A Frightful Calamity.

Manawatu Standard, Volume 4, Issue 194, 24 July 1883, Page 3

A Frightful Calamity.

rS AD tLOSS OF * LIFE. (Per Mail' Steamer.) . . (iTfl^rai^RttESS iiaoblATIOK.) . ; Au,oeland, July i23,x Intelligence of a frightful calamity at a piece ot amusement m Derdio, m the shore of tbe^'Lake of Como, reached London on 25th June. ," 'While the peri . formance wa's^in^rogress^ at a puppet show, the structure took fire, and was entirely- destroyed. Ij'orty-seven Jost their livesi and -12 were in j tired. ;The show was held m a large hall over a tavern. There were 90 persons m the place.. A Bengal light was used to'represent a fire, and sparks from this set fire to a quantity of straw, faggots^ and firewood man adjacent room. On perceiving tbe flames, the showman shouted " Fire," but the spectators thought the firo was merely a. realistic detail of the show, add remained seated. . Ihe cry of " Fire" v was soon raised outside the hall, and' the audience, thinking, an affray had arisen m the street, barred with a heavy table the door loading from the hall. They did not discover their mistake till the flames burst into the room*-' After the fire was extinguishedpsforty'SeTen corpses were found near a•. table; Included amoag the bodies were those of the showman and his wife*TtiAHarge"nurnber r of the lost are woman Apd,children c The wounded were hurt"by; leaping through the windows. A flung out of the window by ilf fell on a pile. of straw, and wes only one of the spectators present ia the hall nof hurt.