof root of oC an S. S I adjoining house that was barely S. S scratched b by the flames lInnies- tames All l of or those might have found safet safety safe safe- who t ty 3 on this roof alone had hal reason pre pie But Dut tho the heap of oC bodies eight feet aI et high at the tho foot ooL of oC the six foot wide stairway and a broad pile jille pie of oC S wile bodies Just oft off the top landing of these theseS S S. S stairs told toM oC pitifully this tills morning o of tho the mad Might to descend by that means menns alone that calls for Here Is u a circumstance I S when the however rigid est II Investigation shock shockS authorities here recover reO Cl from the of ot the disaster One of or the officers or- or ofil- ofil S S cers of or tHe tife state pol police polee ce who rendered rel ren today when the tho town dered service 5 vaa confusion said sall the mornS mem- mem In x i was wag hers of or the local volunteer fire are fre S and amI andS raged while the names tp men men U women and children laget fou fought h to woren in a alist atal engaged S get cot out of oC thu inferno I with the volunteer firemen fremen list fight tal brought rought from Pottstown over petty jealousies that cropped Cropped up tI UI on the scene that dut duty sat at on onS believe to 0 S J It Is 15 s hard said S S I them BO so O J lightly but hut Officer Grant sall to me mo th this afternoon tN A Among Firemen t the two fights There were fre W 9 off raging the lines and I 1 The They were fire fire- fre- fre ran tito tho men drinking Most lh thuy had leen een had Iad hal bottles boules of ot whiskey ORS on OR or oC them S Burgess Koehler cr said aid sall S them I anti and fIghting that of oC that It was S W because r closed all saloons closet ordered dered 5 J 1 al In happened what of Tue Til real story o Continued on lit Ing inge Tun Ti S S J i L J i nt STRICKEN TOWN IS DEAD WITH HORROR Continued from frum One ho tho little opera oper house will wl T probably never r ho bo told Hero hem Is 11 an Important idea Pi of or It I t J tho ho mon monstrous fact I f is to bo be iMO th o Hi t thU lh c outcome 0 eo o It p p. p nhi nl not tho the panic of oC tho cue Hr lire fh The sputterIng sputter sputter- I Ing o of in on n light it ni nIl all You Yen have havo frequently hoard hald tho time rattle I t anti and hiss of ot th the carbon points of oC an nn el electric light when they become disconnected dis dis- connected That was It It Such a triIn tri tri- In ing ng commonplace and Incident inch Inci dent that lint wrought this havoc have ol hn of or death An n allegorical representation of or the star story of or tin tin- Scottish reformation was belf being Ki en then Iven for Cor or th the lie benefit of or St. St Johns John's evangelical I Luthern church Reading Heading avenue Boyertown pc Rev Her AI A A. A.M. A.M. M. M I Weber Weber- the thc the pastor by tho the way war at ot his hits homo home i fully burned about the he face and hands In of lila hIs heroic efforts efforts' lr t to stay ta the tw panic IH anti and later inter to rescue life 10 after It wo wn vas In cun play The Thc talent ct engaged In th the representation wa was made mado up wholly of or young oun folks of oC the tw ch city city- t lh men Inca anti and women till fun of or tho Ito Jo Joy of of life and living The wa ra au j composed of oC members of or tho the church congregation Atol and and- their hel friends ant arid and the tho horror of oC it It I. I the little ones boys boya and girls from rein live Ilvo 1 0 to all nU tO out out-in In their heir holiday In f y oc occupied occupied oc- oc tho the front 9 seats where time tho groat- groat f PMt t force o of tho panic was wn felt fell Moving Moi 1 t how sho A fe h of ot thin tho entertainment was waR wasa a Q mo ln moving picture show sho which wa waA given giren gir- gir en cn during the lie In intermissions let missions The Thc footlIghts of or tho the opera house vor ON 3 the lie old ashl old fashioned Jed oil ohI oi variety ft a f l long ng tank tilled filled with wih J kerosene fi from bom Oni which protruded night eight wick latin bum Ors rK The 11 picture piCtro machine h by lii acetylene lene gas as was at tho ho rear of or the house fastened to o tho the floor were seven sever Vows rows of opera chairs Supplementing them worn scores cor of or tho lie ordinary seats that could coull b be ht c about at t H a small gallery surrounding the rear of or tho time hall ball hal Tile Tito curtain hud Just JURt fallen alien CaJen on a a. stage stage- grouping ami the lie ded cro house hOLism was tl showing ls' ls Its Its- pleasure uro when the time lights 1 lowered for fOl tho the lug ing J pictures Tho The I C curtain was as down and a I hu hl h fell on tho the Ullen o oas as tho tIme picture machine began to move mo Suddenly th there ro C came re a I clicking and a n hissing Ordinarily It would have passed unnoticed Cut But thero was waR just one present upon whoso whose o oura It fell teU with wih potent meaning Click click chick hl hiss sputter Tim Tho 11 cr cry or of lire fro came now no from fromer ev every cv- cv er ery Cr- side Hide tlde cries Rh shrieks screams At fIrst the they y mo moved d haltingly I timidly mildly to toward to- to ward tho ho door then tho the passion full tul upon thorn thom nd TI ml tho the mad 11 rush rushon h w wee I Ion on and t sign ot Iames or Hr Hren lire liven Hven en the hissing and clicking stopped Someone rolled roUe up imp the curtain The J lights and flared up UI half a dozen men inca Uen women appeared frantically i uttering appeals tIme Um solo cause cUso of or which bo be r irn t from rom rein the time movement of or their lips hips No heed was waR t paid Chairs went vent crashing al I a around Time Tho 10 thud mul of or bodies falling failing wa was heard mingled lcd with the l. l waiting wailing of c children the tho Ihrl shrieks ks of cC women anil hollowing of or l mon muon n In th tL thc they went want swirling to tho lie minow ow stair stair- stairs s vay w h Mrs Ii r Mrs Ir ho ilio 11 h hart had charge of th the tho lr io moving picture maeh now appeared on tile tho stage adding her lur appeals q Who rho can over o sa say suy how It Il came cam j aPICa about Her llor flimsy dross burst Into A furious shriek of or trapped humanity lalo drowned nil all other r sounds bounds Mrs Airs hH Moyer seized a a. l nig lg to boat beat b at out tho the flames Hamel That was vas aR the last seen of ot liar her hor alive a a. a lash flash the lie footlight hl tank 11 took tool lire and antI now hero thelo wa was wa Jr lire In Iii 11 deadly earnest which spread through the lie of oC time the three story brick building I Pastor Weber who had bad been exert exert- lag Ing ilg himself to tho to stay the panic time the S. lilt coat HI coat failed to servo till the purpose and Ul lie he- 11 spread his arms arias upward In mute pray pray- or r. r A woman In th the gallery aler tossed Ira Ira- hl him her shawl In all 01 tile the mob moh th e two atone afono seem seem-n. to lo hu mol wits ivits Is l t tl r An n alarm of oC fire fre was sounded Th Thin Tho volunteers coming coining down avenue a encountered an obstruction amid nud John Graves Gra ct u a member of oC the tho corn Com OI pan pany watt was run lun over o and tind killed Ills His sis ala for ter Lottie It 11 t tho the same amo timo Ils was b battling to from flom toni tho the burning l building which she sho did only t to 10 die from rom hr her burns hurna on oil the tho outside The Tho fIre I al ro cn cn- cn glue ran van Into a tree and for tot tho the rest i of thi th tho night nIghta vu Wa a out of oC commission Meanwhile r the flames nil tlC spread through th tho thip building ni T The c IO loading ill out from from- the time Jammed stairway were found to open J j. j Inward While rs wore In ing to smash them 0 open the tho stairway gave wa way and ant about tle fifty men women and children were dropped Into tho the roaring furnace Almost nt at the last laRt minute when human aid lId could avail Samuel J J. J H looking for or his sis sis sis- tot ter te tu rushed hed and grabbed In his lila arms tho the first ri woman he saw It Ic was the tho sister ho sought As A M he II ii c carried t h her hor r out of doors tho lie floors of tho ho ho building crashed through to tho ha cellar celar A 4 deep 1051 wall trail followed timid find then roar of or lie tho fur fur- 1 nape 1 heard PJ 9 l |