The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, May 1, 1898, Page 16

16 T A B 1500 CALL, SUNDAY, MAY 1, 1898. MELB@’S @DIEU A SERIES DISASTERS Her Farewell Performance Interrupted by a Fire. and |before I knew it half the big au- dience was outside the theater, frightened, but unharmed; and the other half followed leisurely. In spite of the wild rush for the stage which marked the first part of the scene, the general determination {of the crowd seemed to be to keep Hissing Steam Fierce Flames Ring Down the Curtain. Cool Management Pre- o {phere of accident and impatience. A great deal of time was taken up in i patching the steam pipe, and when ‘ths act from “Rigoletto” (which the | steam had interrupted) was resumed, |it was noticeable that Melbd was nervous and out of the spirit. She | fainted, I am told, at the first news of | the fire and was carried to her car- riage by Mr.-Ellis and several mem- | bers of the company. ASHTON STEVENS. | A rushing, maddened crowd, inter- mingled with plungling horses, met on California and Bush streets last even- ing because of a fire'in the St. George | stables, which threatened tcarryaway | the whole block. An alarm was rung in from box 46 | early in the evening, and the Fire De-| for active service, and should be re- one fainting lady was carried to the fresh air outside. This seemed to be a warning of. what was to come, and within a few minutes the fire broke out in‘all its fury. It was a remarkable and vet almost blood-curdling sight when the patrons of the theater rushed out but to meet the excited horses which .were being led to a. place of safety by those ‘in charge of the stable. It 'is hard to imagine a-'more exciting scene than a large audience rushing from a theater with flames pouring from the right, and turning but to meet a number of rapid- ly hauled buggies closely followed by plunging animals. The TFire Depart- ment acted in as speedy a manner as Fire Marshal Towe. is at present look- ing for the man who wired the build- ing, and an investigation will probably. follow. Chief Sullivan’ was rather sur- prised at the nearness of the fire and consequently worked like a beaver to | keep the flames from his feather bed, which has allowed him many hours of ‘much-needed sleep. Luck is the main factor of the blaze, as many smaller fires have résulted in accidents hardly to be thought of. In all probability the engine house adjoining the stable where the fire first | started will have to undergo improve-{ ments, and the theater next door will remain closed until Monday night. Heat has also a faculty: for removing possible, owing to the scarcity of water in the neighborhood, but the flames seemed ‘to gather headway until the old standby water tower poured its im- | mense stream into the top floor of the | building. For a time the sight was_ exhilarat- ing, but when it was realized that many lives were in danger the sight took on a serious aspect. ‘The man- agement of the California Theater is partially responsible for the order kept | while the audience teft the theater, but | the drummer in ‘the orchestra should receive a gold medal and other things | on the side for bravely marching up | the aisle of the theater slowly playing | a march to which the gathering soon | fell into line and went forth into safe- | ty’s arms ‘without a seratch or a| brufse. That man is almost too good vents a Panic in the California Theater. The Prima Donna Collapses When the Audience Starts a Rush for the Doors. LEDOUT BYTHE DRUMMER ‘ The St George Stables Burned -ndi Smioke Drifted Through the | Gallery Windows. 1‘ | Melba’s au revoir to San Francisco in selected scenes from nve operas was unceremoniously parted in the middle last night by a fire which broke out in a neighboring livery stable and blew some of its smoke and flame through the windows in the rear of the gallery in the Cali- fornia Theater. The house was crowd- | ed to almost the last stretching point with the flower, fashion and musical eiement of the town; hundreds of per- sons were standing in the aisles, on the several flights of stairs and in the foyer; and every seat was. occu- pied. The situation was everything waat it should have been for a sick- ening panic. But, by an odd humeor of fate, there had been o false alarm of fire earlier in the evening—a steam | pipe, used for heating tae stage, had sprung a leals and interrupted the “Rigoletto” scene—so when the real | thing happened and the gallery com- menced shuffling and murmuring, and the downstairs part of the au- dience rose, Manager Marx came be- | fore the footlights a second time and politely asked the crowd to keep its seat and avoid a silly panic. And | thanks to the burst steam pipe and | the cool head of Mr. Marx an almost limitless loss of life and limb was avoided. The excitement was, of course, immense. The orchestra musicians, whose business it was to keep cool and play soothing music (a selection from ‘“Nero” wouldn’t have been bad) rose in a mob and clambered up to the stage; the occupants of several lower boxes followed them; a woman who had been seated in the front row attempted to climb to the stage and | fell, and the policeman who was try- | ing to assist her tumbled after her.i Mayor Phelan made the ascent and added his eloquence to the appeal for calm, which was taken up by a | aozen throats on the stage. In the | main part of the house women faint- | ed and shrieked and pale men would | first stand up and then sit down and | then stand up again. From the bai- | cony into the foyer below and into | the lobby beyond poured a steady| stream of anxious humanity. But | ADVERTISEMENTS. ECZEMA WORST KIND Face and Neck One Inflammation. Not Able to See. Unable to Sleep for Weeks from Severe Pain. Friends Did Not Recognize Me Face So Swollen and Hideous. Three Doctors Could Not Relieve. 1 CURED IN 2 WEEKS BY CUTICURA | 1 have suffered with a case of Eczema of the worst kind, my face and neck down to my shoulders were one inflammation, was not able to see out of my eyes for quite a while, and was unable to sleep for weeks, on account of the severe pain, which nearly drove me in- sane. My face and neck were swollen and made me look hideous. I hardly recognized %Tons of Hay in the Loft of the St George Livery Stables Madev'Fuel for a Fierce and Disastrous Blaze. myself in a mirror, and my friends would not have known me, only on account of my clothes and carrying myself. Three doctors, of good practice, at different times were attending me, and not one of them could relieve me of my pain, swelling, aud blotches. 1gaveall up. A friend advised me to try CUTICURA REMEDIES. 1 did, and there was immediately a great change, my shoulders and neck tnrning to their natural color. Iused three bottles of CUTICURA RE- SOLVENT, four boxes CUTICURA (ointment), three cakes of CUTICURA SOAP, and my friends and one of the doctors are surprised, and asked “Who cured you?” and Igell them quickly + CUTICURA RENEDIFS." J.V.KAFK/ March 4, 1897, 33 Schole St., Brooklyn, N. Y, | to the false alarm which had startied | the house a half hour or so earlier in | panic had seized that crowd, whole been the result. As ‘it. was no one | was injured; ‘in .fact; not a sing ;hat, wrap or opera glass was left be- | hind in the theater. .: -~ g | In the circumstances a critical re | view of as much of the performance as took place will not-be missed. any. rate it shall not :be said of me that I carried my ruling passion even CUTICURA WORKS WONDERS CuTicurs ReweDiEs have effected tlié most wonderfui cures of torturing, disfiguring. humiliating skin. scelp, wnd biood humors, with loss of halr. ever recarded. They afford instant relief, permi reat and elcep and point tha apeedy, permanent, and eronomical caze, when the best phy hoepitads, and i else fail. Sereny Cone TrrsTwENT FOR TORTURING, DISTIA- tRixG Huxors.—Warm bathe chiA SoaP, gentle ancintinge with CUTICOXA {ointment). purest. of “moliient skin cures, and mild doses of CUTICUEA RE- SULYENT. greatest of biood purifiers and humor cures. “Romeo and Juliet”—and even that was considerably marred by the vo- cal atrocities of Selignac, who, as Romeo, quite beat his worst previous | record—Melba sang in an atmos- £01d throughout the world. PoTTeR DREG AXD CEst.” Core . Sole Props.. Boston. "+ How to Cure Torturing Skin Diseases." tree. forth in a dangerous The. California Theater was . packed 4 building: The people in the gallery rushed for an opening, quickly follow- | | who were it the boxes jumped to the | stage and made their éscape in the .| best manner possible. : = | Méiba,who was In the-act of deliver- | ing’ one portion of the programme, was before she completely : collapsed and | was’ carried to’ her rooms in the | condition. Many ‘others belonging to | cool-headed. And, as I have said be- | partment quickly ‘responded, kuawmgf served for exciting times, as he keeps | fore, I think this was largely due | full well that the ilames had broken | his head and knows when and how to neighborhood. | act during excitement. the night and the nerve and quick | with people who had gathered to listen excitement was Mayor Phelan’s” hat, sense shown by Mr. Marx in his lit- | to the sweet songs of Melba, and the | but the owner of the head covering |'tle speech. Once the real insanity of | fire:caused almost a- stampede in the | | sale death and mutilation would have | Were:-the first to hear the alarm and le ©d by those on the lower floor. .Those | | | At 'fortunate enough to reach the wings | through fire and smoke. With- the | Palace Hotel in an almost unconscious | excéption of the balcony scene from: The oqu loss reported through the quickly recovered his equilibrium and made a speech which tended to hold the audience in .the theater in check. A | there was no proof found for the ru- {1 |-heated discussion led by Rainey had | | stable were struck by the unruly vehi- | cles and knocked down, but fortunately | building. The fire | department’s engines were playing on Democrats from resting and debating quarters, for at the time the flames broke forth Sam Rainey was deep in the problems of politics, surrcunded by anxious admirers, but when the blaze became too strong the meeting ad- journed sine die. Tt was later rumored | that the gathering had met in a fire- proof building. in the neighborhood, but JT. However, the parties will meet again. Another rumor or rumors came to light that Spanish spies had endeavored to destroy the army- headquarters in the California Hotel, but many think the considerable to do with the disastrous laze. As soon as the fire was discovered the attaches of the stable immediately be- | gan the rescue of the contents of the building. In this they were assisted by a large number of men and boys who volunteered _their services. Wagons, buggies, phaetons, surreys and car- riages loaded with harness were quickly trundled into the street. The horses were led out on the run and almost be- | fore the department had started its streams - there was little left in the stable which could be gotten out. The grade from the stables to Kear- ny street made the running of the ve- | hicles to a place ‘of safety an easy mat- | ter, but was also the reason for a num- | ber of accidents. | Every one was excited, and when starting from the stable would run as | rapidly as possible and when the grade | was struck the speed could not be | stopped, and many of the men assisting in the work were thrown to the ground and run down by the buggies they were taking out. A number of spectators of the fire-who ventured too close to the no one was seriously injured. The horses behaved remarkably well, none of them refusing to leave the vas confined entirely to the top story so none of the animals got sight of the flames, which account- ed for their easy handling. After the audience had left the thea- ter the house hose was taken from the rear of the stage and attached to the hydrants on each side of the building | in the gallery, but they might as well | have been attached ' an emptv barrel| S0 far as their usefulness was con- | cerned, for there was nat one drop of | water in the hydrants. In the mean time the hose from the the flames from the outside, yet the heat was so great that it burst the two end windows adjoining the theater on the east side and burnt out the win- dow sills. ADVERTISEMENTS. A SRS SR SR COLORED DRESS GOODS! Our complete importations of COL- ORED WOOLEN DRES S GOODS for spring and summer, 1898, are now ready for in- spection. This week we will offer 500 DRESS PATTERNS ENGLISH TWO-TONE SUITING, INVISIBLE CHE PIREOLA , FANCY SILK STRIPE CKED TAILOR SUITING, NEW COVERT MIXTURES and FANCY BROKEN CHECKS and TWEED MIXT URES. PRICE, $4él_] Pattern. We have also opened and placed on sale an elegant line of NEW FRENCH POPLINS, NEW FRENCH POPLI FRENCH CRYSTAL CORDS. $1.50 per yard. N CORDS and NEW Price $1.25 and NOTE—AIl our ne toned and Black CREPO $12.00 Dress Pattern w importations of Two- NS, we are offering at 9 N\ < Police officers swarmed into the the- ater and made a very careful exami- | nation of every tier of seats in search of valuables. Several capes, hats and | wraps were found thrown under the seats, all of which found their owners on the stage and about the back en- trance leading into the alleyway. While all the confusion was golng on, in and about the front of the the- ater, Arthur Schearin, the property { man, had a gang of men busy remoyv- ing trunks and bundles belonging to the theater, and the actors to a place of safety on the outside. - MELBA COLLAPSED. The Great Singer Did Not Faint, but Succumbed to Excitement, A card serit to Mme. Melba’s room in the Palace shorty - after the fire last night brought forth an immaculate re- sponse in dress sult and spotless Hnen, of the queen of song. that Mme. Melba could not be seeh, as | few friends and a substantial repast, in | overcoming the excitement and fatigue | of the night. . “No,” said -Mr. Ellis, not faint. She is very brave in the hour of danger. :True, she might have bécome nervous to.the verge of col- lapse, but.I am sure she did not faint. One cannot do else than wonder at her ‘heroism when one stops to consider the succession of frightful experiences she was forced to go through. To begin with, a pipe.-from the hotel boiler which ran under the stage exploded. Thé es- caping steam . crept: up. between the cracks’ of the stage and enveloped | “madame did | who is known to fame as the manager | |8 Mr. Ellis, the immaculate one, said | she was engaged, with the help of a |§ BLACK DRESS SKIRTS. We show by far the lar- gest and most varied as- sortment of Black Dress Skirts in San Francisco. New Designs at §$3.50 and $4.00 New Designs at 5.00 and 6.00 New Designs at 7.50.and 8.50 New Designs at 10.00 and 12.60 New Designs at 16.00 and 20.00 NEWEST DESIGNS, LATEST CUT. BEST MAKE. THEBLACK GOODS HOUSE 1106 Maret St., NEAR TURK AND MASON. Melba in a halo.of mist. That was bad enough, but when a crowd of mechan- | ics; who have no more poetry in their souls than a steel crane, began to ham- | mer on the pipe with a total disregard | | of the melody above them, you may FIRE THREATENED THE CALIFORNIA THEATER. imagine how harrowing it was to the artistic.soul that stood before the foot- | lights. Right on top of all this the fire | broke out. It started in a stable and | spread to the roof. People sprang from | their seats and I, advancing to the | front of the stage, implored them to be calm, but to no purpose. Then I ran back to find Melba and protect her. I | discovered her keeping ¢alm “while a | ! couple of people were fanning her. Yes, | I am sure she did not faint; at least‘ not in my presence.” ! Mr. Ellis says that Melba did not | faint in his presence. That is no proof | she did not faint when he was not | there.. The general report has it that | she did. Whether she did or did not | { this much is certain: At exactly 11:37 | p. m. she was so far recovered that she could stand the ‘soclety of friends, a | good supper—in fact any o}d thing but an interview, a el Operatic Concert Postponed. | Manager Friedlander was busy in- | forming his numerous friends during | the progress of the fire that not a drop | more. critical position can hardly be imagined. Thousanfis rushing to a place of safety were repeatedly thrown off their feet by the fire laddies who were stretching "lines to the scerie of the blaze, and many spectators went home wringing wét from the streams which’ seemed to fill the entire block. E5 _Very little outside loss was reported. The saloon, Laurel Palace, was flooded by water, and the damage is estimated at $150, but other establishments in the | the company were overcome with the | neighborhood escaped without injury. excitement, and pandemonium reigned on the stage, although those in the audience were allowed to escape with- out accident. Early in the evening a | The- damage, which is only partially covered by insurance, will. amount to about’ $15,000, and the cause is thought to be a crossing of electric wires in the steam pipe in the theater exploded, and ! building where the flames broke forth. | of water or fire entered the interiar of : | the California Theater. Tt was feared | at first that some damage might result, | | 'but the. thick fire wall prevented it.. | | - A$the members of the Ellis-Darrosch | ! Opera Company are-laboring under a | slight attack of nervousness brought & on. by the conflagration, and.as the" ter is littered with charred embers gnd covered with muddy water, the con- cert that was scheduled for this even- | ing will not take place. Sh On Monday evening, howeyer, :a | clever company, led by winsome- Katie Putnam, will produce Hoyt's record- breaker, “A Texas Steer.” _—————————— Try our §1 Eyeglasses. 710 Market & 11 Geary, | 1 sidewaik leading to the handsome thea- | “%- g “‘THE <&~ Old +955x Government THE PERFECTION of WHISKY MATVK_EB 2 BOTTLED in BOND #tV.S.G2VERNMENT gm\mnfus 1he age and purif] e guaranize te quality wnacelled FOR SALE BY PRINCIPAL DEALERS. e William Wolff & Co. SAN FRANCISCO. CAL. DISTRIBUTORS. character. de- The United States Fidelity | Company lssues bonds of ever: spts M $1.074.000 321 CALIFORNIA STREET. FREDERICK S. STRATTON, GEORGE F. HATTO! Attorneys, Crocker buildix W. T. 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