NARROW ESCAPE FROM FIRE.

Thames Star, Volume VI, Issue 1778, 14 September 1874, Page 2

NARROW ESCAPE FROM FIRE.

An event occurred at tho Academy of Music on Saturday night, which had been likely to prove fearfully disastrous. Some time after the first interval an alarm of fire was heard, and one or two parties— among whom was Mr. Sub-Inspector Bullen—ran out from the theatre to ascertain the direction. Inquiries were made of tome bystanders as to where the fire was; and one or two hazarded the opinion that it was " over there," accompanying the announcement with action sufficiently indefinite to mean anywhere from Tararu to Shortland. The gentleman mentioned were about rushing "over there," when a calm bystander said,in tones utterly devoid of agitation, "Here it is, look; up in the Academy." Such was indeed the fact. On looking up, it was "discovered that the ante-room window of the gallery was throwing out an unnaturally full light. Mr. Bullen, with a promptitude which did him credit, immediately rushed up the itairs leading to the gallery and into the. little room, before any of the audience had commerced to hurry out, and was accompanied by Mr. Curtis and Mr. George McCaul. They discovered the whole of the front side of the room in flames. Mr. Bullen had in his hand an umbrella at the time, and made efficient use of it in beating down tho flames, and the fire was eventually extinguished. In the meantime, such a panic as we sometimes read of had taken place, and the people in the gallery commenced frantically to scamper down the narrow staircase without regard to the safety of their own or anybody else's neck ; notwithstanding the fact that they would have had plenty of time to escape had they filed off' and marched at funeral pace. JNo bones were broken fortunately; but the fact shows that had the gentlemen who extinguished the flames been a moment later they would have been met by the force of the crowd, which there would have been no withstanding, and thus been prevented from being of any service. In which case—that is to say, had they ,been a moment later—the chances were ten to one whether the Academy was not burnt to the ground. The cause of tho fire as far as can be ascertained was simply this. A kerosene lamp had been left in the room to count tickets by, or for some other purpose in connection with the tickets; and it is supposed that the wick was left rather high, and eventually caused the lamp to burst, igniting the table and then the paper on the wall.. For a few moments the excitement was intense: a young lady in the Pacific fainted, and a woman was carried from the theatre in a state of alarming hysterics, having, as it was said, a child inside.' Some few moments after the fire had been extinguished, and the wonted quiet restored, the Grahamstown fire-bell. rang out its warning note. Mr. Curtis is to be congratulated on the narrow escape,as there can be little question, but thajt had the flames once obtained a firm hold of the Academy, nothing could hay? saved the entire, block of buildings abutting on it. .--.,