3-052-440 - The Print Collector/Heritage Images

Burning of the Dublin Theatre, 1880. 'The destruction of the Theatre Royal at Dublin by fire, on Monday, the 9th February, with the death of Mr. Egerton, the stage manager, was mentioned in our last. It was early in the afternoon, but the house was being lighted up for a performance, at two o'clock, of the pantomime of "Ali Baba," in aid of the Duchess of Marlborough's Fund to relieve Irish distress...It was the curtains of the Viceregal box that caught fire, as the boys were lighting the gas...Mr. Egerton climbed up into the box to put out the fire; and, while so engaged, he is thought to have lost his balance and fallen into the orchestra, perhaps breaking a leg, so that he could not escape with the others...The Fire Brigade, under Captain Ingram, with the police, under Captain Talbot, and detachments of the 77th, 82nd, and 87th Regiments, with their barrack fire-engines, under command of Major Briggs, exerted themselves to prevent the fire spreading. The building, except one corner, in which were the private offices of Mr. Egerton, and of the lessee, Mr. Michael Gunn, was entirely destroyed. The Duke and Duchess of Marlborough have expressed their regret for this disaster, which has thrown hundreds of persons out of employment'. From "Illustrated London News", 1880.