BURNING DOWN OF THE THEATRE ROYAL, MELBOURNE.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1144, 28 March 1872, Page 3

BURNING DOWN OF THE THEATRE ROYAL, MELBOURNE.

[daiiy. telbubaph, march 20.] At last the building so long known to Melbourne citizens as the theatre par excellence of the city has gone, following closely in the wake of the Haymarket. At half-past 12 this (Wednesday) morning the warning notes of the fire-bell rang out, and the word soon spread, first that the conflagration was in the heart of the city, and next that the Theatre Royal was the scene of the disaster. The announcement was only too true. The edifice built by Mr Black nearly twenty years ago, and in which nearly every actor of eminence who has visited Australia has appeared from Brooke to Carden, was soon seen to be hopelessly committed to' the flames. St. Georgek Hall, it was feared at first, would be involved in the destruction. In the hurry and rush of the sudden tumult it was no easy matter to glean any information as to the how and the where of the commencement of the fire. The only thing pertain was that the body of the' Theatre Royal was in flames ; that pit, stalls, and . dress circle were blazing in a fire about which there was no sensational effect beyond that of stern reality. It appears, from what we can hear, that shortly after 12 o'clock Mr Pitt, the lesssee of the Cafe, was sitting with his wife in Mr Donald's, the photographer, when he was informed that the theatre was on fire at the back. Previously ! to this smoke had been noticed by some passers-by, and warning had been given *> the brigade. But when Mr. Pitt reached the spot he found that the back portion of the stage,- between the paint-frame and the dressing-rooms was on fire. The painters' laborer, Kenneth Douglas, was at work with the hose, which is always kept on the premises, and,. Mr, Pitt. at first ;^eli -", confident of . keeping •;', the* -fire under or at least , in the rear of the paintframe. It was found, however, impossible to dp this, and, both Mr Pitt and his assistants had to retreat, the flames rapidly catching the flies, and, subsequently, the body of the house. By this time the brigade were on the ground, the full force of the water was played on to the blazing mass, and all Melbourne knew that the Theatre Royal was on fire. The scene of the burning house was being played out in earnest. Seen from the street the effect was, perhaps, not quite so gorgeously terrible as the burning of the Haymarket. The fire was confined entirely to the theatro iteelf, and the vestibule being comparatively closed in, there was not the seething, boiling sea of fire shut in by the red-hot iron gates, which was visible to the crowd in the .case of the Haymarket. The continuous and active exertions of the firemen enabled them to keep down the fire, and by two o'clock it became evident that beyond the body of the theatre itself no damage wouldbe done. StGeorge's-hall was uninjured, the front of the Cafe was untouched, and though Mr Pain's collection had to be carried out into the street, no damage was done to any property in the neighboring buildings. But the old theatre itself has gone. The stage to which so many favorites have been recalled to receive warm applause was at one o'clock ■ I this morning a raging mass of flames and » f r '•' ig timber, the roaring and the crack r

ling of burning wood, and the hissing of the rapidly played-out water, taking the place of applause or encore. Independently of being deluged with water,. the Cafe was not injured, and. believe alsq, that Mr Pitt is fully insured. Of the origin of the fire nothing is as yet known, but it is believed to have originated in the property-room, which, with the dressingrooms, is just behind the paint-frame on which Hennings prepared so many of his masterpieces. How the mischief began no one can tell. Whether sufficient care had not been exercised in clearing the stage after the fire scene, or whether it was the consequence of carelessness on the part of some of the actors who had used the dressing-room is not known. It is reported upon what we believe to be reliable authority that Mr Coppin, by the terms of his lease, is bound to rebuild the theatre, and as the lease does not expire till April next, this hard condition will, of course, have to be recognised.