Brooklyn Theatre fire kills at least 278

Background. Brooklyn, a borough of New York City, was the site of the disaster. The fire broke out at the Brooklyn Theatre, located near the corner of Washington and Johnson streets. On the evening of December 5, 1876, over 1,000 guests were in attendance. Sheridan Shook and Albert Marshman Palmer, manager and proprietor of New York's Union Square Theatre, assumed a new lease on the Brooklyn Theatre later in 1875 and managed it until the fire.

Casualties. The conflagration resulted in at least 278 deaths, with some reports indicating more than 300 fatalities. This places the event third in death toll among US theatre fires. 103 unidentified victims were buried in a common grave at Green-Wood Cemetery, marked by an obelisk. Over two dozen identified victims were interred individually at the Cemetery of the Evergreens.

Investigation. Police Fire Marshal Patrick Keady interviewed 62 people connected to the fire and submitted his report on December 18, 1876. A jury convened by Simms heard testimony through December and January 1877. The resulting publication was especially harsh on the theatrical managers, naming Sheridan Shook; the source passage is truncated and identifies the second manager only as "A."