Panic in the Victoria Theatre, Sydney.

Cromwell Argus, Volume V, Issue 218, 13 January 1874, Page 7

Panic in the Victoria Theatre, Sydney.

The Sydney Empire during the play of "Hamlet" at the Victoria Theatre, one night last month, an explosion of gas occurred on the stage, and a psmic among the audience immediately followed to such an alarming extent that at one part of the time during which it lasted it appeared as if serious loss of life must be the result of the insane rush to escape from the building. It -was just before the end of the second act that suddenly a every 1 loud report was heard (something like the explosion of a small cannon), followed by total darkness, the eoncussiou apparently having extinguished the whole of the lights. For an instant or two there was a deep silence, the people appearing to be in doubt whether or not the explosion was connected in some way with the play ; then a terror j seized some of them; exclamations were jheard, screams came from the pit and th J I stalls, and the dress circle and the gallery.; I a rush was made' for the doors. The lower I part of the theatre was crammed ;..the gal- | hay was in a similar state, and the dress j circle was more than moderately filled. It I needs little exercise of the imagination to realise the terror of a screaming, terrorI stricken crowd,-franticallyendeavouring. to I escape some impending doom, all the more j frightful because riot wholly known. The I terroij that had seized the people grew, and ■ there was rushing and leaping over seats, screams of females, and shouts and orders of I men to "sit still." The crowd below were | surging wildly. Those who could escape J from the dress circle and the gallery leaped and fell clown the stairs—hats, bonnets, shawls, opera-glasses were all abandoned ; whilst the people in the pit and the stalls cruslied to the openings of the passages from those places to the open air in such a | mass, that but a very few passed down the | stairs, and they were.half dead with fright. | Men of strong mind.did their best to sub- . due the terror of the people, and many women were by force kept down in their seats. Above the noise of all could be heard the voice of Mr B. N. Jones, the stage manager of the theatre, who soon after the explosion came out with a lighted taper in his hand, shouting that it was all I right, that nothing was wrong. Some i heard him, and commenced applauding, but | the light he held in his hand revealed such j a gloomy, smoky, fearful picture, that even | his assurance that all was right did not ! eftbctually quiet the fears of the .people. Then the foot-lights.were hastily lighted by I Mr Jones, and again he told the people ! there was nothing to fear, that merely a , little chemical had exploded, and that nobody was hurt. Then there was cheering, ■ and the rush of the people subsided, though 1 the females were still pale and trembling. I At this moment Mr Fairclough came before I the curtain, (which had heen letdown soon • after the explosion took place), and he I added his assurance to those of Mr Jones. r The people, ready enough to appreciate • the intelligence, cheered again, and order t was gradually restored. Meantime outside r j the theatre, in Pitt-street,.the report rapidly r. spread, after the noise of the explosion was • heard, that the theatre was on fire, and a } i large crowd collected. Intelligence was . I quickly conveyed to the fire-engine stations, r and five fire-engines were soon drawn up - j before the theatre. Their services were, r! of course, not. required. Order being reh i stored inside the theatre, the play pro- ,! ceeded, and was carried on to the end withi j out any further mishap. t j " ____; ,

„ I The Melbourne Telegraph says, in regard l ' to the escape of O'Farrell to New Zealand, that ! j be has lied to the worst hiding place in) he world. "The towns-: r; small, and it has pleased Provi- , j dence to render the population preternaturally ; curious* so that not a stray im s(|ui'.o, not ' native , ! and to the manner born,' emild posibly hope to i elude observation. Each lazy citizen, lolling at. 1 ! his shop door, winking and blinking as he-looks i up and down the vacant street, :s an auiatexir " j detective, and relieves the monotony of local scati- ' | dal by reckoning up the stranger and comparing i ! notes afterwards with his neighbour : and a ' {lonely Victorian is perse an. object of justsiublo ! j suspicion. So soon as news of a flight can on 1 j wired from Melbourne to Wellington, the ds--1 .faulter who takes refuge there is doomed, and ' i ociety in Australia will hd all the safer.".