Composed of six tiers accommodate. ing $000 persons, the Novadades Theatre, the largest in Madrid, was packed with a typical Sunday a lence, among whom were numerous Fire was first noticed in the pit, when flames shot out from the electric Jamps and spread with extraordinary rapidity. The spectators in the third and fourth galleries swarmed down the suporting pillars while some jumped into the pi their frenzied attempts to escape.
As the curtain rose in the Inst act of a popular play a burst of flame appeared on the stage, which Wecame involved in flames with The scene as the roof fell in, with the auditorium packed with scream. ing, struggling, huraing human beings, formed 'a realistic replica of Dante's "Inferno."
The orchestra pluckily continued to play, but it was inaudible above the shrieks of the audience as the Jatter, struck with panic, stampeded for the doors, hopelessly blocking the inadequate staircases. Here a number of persons were trampled '10 death. Several hundred persons the upper-tiers of the theatre did mot stand the remotest chance of escape,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.