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,t? APPALLING SCENES DEFY DESCRIPTION .** The Story of That Awful Ten Minutes Can Never Be Adequately Told- A Holocaust Horror Unprecedented in History. New York Sun Special Service. Chicago, Dee. 31.Horrors some times occur, the character of which may not be adequately described. The quality of the English, or any other language, does not suffice for all the dreadful shadings. Such an awful happening was that of yesterday afternoon, when the new and beautiful Iroquois theater was de stroyed, and hundreds of joyous people men, women and childrenwere crushed to death or suffocated, or con sumed by fire. ^ There was a great matinee audience at the theater, the newest and one of the finest in Chicago. They were en joying themselves to the utmost when death with unexampled horror came upon them. Death Follows a Flash. There -was a flash at the stagre's front, scenery in flames, the failure of the falling to its full extent of the fireproof asbestoes curtain, a fierce leap of flame drawn across the face of all the theater by the draft of the sud denly opened exits, and other such horrors as may not be all related. For those in the front seats there was no escape, and for those further back the chances scarcely were better. All from parquet to gallery were en veloped in a mad rush toward the exits and were swept with it to escape or to death. It was a wave backward of human beings, fighting for the blessing of life. What heroism was shown of man for woman or of woman for children will never be known, for the tragedy was but of minutes. There was the sweep, the crush, the weak falling and the strong mounting, the inevitable desperate instinct which accompanies the grim law of self-pres ervation then the horror of naming death behind and crushing force be fore then the still outreaching flames, and, finally, a mass of piled-up hu manity, a few of the living above and the dead far deep below. The details of the awful happenings inside are told elsewhere. They have never exceeded in the awfulness of sudden death in agony in the history of modern times. Fire Early Extinguished, But Too Late From the balcony and galleries, where there was no more safety from the flame heat ascending than on the floor below, people hurled themselves downward in their terror. All, or nearly all, of those in the rear met a fearful death. Firemen, the fire prac tically extinguished, found they were hut pouring water on heaps of human bodies. What scenes were found within the heated vault which had been a theater very few of the firemen or policemen who first entered could find intelligent ly. Some of them cried and some who did not cry could not talk of anything well. They knew only that they had found the passages to the theater clogged in front, and upstairs and down, by bodies. There was no time for the conven tions. A big restaurant next door be came a morgue. The bodies were placed oh tables, and later on the floor. At first they came one and one, then by two and two, then by scores. Horror reigned literallyamong po licemen and firemenbut a square was made about the place of death, the wild sightseers were kept back and the work went onmerely the removing of the dead and wounded from one building to anotherbut what dead and wounded and what moving! Dividing Living from Dead. The physicians worked on those In whom the breath of life possibly might be preserved. It was a good thing for those who survived that, just to the north of them, lay one of the greatest universities for young physicians, en thusiastic, earnest and reckless. They themselves saved some of those in peril by the burning theater. They saved the lives of others by their swift and strenuous attendance. I stood by the doorway and I saw them carried out. I had seen* them within before. I had noted the scene inside after the bodies had been ar ranged. / They lay on the tables of the res taurant, the long rows of the deaJ all covered decently and silent, but among and around them was no silence. There would be a lifting of the impromptu I and a newspaper man crawled up the shrouds, and then either a groan or a shriek as seekers found their own, until the cries of agrony seemed blend ed. T have looked on many ghastly scenes. I was in the midst of the hor rors of the greatest of railroad disas tersthat at Chatsworthand I wit nessed the burning of the Southern hotel in St. Louis, but I never had wit nessed such a scene as this. Appalling Rows of Dead. There was an orderliness to it, all the more ghastly. It had all occurred so suddenly, in the season of the holi days, in a great city. The happy and prosperous had gathered to - enjoy themselves, and there, all at once, had gone out the call, "Come, look upon your dead. We have them laid in rows here." Not less appalling and in a more dreadful, tho in a more quiet way, was the scene when the scores of dead were removed, some to their homes, but most of them to the morgue for identification. Policemen and firemen penetrated the gathered guards to carry away One Night Dispels GOLDS and "GRIP" with all debilitating after effectsIF YOU USJS ORANGEINE Under simple directions in every pacKage, NOTEDo not neglect colds and upsets, which often cause all-winter weakness. The faany who know Orangelne say: "I have not had a cold or headache In years, which Orangeine did aot quickly drive away." The timely use of *"Orangeine" promptly corrects all the little ills which often lead to serious sick ness insures Good Health, Good Spirits, and greatest possible pro ductiveness of life's time and energy. Sold everywhere In 10. 25. 50c end $1.00 Packages THTT!lSDAY,!#VEiaN(J, BY STANLEY WATERLOO. the dead not yet identified, and these comprised the majority.. They tame in such vehicles as they could force into service, and out from the* extem porized morgue they carried the bodies of the dead. There were other morgues and there were other dead. What I saw was because I was fixed there by an unexpected chance. Vehicles Loaded with Bodies. What I saw was this: A long row of all sorts of vehicles, seized every where by the police and detailed to carry to the morgue such burden as they might give it. I saw firemen close in around the police and vehicles and drivers and make a semicrescent. I saw, under the escort of the police men, the dead brought out to be sent to the morgue or. to their homes, as the case might be. I saw the gather ings of friends of those thought to he in the theater. I saw a human body, decently cov ered and lifted and laid gently on the bottom of an express or other wagcn. I saw other bodies brought,, out, with equal care, enshrouded and laid on these same dead bodies. Some of the bodies were those of men and some, were of women and some were of little children. When a vehicle was loaded it went away% seeking the morgue. Failure of the Curtain. The failure of the asbestos drop curtain was the cause of the terrible loss of life. Had it worked, or had it been lowered, the flames would have been confined to the stage. Why the asbestos curtain was not lowered there seems to be no rational explanation. Some say it was low ered. Others say that it failed to work entirely. And still others claim that it reached within six or seven feet of the stage, and that the frantic efforts of the stage hands to drag it down failed. In the excitement it must have been forgotten entirely.- Battle Against Death. The frantic rush to safety drove every idea out of the mind of all with in the theater and on the stage ex cept that of personal safety. In the mad dash it was every one for him self. The torn, bleeding, bruised and blackened corpses bore silent testis mony to the terrible conflict that must have been waged for a few minutes within the playhouse. The construction of the theater is such that the space between the bal cony and gallery seats and the stage is. less than fifty feet. "With the flim sy scenery of "Mr. Bluebeard" in flames, the draft from the* stage to the many exits drew a solid sheet of Are on the fleeing spectators.. To those in the front rows death was ab solutely certain. As the exits became choked and the unfortunate victims Were piled up ten and twelve deep, they formed an impregnable wall. With the flames lapping them from behind and the seething, fighting, mass choking the doorways, they were overcome. How .these ,poor unfortunates fought to escape their terribly lacer ated and scorched bodies shoWed after the fire. THE WORK OF RESCUE Well Systematized and Began Prompt- lyRows of Bodies. Chicago, Dec. 21.Every available policeman within call of the depart ment was hurried to the spot and the men placed in lines at the end of the block allowing nobody to enter Ran dolph street from either Dearborn or State. It was found for a time almost impossible to hold back the frenzied crowd that pressed forward. A. large number succeeded in break ing thru the lines and entering the theater, and in many cases they did heroic work in rescuing the injured and carrying out the dead. Among these was Former Alderman William H. Thompson, who, unaided, carried to the street the bodies of eight women. The first newspaper men upon the ground also carried out many of the dead and injured. The building was so full of smoke when the firemen first arrived that the full extent of the catastrophe was not immediately grasped until a fireman stairway leading to the balcony hold ing handkerchiefs over their mouths to avoid suffocation. A s they reached the doorway, the fireman whose vision was better trained, seized his compan ion by the arm, and exclaimed: * "Good God. Man! on Their Faces!" reaching from the head of the stair Way at least eight feet from the door back to a point about five feet in rear of the door. This mass of dead bodies in the cen ter of the doorway reached to within two feet of the top of the passageway. All of the corpses at this point were women and children. The two men tried vainly to get thru the door. All the lights In the theater were out and the only illumination came thru the cloud of smoke that hung between the interior of the thea ter and the street. Chief Musham, of the fire depart ment, at once called upon all of his men to bandori work .on the fire and and come at once to the rescue. Orr & Lockett Hardware company, two doors east bf the theater, placed its entire stock bf lanterns at the serv ice of the department. Over 200 lights quickly were carried into the building and the work of rescue was commenced. For over an hour there -were two streams of men passing in and out of the doorway, the one carrying bodies, the other'composed of men re j turning to get more. were car 1 ried into Thompson'Theyrestaurant- s , (Powders) which adjoins the theater on the east. When the firemen reached the bal cony they found bodies standing up right, wedged between chairs like so many sticks. Some , of them were burned to a crisp, others were suffo cated, and some in their frenzy had leaped over the balcony rail into the auditorium and were incinerated. ~ " Aft#r the first ajarni when the ex citement was at its height two explo sions of gas tanks occurred, hurling fragments thru the roof. It was then that the flames broke out at the roof and thru, the -windows. Altho all the patrol wagons and every ambulance owned by the city were pressed into service, they were utterly inadequate to carry away.the dead, and in a short time there was a line of corpses fifty feet long, piled two and three high on ' the sidewalk in front of the theater. ~. The merchants in the. vicinity rose to the emergency in^splehdid fasTuoh. Marshall Field & Co., Mandel Bros., Schlesinger & Mayer, Carson, Pirie, Scott & Co., and other large dry goods ger Agent, St. Paul, Minn. - - 1 1 p i m** THE MINNEAPOLIS JOtBNAL. stores sent wagon loads of blankets, rolls of linen and packages of cotton to be used in binding up the wounds of the injured and to cover the dead. The drug stores furnished their Stock to anybody that asked for it. . Dividing Dead and Injured. Doctors and trained nurses by the score were on the ground within half an hour, and every wounded person carried from the building received prompt medical aid. A number of doctors waited at the entrance with stethescopes in hand, and a3 soon as a body which looked as tho it might possess life was carried out, it Was at once examined, and if dead it was placed on the pile lying on the sidewalk. The others were at once placed in ambulances and whirled away to hospitals or to the offices of physicians in the immediate neighbor hood. . It was found necessary, in order to convey the bodies rapidly to the morgue and to the various undertak ing establishments, to impress trucks into service, and in these, upon costly blankets furnished by the dry goods stores and covered with the same ma terial, the dead were hauled away, like so much cordw-ood. Doctors and Nurses in Droves. It was a cause of wonder to many around the theater building how so many physicians and so many trained nurses cculd arrive on the spot with in so short a time. Dr. Herman Spalding, senior official in the city health department, at the time the fire broke out, made all the arrange ments for medical attention. "I telephoned to all the physicians in the down-town district," he said, "and then to hospitals, nurses' asso ciations and schools for persons to assist in the care of the injured. Em ployes telephoned to all the princi pal office buildings and told the op erators at the switchboard to noti fy every physician in the building while others telephoned to the nurses. There were over 100 physicians whom I personally knew at the fire, and probaly 150 nurses. There has never been, as far as I have been aware, a call for so many physicians in Chi cago at any one time since the great fire. Within a few minutes physi cians three and five miles from the down-town district were offering their services. Chartered a Switch Engine. Clinton, Ind., Dec. 31.W. E. Dee of Chicago, a tile manufacturer, with factory at Mecca, Ind., ten miles from Herald, heard of the Chicagro theater disaster by telephone last evening. The list of missing contained the names of two members of his family. He in stantly started for Chicago, 135 miles away. Jumping into a buggy he drove at top speed to Clinton, where he char tered a switch engine and dashed on to Danville, 111., fifty miles away. A special train had been ordered by telegraph which was waiting for him, and at midnight he started for Chi cago. He expected to reach there at 3 o'clock this morning. The list of missing contains the names of Edward and Louise Dee. NEW YORK THEATERS UNSAFE Fire Commissioner Sturgis Says Courts Don't Uphold Laws. New York, Dec. 31.Fire Commis sioner Sturgis, when told of the Chi cago horror, said last night that there were really no fireproof theaters in New York that in their construction the building laws had been openly defied, and that the regulations of the tire department, when actually en forced, liad met with public disap proval the contentions 'Of the thea ter managers being sustained in the courts. He said: "While we have in this city many so-called modern and fireproof thea ters, I think there is none where an awful accident might not occur. When with the consent of the courts, as was the case in a recent notable per formance, a thousand persons are al lowed to stand, and when the build ing laws are openly violated, as they were during the former administra tion, so long are the lives of our wives, daughters and others dear to us nlaced in deadly peril. "Under the former administration theaters were constructed with little or no regard for the building laws. Aisles have been made much nar rower than the law requires. The present building code contains a final clause which prevents reform in the matter of old playhouses. The end clause says: "In the interest of those owning theaters, the provisions of this code shall not apply to theaters built previous to this action.' "Upon taking office, I inspected many of the theaters and found ex tinsuishers_ that had never been test ed and the hose in the auditoriums were rotten. Chicago's terrible acci dent should be a warning to New York." Jviri*rYKE Don't Walk The dead were stretched in a pile DEATHS DUE WITNESSES SAY NEARL Y ALili MIGHT HATE BEEN SAVED. Wilt! Rush of People in Balconies to the Stairs Is Responsible for Greater Number oi* FatalitiesHeartrending Scenes l a and About Theater. Chicago, Dec. 31.Witnesses of the Are said that nearly, if not quite all .the persons killed might have been saved if the audience had not become panic-stricken. The greater number of those killed in the balconies were crushed in the jam caused by the mad rush for the stairs. .. William A. Brady, the wjell-known New York theatrical manager, who was in the audience at the time the fire started, said: "I was standing near the door when, looking up, I saw that the calcium light apparatus was out of order. Some one came on the stage and assured the audience that there was no (ganger, and for them to keep their seats. Then a ballet dancer came on and per formed, but in another second* the whole balcony seemed to be in flames. Every ,one down stairs rushed for the doors, and as far as I know no one in that part of the house was killed. It was upstairs where the smoke was blown by the strong draft that came in thru the skylights that hundreds perished before they realized what had happened. "Such a panic as followed the first cry of fire I have never seen. The stairways and exits became jammed with fighting humanity in a moment, and the shrieks and moans of the poor people cut off from all escape was the most awful thing imaginable. "With two companions I tried to reach the balcony, but we were driven back by the smoke, and were unable to accomplish anything until the fire men had extinguished the flames. Hun dreds of persona joined the rescuers, and from one of the entrances to the balcony we removed 150 bodies by ac tual count. They were jammed and twisted together in all shapes. Many of the women and children had been stripped almost naked in their mad efforts to escape from that living tomb. If the audience had not become panic stricken I am sure not more than fifty persons would have been killed or in jured, as all the bodies I helped to remove from the place were those of persons who had been killed in the horrible jam." Alexander H. Revel-1, whose little daughter Margaret, with a little friend, went in charge of a. maid to see the performance, five minutes after the fire started heard of it in his store. He called a carriage and drove madly to the burning theater. By the greatest good fortune one of the first persons he encountered was the hysterical maid, who informed him that the two children "had been saved without injury. Mr. Revell then" hastened into the theater and par ticipated in the rescue. "I worked in the upper balconies," said he. "The sight of those poor women and their little children/with clenched firsts, raised as if trying to beat their way to safety and stricken down in the- attempt, Js too terrible to describe.' Trample on ing the injured Mrom the theater to the hospital, said that many of the deaths were caused by falling from the balcony steps in the efforts of the crowd to reach the exit. "Thewas first evidence Of the fire," he said, FAILS TO WORK Proprietors of Iheater Make State ment in Rogarrl to Tragedy. 'Chicago, Dec. 31.Two of the downtown theaters last night closed their doors to patrons as a result of the fire. These were the Illinois and -$ Powers theaters, which are owned by the proprietors of the ill-fated Iro quois. All other theaters remained open |is usual, and there was no per ceptible falling off in the attendance. "Will J. Davis, one of the proprietors of the Iroquois, collapsed under the worry and distress occasioned by the catastrophe. After the fire he and Mr. Powers made their headquarters in the women's dressing-room, where they were constantly besieged by per sons who were frantically seeking for information of their relatives. The two proprietors made the fol lowing statement at 1:30 a. m. to day: "So far as we have been able to ascertain the cause or causes of the most unfortunate accident of the fire in the Iroquois, it appears that one of the scenic draperies was noticed to have ignited from some cause. It was detected before it had reached an ap preciable flame, and the city fireman who is detailed and constantly on duty when the theater is opened, noticed it at the same time as the electrician. "The fireman, who was only a few feet away, immediately pulled a tube of kilfyre, of which there were many hting about the stage, and threw the contents upon the blaze, which would have been more than enough, if the kilfyre had been effective, to have ex tinguished the flame at once, but for some cause inherent in. the tube of kilfyre, it had no effect. The fire man and electrician then ordered down the asbestos curtain and the fireman threw the contents of another tube of kilfyre upon the blaze, with no better result." It's Always Summer In California. Outdoor sports the year round. Spend your winters in Cali fornia and you will feel amply repaid. The North-Western has three thru tourist cars for California, each week, leaving Minneapolis and St. Paul Tues days, Thursdays and Saturdays. If you contemplate going and wish any information regarding the rates or any literature on California, call: at 600 Nicollet avenue, Minneapolis, or ad dress T. W. Teasdale, General Passen- , ing order among the frantic relatives TO THE PANIC who occupied the street in front of the burning building. "I have never witnessed such a scene in all my life," Said Sheriff Bar rett. "On all sides were heaps of man gled and charred humanity. We car ried out so many injured and - dead that at last we -were unable to keep count of them. Crazed men fought to get within the corridors, thinking to find their loved ones among the pile of corpses that filled every available foot of space. Strong men, with tear blinded eyes, stood on the sidewalk and called the narn.es of their loved ones, as, tho there were a chance of the dead hearing." .-. a thin column : of smoke which floated from the stage. This was followed by a sheet of flame, which mounted to the ceiling- and en veloped the hangings about the front of the stage. The people in the par quet started for the door in an or derly mannei. The people on the stagre, tho -ushers and a number of specTdtor? arose to their feet and shouted for order, and did everything in their power to prevent a panic. Then somebody screamed, and every body ran for the doors. I was knocked down twice by men who seemed to have lose their minds. Men sprang to the stairs apparently regardless of the women and children who were going down at the time. Many wom en and children were knocked down i*i this wi.y who might have been saved had they not been pushed to one side by men, who thought of mth'n but themselves." William H. Keyer, an usher in the first balcony, said: "My balcony "was crowded and there were a number of people standing when the lire brofc out. It all came so suddenly that I barely had time to open the fire exits before the audi torium was in flames. I tried -to quiet the crowd, but it was no use. The women screamed and the men fought to get to -he doors, trampling on wom=n and children. If they had been quiet everybody could have got out of my balcony." Women Saved by Plank Bridge. George H. Elliott, secretary of the Ogden Gas company, was in* a build ing directly opposite from the thea ter, across the alley. He noticed smoke and went down to ascertain its cause. When he reached the street women already were dropping into the alley, and No ladder -was available and the only method of assistance they were able to devise was to hurriedly lash some pianks together and throw them across to the affrighted women on the platforms, -with instructions" to place the end firmly on the iron framework. Before this could be done a fear ful loss of time ensued, the women were being" pushed every Instant into the alley, and by the time the bridge was constructed but few remained to take Ddvantage of it. However, about two dozen, it is believed by Mr. El liott, made their way across this nar row causeway. Bishop Fallows, who happened to be passing the theater, made his Way thru the darkness, which was inten sified by the volume of smoke that filled the auditorium to the top of the gallery, and assisted in carrying- but the victims. . "God forbid that I ever again see such a heartrending sight," said the bishop. "I have been in war and on the bloody field of battle, but in all my experience I never have seen any thing half so gruesome as the sight that met my eyes when, with the aid of a tiny lantern, I finally was able to penetrate the darkness of that bal cony. There was a pile of twisted and bleeding bodies ten feet high, with blackened faces and remnants of charred, clothing clinging to them. Some were alive and* moaning in their agony tne greater number were dead. I assisted in carrying many of the injured down and ministered to them as best I could." Sheriff Barrett and a score of depu ties from his office were engaged In carrying out the injured and in keep- Waiters and cooks from Thomp son's restaurant, which adjoins the theater on the east, rescued fifteen persons by raising a ladder from the roof of a shed to a window in the rear of the building around which a mass of screaming Women and children were congregated. C. Little, the head cook, mounted to the top of the ladder and told them to jump into his arms. Fifteen women anladder d children did this and were passed by Little down to +. , - .. . -,, . , ... On e woman attempted to jump into his arms before he was ready to take hold of her, and she fell to the alley, frac turing her skull, dying instantly. D. A. Stratton of Alpena, Mich., was in the theater with 15-year-old daugh ter, Mattie, and his niece, Louise Bush way of Chicago. In the rush for the door he became separated from both girls and attempted to fight his way back in order to find them, but was buffeted aside by the rush of mad dened peaple. He was knocked down, trampled on, and his head cut in a dozen places. Not for an hour after being carried out did he learn that the two children had also escaped. Both of them were burned badly, his daughter inhaled flame and -was un able to speak. . Shock Felt in Unity Building. William F. Grower, manager of the Unity building, got a view of the fire from the fifteenth story. "I was look ing out of my window at the time," he said, '"when I saw what seemed to be a cannon ball shoot eighty feet into the air from the roof of the theater. I feel certain that you can find many persons who felt the shock of the Unity building prior to the fire." "If you ever saw a field of timothy grass blown flat by the wind and rain of a summer storm, that was the posi tion of the dead at the exits of the second balcony," said Chief of Police O'Neill. "In the rush for the stairs they had jammed in the doorway and piled ten deep, lying almost Mke shingles. When we got up the stairs i nthe dark to the front rows of the victims, some of them were alive and struggling, but so pinned down by the great weight of the dead and dying piled upon them that three strong, men could not pull the unfortunate ones free. "It was necessary first to take the dead from the top of the pile, then the rest of the bodies were lifted easily and regularly from their posi tions, save as their arms had inter twined and clutched. "Nothing in my experience has ap proached the awfulness of the situa tion, and from the point of physical exertion, the police department has never been taxed as it was taxed last night. Men were worn out carrying out dead bodies." ACTORS' STORIES Eddie Foy, the Last to Escape, Acted Heroically. V itoe& MH| Children. It. "W. "Wilson who assisted in tak- Chicago, Dec. 31.Graphic accounts of the catastrophe as seen from the stage are given by the members of the theatrical company, being on the first floor, who had little difficulty in reach ing the street, altho their situation was highly critical because of the speed with which the flames swept thru the mass of scenery in the flies and on the stage. Eddie Foy, principal comedian in the play, was one of the last to escape. He got out thru a rear door after he had assisted the women members of the company to safety. Mr. Foy attributed the extent of the catastrophe to the failure of the fire proof curtain to work properly. "The simple fact," he said, "that the curtain did not descend entirely was what saved the lives of the com pany, altho it caused such a horrible catastrophe in the front of the house." Herbert Cawthorn's Part. Herbert Cawthorn, a member of the cast, assisted many of the chorus girls from the stage exits in the panic. After being driven from the building he made two attempts to enter his dress Ing room, but both times was driven back by the firemen, who feared he would be overcome by smoke. "There were at least 500 persons be hind the scenes -when, the fire started. I assisted many of the chorus girls from the theater, and some of them were only partially attired. Two of the young women in particular were naked- from the waist up. They had absolutely no time to throw a stitch of clothing over their shoulders." Tried to Extinguish Fire, John E. Farrell, the stage electri cian, was one of the heroes of the fire. He was the first to discover the blaze when it was a'little tongue of flame running up the canvas border of the curtain. He climbed a ladder twenty feet above the stage and sought to ex tinguish it with his hands. He beat helplessly until his hands were badly burned and the flre had run up the canvas border into the flies. As the frightened actors and acdoorway. tresses rushed in a body off the stage some, of them attempted to leap into the orchestra pit, which would in all probability have led to their death. v Elliott immediately rushed for a ladder in an effort to save as many as possible. Then stage manager Cummings ran in front of them. "I'll kill the first one that tries to pass me," he shouted, and the mem bers of the company shrank back. With the. aid of Eddie Foy and Far rell the members of the company were hustled from the rear of the theater into the alley. Panic Among tire Girls. Penned below the stage, running about crazed by the panic overhead, were fifty supernumeraries and mem bers of the ballet. They were shut off from exit by the crowd wedged in the stage stairway. They were saved by Jamea J. Hamilton, a trunk handler at the theater, who led the way to the coal hole in the rear of the building, broke off the cover with his bare fists, and stood guard until all had left the basement. Th.ru this narrow tvole h. lifted men and women clad in their stage costumes, wearing helmets, tights and one "supe" who insisted upon carrying his spear with him, un til Hamilton threatened to brain him with it unless he dropped it. * Actors Jump From Fire Escapes. "The fire suddenly "burst out of the back windows of the theater and threw a glare of light into our store," said Edward Funk, an employe of Cameron, Amberg & Co. "The em ployes of the theater -were unable to get out fast enough to prevent a panic,'. I,saw. five women, one after another,, jump, from the third floor fire escape. All were injured and one was' killed instantly. For a few sec onds the flames relaxed, and it seemed that the fire had been either smoth ered or placed under control, but then it burst forth again, and the shrieks and. moans were terrible. Actors, actresses and stage employes were scrambling Out of the back entrance and jumping for their lives. "Every one who reached the ground able to walk was pushed into the back doors of the stores. Inside the shrieks, cries and groans from the persons, in the theater reminded me of the madhouses of fiction." Thomas Miller, 3960 Drexel avenue, an employe oT Klapperich & Co., 75 Lake street, declared that he reached the alley back of the theater before many of the employes of the theater were able to get to the windows and doors. "I saw one actress jump from the J -- .--- Saved by Waiters. second story fire escape and alight in a delivery wagon," he asserted. "She went thru the canvas roof of the wag on and said that she was uninjured. Another. woman attempted to tie a long drapery to the rail of the fire escape, but the persons behind her pushed her off. A man below caught one of her arms and kept her from Striking on her head. ^ The woman complained of a sprained ankle, but otherwise was uninjured." h e below them e L n o n * RELIEF WORK ORDERED Councllmen Instruct Officials to Spare No Expense. Chicago, Dec. 81.Mayor Harrison was on his way south for a hunting trip and Controller McGann was act ing mayor. The finance committee of the city council was in session when the extent of the disaster became known. Mr. McGann at once walked into the.committee-room and was told by Chairman Mavor of the committee to direct the fire marshal, the chief of police, and the commissioner of pub lic works to proceed in the emergency without restriction of any kind as to expense. He -was told to do everything needful, spend all the money neces sary, and look to the council for his warrant. "We will be your authority for everything you do," said Alderman Mavor. A telegram at once was sent to Mayor Harrion, and he returned to Chicago on the first train, arriving here to-day. STORY OF AN EYE WITNESS Girl in a Box Party Describes Vividly What Happened. Chicago, Dec. 31.One of the mar velous escapes was that made by-the members of a theater party given by Miss Charlotte E. Plamondon of Chi cago. The party was made up of a number of prominent society people of this city, Miss Elsie Elmore of Astoria, Ore. Miss Mary Peters of Columbus, Ohio, and Miss Josephine Eddy of Evanstorii 111. Miss Plamondon was the first to notice the fire along the top of the drop curtain. She called the attention of others to the blaze. Miss Plamondon said: "I could see little girls and boys in the orches tra chairs pointing upward to the slowly moving line of flame. One of the stage hands, wearing overalls, ap peared before the footlights and re quested the audience to keep their seats, as there was no danger. "Eddie Fo y then hurried to the front of the stage and commanded the peo ple to remain calm, saying that if they would keep their seats the danger would be^ averted. The curtain, how ever, still burned, pieces of the smol dering cloth falling into the orchestra pit. "An effort was made by the stage hands to arrange the curtain so that the blazing fragments would not drop into the pit. I looked over the faces of the audience and remarked how many children were present. I could see their faces filled with interest and their eyes wide open as they watched the burning curtain. Just then the people in the balcony rose to .their feet and crowded forward to obtain a better view of the fire. Eddie Foy rushed to the center of the stage again and waved his arm in a ges ture meaning for the people to be seat ed. At that instant a woman in the rear of the place screamed 'Are,' and the entire audience of women and children rose to their feet, filled with uncontrollable terror.. In another in stant there was a confused roar made by a, thousand people as they rushed madly from the impending danger. "On the stage the chorus girls, who had aroused my admiration because of their presence of mind, turned to flee, but many were overcome before they could take a step. Several fell to the floor, and I saw the men in the caste, and the stage hands, carry them off the stage. "Elsie Elmore was the first to leave our box. The upholstering on the railing was then on fire, and we were compelled to brush fragments of the burning curtain from our clothing to prevent them from catching fire. Then there came a great roar and a great draft of air and the flames shot out over the parquet until it seemed to me as tho they must reach the very front walls. "There were but few men in the audience, but I saw several pulling and pushing women and children aside as they fought like maniacs to reach the exits. I saw a number* of chil dren .trampled under foot, and none arose again. "In the balcony there was a big, black crush of human beings, each ap parently fighting everybody else. The balcony was so steep that many fell before fhey had left the first four rows of seats. The exits to the flre escapes were choked, and those in the rear rushed with all the strength they pos sessed upon those who were nearer the "It was almost Incredible, the speed with which the flames ran thru the scenery, and altho I was but a second after Miss Elmore in jumping over the railing of our box to the^aisle in front, 1 the stage -was a mass of flames. As I | started up the aisle a man rushed into me and knocked me down. I was so 1 terror-stricken that I grew weak and sank into one of the orchestra chairs, and after that I hardly remember any thing. - . "In some way' I reached the main entrance, where, men were kicking against the doors, and shattering the glass and'panels in their attempt to af- . ford a larger space for exit. , Many fell ,'* " as they reached the doors, where a few steps more would have "carried them f to fresh air and safety. ' . - "As I look at it now I must have been walking on prostrate bodies as I - struggled thru the opening. All of our party escaped in about the same manner as I did, but all suffered so ^S terribly in the matter of clothing that t-*| - the first thing they did was to rush to the stores to buy wraps - to covor them." GIVING. ABSOLUTION Touching Scenes When Catholic Priests Visit the Dying. Chicago, Dec. 31.When Rev. F, O'Brien of the Holy Name Cathedral^ learned of the fire, he rushed into the old Tremont house, now convert ed into the Northwestern University law school, into which many victims ' had been taken, to administer tho last sacrament to members of the Catholic church. He was followed an instant later by Bishop Muldoon, - the highest Catholic prelate next tO Archbishop Quigley in the diocese of Chicago. Finding that they were un- ^ able to attend the great number be- r l ing brought in, Bishop Muldoon an- - :g nouiiced that he would give a gen- ^ eral absolution to all the Catholics Y^ among the victims. 7 J During the brief moment that the ^ two priests with uplifted hands be- '% sought God to pardon all the frailties of his dying servants, the poor man gled men. and woman who lay in doz-s ] ens on the floor seemed to realize that 'i|* they were face to face with the last -!y scene in their lives. Many, tho crazed t| with pain, ceased to moan and fas- 3 tened their fast dimming eyes on th* . & two priests. * " , After the absolution was given, -^ many, barely able to' move, feebly * stretched out their hands imploringly to the priests for one handclasp and %$ one word of sympathy before they 'lis passed away. Both clergymen ad- -r* ministered absolution, remaining till "- the dead were removed to the morgutf * and the injured to various hospitals. *- * MANAGERS ARE STUNNED They Arrange for Benefits for the Sufferers. - New York, Dec. 31. The news of the Chicago disaster was followed in New York by the announcement of several benefits for the fire sufferers. S. S. Shubert immediately directed his manager in Chicago to divert the re ceipts of next Wednesday's matinee of "The Pit" to the sufferers, and said that Wednesday's receipts of "Win some Winnie," now here, -would be. devoted to the same cause. The "Red Feather" company will also give a benefit. Al Hayman, Marcus Klaw and Ab rain Erlanger, the leading members of the theatrical syndicate, who own large interests in the Iroquois theater, sat in their offices in the New Am sterdam theater until after mid-1 night, eagerly awaiting the telegrams from their Chicago representatives. They were horrified and bewildered by the numerous reports, and had lit tle to say. Klaw & Erlanger own "Mi\ Blue beard.' Their representative said it cost SC5.000 to produce it here. 'About 240 people were with the production on the road tour. At every other theater on Broad way the Chicago disaster was the one subject of conversation among man agers, employes and audience. Actors crowded the wings between the acts, listening to news of the dis aster. The present "Mr. Bluebeard" com pany began its tour t.t Pittsburg, Sept. 28. It's Always Summer In California. Outdoor sports the year round. Spend your winters in Cali fornia and you will feel amply repaid. The' North-Western has three thru tourist cars for California each week, leaving Minneapolis and St. Paul Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. If you contemplate going and wish any information regarding the rates or any literature on California, call as 600 Nicollet avenue, Minneapolis, or address T. W. Teasdale, General Pas senger Agent St. Paul, Minn. s v & A tf '*| vti A I 'i '""V ! 'mmmn 1 E \ uuwww^ SECOND ANNUAL WHITE SALE V STARTS MONDAY, JANUARY FOURTH. W() WE WISH YOU ALL pappy Hew year Every month of 1903 our sales hare been larger than for the same 1902. We think we are in better to serve you in 1904 than ever We shall strive tomerit your 1 on the Box All mantles are not Welsbachs. See that the mantle you buy has the Shield of Qual ity on the box. 'AH Dealers. 0 WA C "What's Wrong We'U a, DOT0N DRY ~ # M0D S % %- , .8 1_ ^^^^y^^^^if^'^^l^^^^^^^^^^iiA y$. y*