FIRES AND PANIC.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 696, 22 December 1909, Page 7

FIRES AND PANIC.

. MANY LIVES LOST. DRAPERY EMPLOYEES STAMPEDE IN . LONDON. FORTY PLACES DESTROYED. (By Tolejraph-PrsH Atebelatlen-aoprTleliU i : . Londoni December 20. A fire at Arding and Hobbs's drapery stores at Clapham catised. a panic amongst hundreds of employees, who were dressing the windows for Christmas or were busy upstairs. .'. : Many jumped from tho windows. The firemen rescued scores.' Thirty of the injured were taken, to tho Tiospital. Several The building was gutted and the dome fell, setting fire to; provision stores and several houses. ' : ■■-.■'. ."■' - ■ ; . DEATH-LIST NOT KNOWN. FOUR KILLED LEAPING FROM UPPER . -. i " ;■■■-..■ v .: : .FLOORS. .' ,' .' JOHN 3URNS A STRENUOUS WORKER. : (Rec. December 22, 0.15 a.m.) '. : ,■ London, December 21., - The premises of Messrs. Arding and Hobbs consisted of a : handsome block of buildings extending for 100 yards, containing 50 departnienfs, arid employing 600 assistants., . ~Tho'fire was due to an , assistant breaking an electric lamp while, getting a comb from a window thSt was filled with celluloid articles.

Screaming and Struggling Assistants. '••] With'such inflammable materials,to feed tho flames, the place was soon blazing, and .a horde, of, frenzied assistants were screaming and struggling to escapei.' ■ ( , : ' -In ;ton ■ minutes the shops were at furnace' and further rescue work.had to be aban.donedi' .Four, persons. were killed in leaping from'.the upper floors. ■ :..-. . A copper : ornamental : tower collapsed and fired a-.store on the opposite side of the road. Drapers , premises and drug stores were also soon.Tn flames. . '; .: . . '■ . ■"■'.' .-.■■ . Mr. Johnj Burns (President of the Local Government Board), whose house is within la hundred yards of;the scene of, the fire, organised; a party, to tear down Venetian masts and festoons of flowers,-which had' been erected in :the' streets in connection with Christmas shopping,-, and- which were carrying 'the".flames' across .the. street. He also organised bands ,oi soldiers, and sailors to. assist the firemen. -..'. Mr. 'Burns .worked with a' : sack "over his head, in which sack; he had cut eye-holes,' His ' hands. ;:'wero- badly '.blistered.'.'.' '■ ■ 'I ;: Mr. Shirley . Renn> (the TJnioniet candidate for;ißatter'sea, which, Mr. Burns now 1 ' represents), also.-'assisted in the .fire-fighting. "' ...■ Damage Possibly a Million. ' Forty shops and honees have been destroyed. ,Tho ; will possibly, reach; a- million sterling.''-; The■ flames provided a most imposing'spectacle. ■'."..'•■■'.■ .' .; • ■ ■ •:. .''. ,; .It ■ will ; be impossible to ascertain the exact number : of' deaths until■. the. ruins ' have - been, searched-'and'the,roll of Arding and Hobbs's elriplos'ees- has' been called,"■-■' J ".''.."-; . ■-';

THREE THEATRE (-ANICS IN NEW YORK. » ; > y; ■';.-■■>• MANY- INJURED. : ' .■■'-._ /'- .■■■'■■■ '■'•.'•"■■■- ~ . . New York','December 20. ,:, Stampedes occurred in!connection with thiee in.New York, llany.porsons were; injured at .the; tVindsor Theatre, whefe : the audience numberod ' 700',; at the Murray , •■ Hill Theatre (where the audicnce\totalled ,1600), and the Broadvray Theatre. . ..' •'.'.■■'■•■'■■ ..' : TWOVfires NEAR MELBOURNE, : '■' .'.' I 'DESTRUCTION OF 30 DWELLINGS AND I 'i(I',i : J:,XC ■ "■■■ :^ HO ?S. , : , ;.':'.: >: '■ : : •:.:CONyALESCENT HOME!'"• inJBKEI).'"' i" : ;';■') i- :; ; -.;■.<. December 2i;.v' A'fire.vswept' out a block of thirty weather.' board; dwellings and. sho'ps in r.-Vordori,' Par- ; ;ker, : .and : Railway : Streets, .Williamstown, 'nine and a quarter .miles south-west of Melbourne. Tho;. fire '■ spread '.with ■ tremendous • rapidity.. ■ . ;Tho rbccupants of tho premises were mostly' .Trorkmeri... They saved ...reryj little. .'Some .had narrow.escapes.-i The-damago is : estimated at .from. ' to .. ..'/ .fire destroyed' children's convalescent home at Hampton/eleven miles southwest .of Melbourne.'. ;. ; :; ■',''.L:■.■■'.'• . [The ilißastrons burning '.of • 'the -Iroquoi' llieatrem Chicago: a, few, years ago, when Eeven tondred: iives-were lost, resulted : in'every theatre, building in 'America being rondered as nearly .fireproof as possible, and the introduction of:. every, precaution for the safety , of poople in case of outbreak.. Each floor had to be equipped with exits sufficient to empty the building wthout undue haste or/confusion : within' two or. three minutes, jeach e's;it to , be i.niade.conspicuous by. a rediight kept burnmglhr'oughottt.'the performance, and a number of. index: fingers, .pointing the direction. The I new fire regime was put into:drastic, operation■ from the beginning; numbers of buildings were condemned,' arid 'in. New York City fifteen popular .'and fashionable theatres were peremptorily, .closed ..pending ; such alterations as broußht them, up to;the new requirements. The law now compels, the attendance of one or more 'firenten :during performances, and the keeping clear of all aisles.. It: also ; made- impossible -the , old. familiar legend "Standine Room Ouly." .The' Broadway: Theatre is situated at ■ 31st: Street and- Broadway, ,in the: heart of the Tenderloin district, and would, if is certain, be crowded at the time of the tire The Murray Hill Theatre has been.eclipsed by the'largo'number of costly playhouses built within; recentyears in the neighbourhood, and is now; given up to-high-class pictorial exhibitions. -New' Y.ork. City boasts of three ppera r houses, and; .perhaps; ar larger number ."of theatres than any■ other city in-the world. :'l'wo thousand kinematograph shows are riven nightly.] ;':;';■: ,:^' : V' '.' : -.- ■ ■:...- ■