Miscclany。

Miscclany。

在印度燃烧剧院。

The Times, of India, gives particulars of the fire which occurred in a theatre at Ahmednuggar on the 12th ult. A well-known Parsec theatrical club from Bombay, it appears, had been entertaining the public of Ahmednuggar. The thing was a novelty there, the acting and scenery were both far better than our out-of-the-way native public had any right to expect, and, as a consequence, an unusually large audience was attracted. A commodious mandup was erected outside of the city, opposite the Native Infantry lines, to serve as a theatre. On the night of the nth ult. the house was unusually crowded to witness the performance of “ Situmgeer, or The Tyrant," one of the best known and most popular tragedies in the Victoria Company’s little repertoire. The play was over by to o’clock, and the audience were laughing and chuckling over the humors of an amusing farce, when suddenly a crackling noise, which increased to a roar as it neared them, was heard from the lower end of the mandwa. Then arose a cry of “ Fire !" which deepened into a terrible shriek when it was seen that the ceiling was already in a blaze. For a moment the audience were paralyzed with fright, but as the flames spread a furious rush was made for the little entrance, and many fell and were trampled under foot. The whole pavilion quickly filled with flames, and by the time three-quarters of the au lienee had escaped, the strong easterly wind caught the flame and carri d it like a scorching sheet of fire quickly across the interior of the booth. By this time, though the door was still blocked with a struggling mass, most who were able to move were safe, but others lay yelling and groaning in the agonies of an awful death. The European residents ran to the spot at the first alarm, and eased the block at the doorway by pulling the front row of the crowd bodily out as best they could, and with tremendous efforts. Major Trevelyan and Col. Uiterson beheaved with the greatest gallantry, and but for the order and confidence inspired by their daring and coolness the loss of life would have been much greater. The whole fire did not occupy many minutes ; but as the scorched and wounded people were pulled out from near the entrance and passed into the open air it seemed an eternity before the flames died down sufficiently to enable the rescuing party to drag the dead out of the centre of the auditorium. The sight was simply awful. About 40 men had either been burned to death or had more mercifully been suffocated by the smoke. Nine of the persons who were got out alive died the same day in the hospital. Some of the bodies were so much disfigured by the fire that fathers and mothers could not even recognize their very sons and daughters. The cause of the fire is unknown.