DESCRIPTION OF THE BUILDING.

Otago Witness, Issue 2810, 22 January 1908, Page 19

DESCRIPTION OF THE BUILDING.

AUO9ELAND, January 16. The Rhodes Opera. House, the scene of the recent terrible disaster, was a small wooden building, and though dignified by the name of opera house was really nothing but a hall. Mr Salmon, of Salmon and Chester,' sketch artiste, now appearing in Auckland, has played in Boyertpn, and la describing the hall to-day stated that it was one of the small and antiquated halls which were closed, after the great Iroquois Theatre fire in" Chicago, when hundreds of halls were closed in various parts of the country owing to the exits in the event of fire being insufficient. In three or four months the danger was forgotten, and the '^grafters" getting to work, the application of sufficient palm oil resulted in the reissue of licenses without anything being effected in the way of improvements, with the inevitable result. The fact that the hall was email and out of date is proved by the cabled statement that the footlights were oil-lamps, for in all " up-to-date buildings in that part of Pennsylvania either natural gas or electricity is the light medium. Boyerton has a population of about 4000, and tho Rhodes Hall would hold about 1000 , people. Although the licensing of such " shackles," as the Americans call them, ■was secured without adequate exits, the strictest regard for the safety of the' audience was insisted upon in _ the main theatres, and the principal theatre _:n Boyerton is well provided with ample exits, there being no danger in any of the big *yrmisemfint places. The destroyed hall wae

largely used for purposes., Mr Salmon is of opinion that it was calcium' ' light, and not a cinematograph that caused the panic. Evidently the connecting tube broke off the reservoir, and the compressed gas escaping through the aperture 'made 'a noise like the hi6eing of flame, and t frightened the audience to such an extent that a panic immediately followed.