The Butte inter mountain. [volume], December 31, 1903, Page 10, Image 10

About The Butte inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1901-1912

Image provided by: Montana Historical Society; Helena, MT

                
HUNDREDS OF DEAD
CLOG THE MORGUE
TOTAL FATALITIES IN CHICAGO
FIRE ESTIMATED AT FROM
600 TO 700.
MANY AWAIT IDENTIFICATION
Maddened Mourners Besiege Under
taking Establishments, Seeking
Lost Ones Among Dead.
Chicago, ec. ,t.--Tolday brotught with
it only the legacy of yesterday's tmiatu
metctal cnlnattity and the prediction that
the list of fatalitics inl the IthouoiU s ire
will rttun oer (mu *he, intformation is
complete.
The latest 5s ittinilnt of dald at the vari
live.
T hi m is s in g ,a. t 't i a , hd ,l a t .4 . .I n t
i t i s rx lp t t h ..l t h : ,t mn a n y i f t h a n w , ,u ld L ,
'acc lun1tol (fIr. it r ; pr+abi a la 1 Im n
jority of thiem.
City Is Stunned.
It is In t tr....., ;c I.f . iiic;llan l into 'a;
the C it , is titm.i ,1 v the. o, r.ia lining
tract ly ithi, l i: a u tia l t id hit n th e' thi
Mtor w hi h h " th ,l "+ .1r. h u tt l.ea ," d ,
tint ' ; Jl. Ii I ".ii l r, . it l,' t hi I "
is tii ,h t;.t -t If . :t ll h l;+] ,,l. i " ,i;i- , l
ti:t'h . '. , ..t ni t i t , t-.., . I r, ,
iIi , )ctl . iI ..l i.
Sie tirn t ttt i. of , i t
tshout. on th , . ,i v're ti tm .t , f" i tI
the it ir'i.tt.es *till 'hi . -,I , r.;- ttnt ! -1i I
e chiing L .r Ir h y .IL frt ,it ID'i r Aitrcs
rt. tiuulliiium uhf tIrin it r i if
l' lt their l ; hi .II l .utuliv , it tll Il l
of t sli t t " t i - it i t,; . I -t r , ... . ily
it ,. t in tal i tii ti lh r i.r it.;lihlir.
Livery Divers Acquihsce.
t i iui l t ni thli " n . l ttt r tiLift It;
dl i ith . s npU i,. t whith is 'th fot r thuii.
hit, -ltit r ie iei,' "t , ,yn t t lt ., illy tlhin
thd e aclti, h f ti, ltriki tig li.. 'rv Iriler.t
1.t a ite alt hii'l .;i t t vith' u.t a tl , " t in
titg . v I Iie. 1 i t rl , {. d t l i t a tIi't a
truce ft i ie Batst
I're idtent .thit rt e u ti' f t rtii,.i
tfollow itg i the i t.ig .tii.u i ltht tllh,.h tig
tdecree whitch i .t ,ti itiorte. l i rt ,.dca t:
"1 tiwhing t,, til great liu't a tt r to tht
pi blic cat' ed l, " the tin. at the Iril, l i,
it iater, I do hte t!e y declare a uteii i l'i in
the prtesent strike of t a i lerlitkeri ailir
livery driver, fur io days. ;aidl it further
rtitle.t that every islai n tsw on strike re
prt at once to their respective places of
emntploymhnrt and Iu eteryvthiog in hi,
power to assist hi, tllpilyer in tarilg for
the wants of the pIullic. \\'ag as to hliav
no consideration.
".f\.IIIR: T V1 i('\'i; "
In return the emplcytrs i-utI a call
to their striking ensii v.u s to rtliurt, hi
cork "irrespective of ;illy prtvious alli!ia
tions with -n)ly and all -organizatiit s
andi pronisiig to protect theisl in all cut
tini nei r cies which may aria it. n ltr..
Lines of Mourners.
All nilght long the crowds eine andl
llt aroutnd the or Igue , whre thit
lbodlies of thi victims of tIlti disaster lay.
There were lho heads of families, hrrth
ern. ,inter an11d mn anld IIIIwomenl looking
for tlhose from iutslde citie. who had
been their guests,. For hours they passed
lup and dow.tn efore the lhung row of thu
dead, searching for the faces of their
missing.
Sorrow reigned in lhe r'l( ii,,ce of Dr.
IFranik W. ittlllsautlss. the n ited divine.
\Villiam Mclaughlin. a nephew "f .Mrs.
i unsaulus, was ctc of tlihei severely
lurned. le was taken to l the Preshy
terian hospital, lherue the atltending lphy
bicians entertaituid ni hlipe for his re
covery.
Mr. lcl.anughlin's houme is in thiutnos
Ayres. lIc is a sophNtiliur in the ()Ohio
Wesleyan at I)elasare, Ohio, atnd was
spendlting his holiday acaution at the Gutn
All nigyht long seatrch was kept up for
Mary D)orothy It;artz, ti yuars old, and
Barbara I I rtz. 4 ),.ars old, who attended
the theater with their aunt, Mrs. Adelaide
Isopt felt.
'Today their bodies hIave not lien found
and there seems to be no doubht that the
children have lierisled. Th'ly are the
daughters of A. IF. (;artz and the nieces
of 1. T. C'ratne, millionaire mantufacturer
of this city.
Mrs. lloptfeilt wsas taken from the the
ater sevrely Iurned about the head and
shoulders. The children are believed too
have beeni caughlt in the crllsh comling
down from the balcony and to have beenl
tramplcd to death on the staircase leading
to the main floor.
'Walter Zeisler, t7-year-old son of Mr.
sand .sirs. Sigmund Zeisler, is among tile
nmissing. lIe is ia nephew of Fanny Iluoonl
field Zeisler, the famous pianist.
AUDIENCE FLED IN A
MAD PANIC
LOSS OF LIFE MIGHT EASILY HAVE
BEEN AVOIDED, SAYS MANAGER,
Chicago, Ill., Dec. 3s.--\'ill J. Davis
and Harry J. Powers, proprietors of the
Iroquois theater, made the following
statement at t :ao this (Thursday morn
ing) :
"So far as we have been able to ascer
tain the cause of causes of the unfortunate
accident of the fire in the Iroquois, it ap
pears that one of the scenic draperies was
voticed to have ignited from some cause.
It was detached before it had reaohed an
appreciable flaume and the city fireman,
who is detailed and constantly on duty
when the theater is opened, noticed it
simultaneously with the electrician. The
ireman, who was only a few feet away,
pulled a tube of kilfire, of which there
were many hanging about the stage, and
threw the contents upon the blaze, which
would have been more than enough, if
t!e krlfre bad been effectively used,
"But for so.te reason, it tadl no afleet
The firemnlan and electrician then ordered
down the anhestos curtmain, nud the fire
man threw the contents of aothler tubie of
kilfire upon the blaze, bint with no better
restlt. The comlimlotion t1hus catrsedl ex
cited the alarut of the audiience, which
at ottce started for the exits, of which
there are a5, all of lunusuall width, all
open and ready to tihe hand of aty one
reichitrllg them.
"The ldraft thlus cas·eld before tihe cur
tnai could bIe entirely optened, produtcedl a
Iellying of the anshestoci curtrin., CallUiig a
prerssure on tile guides uIgalillst the solidl
brick wmll of the piroscemiutm, thu.s top
Iping its descent.
"bvery cetort w:is made by thiose on thle
st;age to ll11 it down, libut the draft was s
grleat it seemend thlt tihe pressure against
tihe pro.-lceniunm w;Ill ani d the frictiotn
canl.rd therely was so strutg that it coult
nioit hIe{ ovefrellle.
"The nudiecre bIreame pianic-strickmet mm
their efforts to ri-acmh the i-xits anid tripped
;1in fell over iArch other, Ibmc'king the wa;y.
l'h. ludiulece was prrmpntlty adnlmnimihel
iltil imutpm rtmtlmeil my ll(ersaits m11m the al;tm e
milm 1 it thll' al i riotmriu1 ti) ril ll lllml
mmvhil Im1y rush; that tile exits ;inl fIacili
tim-, for emnlptyimmg the thlieair wimihl rim
abhl. lh, i h me t slithl l utm i C111mfi (im .
"u.\ ,m I re -ai mu tiom 1 o f I x ti lS I .i i' o n; , itii ledi
to immke ti tlie;iter r ISi i hli-tmr-ro f aI - it
(m, i h,. th- .r, i hi ini li ,,lhimit .i c nii li1ittile
ill hi lheI tir ex'cel l ie l C. ri nl,:iim :mIii
fmmrmnsliinti if lie itumym aol mmitain
1In hu ti ing th1, thu;aher we,..;i.lih.,, moreI'*
space h, ;Ii.] a , ull ,'xil. t~hltl ai y thII;ilTr
Ill .1111ll'ritll."
DEEDS OF HEROISM
SAYE MANY
. l, Il.. II.. 3t.- \\.mitenS am ,I
: l i il i', il mh;iter 1 hIi lil .-.1. i('-- m .m' I
I, , *1,mI , r. m-i i., l, m. m r mi-, thim rI ml
,*f ; hi 1,Ieel h, ;o a .]1111,, 11 , the' Itour ' tll ihi'
lm.m-l i-m.. ,i- io Il tbm . t m m ...m,-m f . -- im
I . I'. ill i, h I. l ,.,I.. InI -tI: .l it, liih
h;, oI fli l. hhtl .,ml ilt lm-Iihm to mI11m1m
1in', hi- a1it , . Hl'·; I i'-., ii w m,, m Im mil nil
, h t s n d i l ; , n ~a m p.I~. ' l , y l m i t tl ' l i
Jumnped, But Missed.
ti:.. *, ti.il l.., I: i ,l t , ji , p i mtm hit
i well ii tIm- mii ttmt ctmim t1m
I i mmh, -h i s lll tl, timimti, yt . mIric t it i it
lii I ..I,.o l in-hii til m.. ; iily. i im
l l 't ll1 th. morich as 0 r sllll .I lll~l 1hat s %;!.
lna t I, tii i .. l lm( t f m i thIi , ih r I;iirty
i I . Il i-- I h it'l Tll I ihinuil iift
I h l i ll'l;. H llt \\,p t , l,' til ,if ai
;ii~i~ Ii,, . ~llllmmi, i. h I, mi-i- m-llmi hin lltl
nllumbs rII 11 ipl ill ll(. il e. I ll . r(1 |il l -l) Ill
mmmt l it i ur mmm mm mr.. tlim 1mm-r etmi r ti
ti Iim1 .. .ii ih.i ill :lmt lie J it. h
Fcy Made a Speech.
Mi mimit m'h lii ,,mi ;it: "1 cuimlil of -e.
tilm' mmlt-l g~irls ;mmiii limit-s i11ti m lit'm lmmirmi'h.I
ii;ill . Inii im iit mt t im the. t hiai y its- lim, i
hll- ,il tImili. a. immi mi. ti i I ammuill-d htih mils
mm;dim in mi-trill o ilitrn-miremi a hm e rmire, timoeit
ligelims iii im.. liti. i th ih-l imilml e , itm ki. eli
i Fir i. Mi e t in- m- cii, mimmihtr. l-lhtie
tli mhmmli hiirriml-m l t ti m i, thimi atmhtmi
m-li rihiiiit h'mm-l tii th i,.em ite tmm remmimmimi
s ahih sa;in'iig thul ii ihey Wonlhi kee.t~l heir
s.-itl.. thu mnilimgr wohMm line iivmertem.
"lh i mtiimi, hi mum mv-s r. Mill tmmirmemil.
Ii i' t ,,I iic- ammiti, -rimmr chlmh fillinig iminti
lh.e mmrc .tre; pit. m riiifort w mmi.. miade ty
mimi- mtlmm.m htimim I ' h t e - tmimi curtim ai timhe
blaimijI frtilmmmi tiiits miiilti imit mtrl iimti h tih
pit.
Children Sat Interested.
"I ,,ok"i1 iovr the tI;w s of the aut
dienc,." said \1i". I'1 ,n.u. ,1,1 "sand re
nar keid how mitany chliblr n were ipresent.
I could see the l ir fac(, tilled with interest
amnIl I ri' eyes widet' eIIn as tihty watcheed
the I ur iling cu(llr l;ll. *
"T" ln the i,plillc i the baIallc.ny rse
itt their feet ;anld crotded Iforward.i to
Lain :, better vi.t of thI filei. Ilddic Fiy
rutht tl t io the Ict'eir tof the sti;te tan
Sait u I tll ha d,l in a get'ture iteartit g tlor
tlhe. peoplet i the .seated.
".1t that lr nInlt a woman in thll rear
of the hre 'crem;ed 'lire.' antd the etn
tire audlience of women :tal chihlren rose
to their feet, tilled with uitct trllahile
terror. In anothetir intl.tt there wias a
roar male by thouisatls oft tpneple, tas they
tusihed Iaily frotn the itipelnling danllger.
Chorus Girls Heroines.
"thtI the staghethe chorIs girls, who had
artouseld ty admiration by their exhihbition
of presence of mind, turned to lhe, but
imaniy of themii were overtcome before Iltey
cottul take a step. Several of them fell to
the llcor all I saw the mllelt in the ca t
rand swag hamtls hurrying thuem off the
stage. M.iss Elsic Eh.ntore was the first to
leave our hox.
"The upholstering on the railing was
thllen on fir'e antd we were cimpel ed to
brush fragments of the burninig curtainl
from ourt clothing to revent them fromi
catchinig fire.
Then a Rushing Flame.
"Thentltre thare alle i great roar andi a
great draft of air and the flames shut out
otser it'he parquet of the theater until it
seeImed toe as though it must reach the
very front walls.
"T'here were but few men in the att
dience, but I saw several of them pulling
and pIushinug aioment and children aside as
they fought like maniacs to reach the
exits. I saw a inuttmber of little children
trampled under foot and none of themn
arose again.
"in the balconiy the scene was beyond
my power to descrilbe. There was a big,
black crush of human beings, each one
apparently fighting everybody else. The
balcony was so steep that mItany fell be
fore they had left the first four rows of
stats. The exits to the fire escapes were
choked, and those in the rear rushed with
all the strength they possessed on those
that were nearer the doors.
Man Knocked Her Down.
"It was almost incredible, the speed with
which the flames ran through the scenery.
As I started tiup the aisle a man rushed
into me and knocked me down. I was so
terror-stricken that I grew weak and sank
into one of the orchestra chairs, and after
that I hardly remember anything. In some
way I reached the entrance where men
were kicking in the doors and shattering
the glass panels in their attempts to afford
a larger space for the exit of the people.
"Many fell as they reached the doors,
where a few steps more would have car
ried them to fresh air and safety.
Walked on Prostrate Bodies.
"As I look at it now, I must have been
walking on prostrate bodies as I strug
gled through the. opening. All of our
party escaped in about the same manner as
I did; but all of them suffered so terribly
in the matter of clothing that the first
thing they did was to rush to the stores
to buy wraps to cover them."
DEAD LIE IN LONG
GHASTLY ROWS
ARE 139 BODIES IN ONE UNDER
TAKING ESTABLISHMENT.
Sr A.SSO IArlt. PNEls,
Chicago, Dec. t.- At -2 o'clock this
mlornini the men in the variouts utlertlak
ing g ttallishinllntst had main.agedI to ar
ranger the bodies in something like order
and the work of ideltificationl was greatly
facilitaited aml is 'xpec.te.l to move with
greater rapility after dayl;igiht, when peo
iplt wtill lie able to visit the tliorgue.c
At Ittiltson' place at . Aatlts street
tlt l tlll iiols .crc lail poin tab les ailn Idoors,
atnd whet the police, at atiout a o'clock,
.opien thetir lines, to alllow thi throng to
enter, it reluitl ,i ll l ltheir r strength cto
.ten, tlhe pre," r lithat wl as li roughl t li eI ar
1upon I ,ti. :Is hltiindrell, of p op le, frantic
tiit l Ilinlu I) y ill the sttair·i for illil. lIg
,l s, .Itee % o e irst to enter the irew
'lnl .. 1 b t Illl A titr C ill ,LIt: r t1i"e 1111/.ii
v11,1 , whl II ,' I en, cIhol," y Ill rn ll t ITe l .tg 'erl
:, 1 they Onle ;,1:1 In1 te Hous.2"1" :11 l man
'l 1 . .ll ii ll tlll' iit a:I%% t ' i rl F' tlletih.l:il . .tinl
,11\ 1' 1111 1 t, 111 11111,1t in b ii;; I111 l: ilut
hIlit i ,r, husi t i ll , i ;ii littit n i tii ilrl I
lth tir:ir il i rli lh ttii;11 . . tll i'e glt.reei.
To1 .th 111 D 1 i Iers Cau11se
Ilh-i t.,,,i , , .1e" . ,t 1.i,,1i1 , ref yo nlill j
x. a 1 u1 1 111l -'il' I 11 i_. t '..r, ,hi \11 _y
of 111,h11 1 x 1 V 'v. n ly ilremed :1n1i their
IlI' Il\" I o l i1 ' l I fh I' 1101 l, ]lidlll x1h1 I11 rJie
i,lc i iv l ti ll t(' ull i tIIh r " iithem, for
it ,t it if l, t iCI t te r it lerily tiil. pled
1111u i lil: iilI ", ;,I i 11. 2 .ll, li, (,l Iiil..
illl of hil: lthm iii1 i ttll i ll h di . itortcd I lts
.,11 11,kl o 1 u i n l a d al r 1 <Ialurcv were
-, 11 n Il il , their hiol ,'1.
IlNt tl e l i -i I ct il iy w utere alike, ' Ile
tIll ;iUt ,f 1 ;11rh i e(1rv ti( . n 22 w het llI
w'. i l : l, 1 .1 I, hI i, .il ,h l- the t it ht
ri1,1'.,1 x u.. w ii-l11 it t 14,,l i i, it w ar in :, off
130 in One House.
\t 1 L ',, , .o \1 ,,11i-,11 street the ,h':,,I
iui be I' r i, " 1 ' th . I h l' il rell .retl rh d I 1 fth
i1.,l1 tf ri' . If the ie , 'l iul brlc'w .
I , nhhel ,,lre ta' iln , at , ,;urollk, \ ,,Ir l,
,ti.,.t. 1, . at ,t: iii.,. .\ ortlh I lark stir.,t,
to ; ;il 111011 l'. nn \\:1 2l :1 a ell i'tt , 10 , :In i
at 'i'rrig o',n s .% i ltan, n.l 't. _q. ( hier
inoi;ll" scatti li Ihi ll i t lou t the city re
,iv.,,l .mi l ll l i i lers,,
At the c' ntm1 1 olerkinl. Ira h1/lies had
iven r lic'iivd., III thee t o., n 1 n,11 : d
three little girll x.1 idlentified. I'.spara
li,,m were. ,il r e 1 : l i .t hie i',oý rls for the int
Iuv t 411X1. i.- will 1114'ilt this morning.
.lMa y diyo . will he .l oit ill the inquiry
into the fire nti .everal jurie, will he init
panelled ill otler to e.pedite matters.
To Sift Disaster's Cause.
"\\'e will mnake c ery ' of'rl it) ciit this
ilintler to the boltlill," siid (olo nellr Trie
lter 12l 1ii4h1,t.
. llom n l Iit m l.t he to blaoil " :ili the
"AIlt present we can der nothing, hilt fi
cilitati, the work of identilication,"
MANY ARE SAVED BY
THE HEROIC FIREMFN
Cii ago, Ilec. .1 ... ... ... a score if peo
firerimet, whi) itik them through the roof
; id carrii.1 thr.,i dru.n ladihcrs in ith
rtar of ithe buirlhing.
'1 %aI Iiolies. IikLII tightly illn each
'their' airis, young womiien, apparently
ablnul .rt Y(eair. oit age. were founl in
one end of the l:tchetra pit. They
mtist have fallen there front the balciony
BODY OF YOUNG GIRL
IMPALED ON RAILING
The hdy of a dark hairedI girl. appra
ently I.1 years of age. was foiund oin the
railing i" the first ' ai ciklny. she apparently
havinlg bIeel. Ithrown over front tile secondl
bairony above
\\'ithi all it, clohtlllilg tornl fromi it but
a pair oii aiby shiies. the bodly of a
chili aiiboutl I year il was- fioundil in a
far crdiner of the <te.iondll bIalcnilly. II had
evidently helll knockedi fromii its lllother's
airms and wais trampiiled ibeyond recrogni
lion.
GATHER UP VALUABLES
OF DEAD IN BASKETS
Wh\\'lile scores were carrying out iodnies,
iotheris, fortulinaitely few in nulr lerI.r,
si.earcihedi the isles ulll seats for valuablllle.
Two womenll were foiund who had provided
thenmselves tith baskets and were filling
thim.I with tile lpropierty of the dcadl.
They wi re placed under arrest aind the
theater ushers anid stage halllrs given the
work of colleclting the valuables on the
floor of the thleater. Du)rilng the even
ing tite police a;rrestedi over a dozenll en
acclused of being thieves and pickpockets.
'Two of the downl town theaters closed
their doors as as a result of the fire. These
were the lilinois and Powers, which were
orwned by the proprietors of the ill-fated
Iroquois.
All other theaters remainaed open as
usual, and there was no perceptible falling
off in the attendance.
Manager Davis Collapses.
\\'ill J. Davis, one of the proprietors of
the Illinois, collapsed last night under the
worry and distress occasioned by the dis
aster.
After the fire he and Mr. Powers made
their headquarters in the womnan's dressing
rooms, where they were besieged by people
who were frantically seeking information
of their relatives.
The climax came with Mr. Davis when
he was approached by George C. Sanborn,
a prominent business man, who said:
"I had ia children in two boxes; they
are missing. Are they in there."
"My God, that's what kills a man," said
Mr. Davis, as he turned away and the next
instant would have fallen to the floor. He
was assisted to a carriage and drivep
home. Later it was ascertained that Mr.
Sanborn's son, Harold, 19 years old, hail
takein the entire party in safety from this
theater.
Morgues Besieged.
All night long stricken people besiegel
the morgues where the dead had been cal
ried awaiting identification. Hunderds df
men waited in long lines for hours, to
finally demand admittance. For every per
son who was allowed to enter the death
rooms a score were carried away.
Mourners Riotous.
After waiting for several hours in front
of Jerome and company's establishment in
Madison street, the crowd of mourners,
consisting of over I,ooo. persons, became
impatient, and it took the united efforts of
ao policemen who were guarding the place
to quiet the dissatisfaction.
The aisles between the piles of dead
were already filled with persons and it was
impossible for those outside to enter until
those already inside left to make room.
The policemen in charge of the line of
waiting persons which extended west in
Madison street for several blocks, tried to
explain the situation, but the excited
fathers and husbands and mothers who
were anxious about relatives and friends,
refused to be' pacified.
200 Awaiting Identificatcion.
At lRalston's morgue, 22 Adams street,
where nearly 2oo bodies lay awaitiing
idtentfication, the scenes were equally as
dranlalic. 'l'here were thousands. of peo
ple in the crowd in front of the place and
it was with the greatest difficulty that
the police were able to control the sittts
tion, so anxilus were the grief stric!ken
perople to gain adnlittance to aclrtain if
their loved ontes had Inbcome victims to
the awful disaster.
A dozen of itheir Ilnres in the city
h4rle dea l had been canried the scentes
were i'litted.
:ever wis there a buIsier night in ('hi
,ago than this one. \11 night lour huln
,Ireds of people wpire gmoingi bettiseeel tile
police slation an;dl the hospitals ild the
iorglll' , first tou ote. thel ' to the other,
thein back again, 'e'king te .s of tIti'sing
friendl and reltiiveI.s ind tryinlg to idcni
lit, the i hi:i l.
At thile (central police taltio,. wilthin Ocne
:uii a hlf slual's fruln the theater, a doit
en policemenr were kept busy all night
takin m inetlll s alllt di('i', iltions of l mis
iiu p'ople. Ie fl tir. sqi ri nl' the not 's
of i luretd re, ived Irom h pil iil I;ll lnd
from poliie tation \s rere:t to the
irrwd. " n , c rowd ialt luitt while the
;nl et. r r a l. .x ,, f or ;1d e xc pt f ur i)c ra iicc sn al
,ut t'reak of s'bhbint,, as t oile t'ct iogniztd
in Ilit de-cription a rel.i tive or fliend. tl
i lhe hi ,piales w re be. Ii5 v. I y ct l y oall
er's' llltd 1 la e ,Ir t!ion11ersrlt o r ir th tle
Il itt I t I pite of t ill this. the wotk of
id,]tlt ftic1bogs tle;t t I but sl ly aud at
iiie t' the hllr hl e itsl, i II ill i he r'l of
the down tiown al lI, t 'kri, had I bt oen
r, cug', ti, I i , thei r tri t lk.
LIVERY DRIVERS ARE
WILLING TO HELP OUT
Union Declares a Truce in the Strike for
Ten Days.
(' i, lago. Il e. .t 1. i tI nned h ti he' 11ro
,in i, theatei r dlitlas!rr, the striking livery
diicite'rs and their t'ployers have a'ch
1ade r prepaltion, to supply Ca igis to
meet the 'llrrten \y.
TIhe urion le rirs declared a trucet for
Io day, ; n't offered it drlive wt ithutt clint
linsatifon in the fuincrals of the v rictims.
I'residhnt Albert Young of the union
called thlie telbers together and talked
over t ilhe situtiton. They uima itulously
agreed ito declare a trhte until alifter the
funeral of the victimls.
The illnoli tt ladfrse then drew tip the fol
Inwing decree nt d etnt it .ut broad'cast :
"()wing to Itll, great disastel r to tit( puib
lic caut ed by e1 the lire at the Irlul is the
ater. I do herchy declare a truce in the
pre'ent strike of undert.tkers and livery
drivers for In days and do further request
that every nian on strike report at once
to his respective place of employment and
do everything in his power to assist his
employer in cering for the wants of the
public; wages are to have no considera
tion. AI.BEIRT YOUNG."
The livery owners have arranged for the
patting out of every carriage in the city.
Non-tnion men have been hired by the
score, all(] a entice was sent to every union
driver to report for work this morning
under the old terms of employment.
PLAN BENEFITS FOR
THE FIRE SUFFERERS
New York Theatrical Managers to
Devote Proceeds to Cause.
New York. T)Dec. 3 ..-The news of the
('hicago disaster was followed in New
York by the announlcemenl t of several
lbenefits for the sufferers. S. S. Shubert
im.mediately telegraphed his managier in
C(hica.so to devote the receipts of next
\\Weden.day'. niatince of "The Pit" to the
sutffcrers. and announced that of \\edncs
day's matiniee of "\\'insole \\Winnie," now
here. would he devoted to thie satlle cause.
"The Red Feather" comlpany will also
give a benefit. A number of other tn;tan
agers are considering similar liberal acts.
Al Ilayman, Maurice Klaw and Abram
1Erlanger. the leading tmembers of the the
atrical syndicate, who own large ititerests
in the Iroquois theater, sat in their of
fices in the New Amsterdam theater until
after midnight eagerly awaiting the tele
grants fromt their Chicago representatives.
Klaw & Irlanger own "Mr. ltlueheard."
'Their representaitive says it cost $65.0oo to
produce it there. About 240 people were
with the pirodulction onl the road tour.
The present "Mr. Iluebeard" began its
tour at Pittsburg, September a8.
ARCHITECT SAYS FIRE
IS SAD LESSON TO HIM
Will Never Allow Wood to Be Used in a
Theater Building Again.
Pittsburg., Dec. l3.--lenjamin II. .Mar
shall, the Chicago architect, whol designed
the Iroquois theater, left for his home last
niight, taking advantage of the first oppor
tunity to view the scene of horror,
Mr. Marshall was overwhelhned by the
news of the disaster. "I'll never allow an
other theater to be built with a stick of
wood in it," lie declared, reading bulletins
handed to hIim. "The Iroquois was built
along the very latest lines and was pro
vided with 27 double fire exits, but wood
was used and wooden stairways were em
ployed.
"A fireproof building will not he erected
as long as wood is used. In the theater
there are so many articles of inflammable
material that when the fire once gets head
way, it spreads in the most alarming man
ner."
NOT FAULT OF THE BUILDING
Architect Says Every Precaution 'Man
Could Devise Was Taken.
Chicago, Dec. 3r.-W. A. Merriam,
western manager of the George H. Fuller
company, the concern which erected the
Iroquois theater, when seen last night,
made the follonwing statemient concerning
the construction of the building:
"The theater was built with safety as
the first object. The building ordinances
were adhered to in every detail and more
than that there were additional safe
guards thrown about it until I do not
hesitate to say that there was no theater
building in the country that is freer from
danger.
"The exits were numerous, and all the
work which our company performed was
absolutely fireproof. After making a very
critical examination of the building since
the fire I find the strusture as erected still
stands Intact,"
CRITICISE BUILDING
AND APPARATUS
Chicago, Dec. ,..--Among many of the
theatrical men employed in the other
Chicago theaters the responsibility for
the fire was ascribed today to the careless
placing of an electric arc light apparatus
too close to one of the hanging borders
of the scenery. The electrician of a
leading Chicago theater expressed great
surprise on hearing that this was con
sidered a possible cause of the fire.
"'There never would have been any
fire," he said, "if proper care had been
exercised in handling the lights. The
electric plant of the theater was installed,
as I happen to know frunm personal ob
servation, in nccordance with every
tmod rn rccqircmtirnt for safety. The plant
was not to blaiCe. If the facts I have
given are correct the whole Inlme rests
on the person a ho placel. or witho was
operatilng a light so cloise to the curtain."
The failure of the explected fire pro
tcrtilon is attriblltel iby illttlralnce men
to troublt e wcith tihe ail'estos, curtain.
Always a Danger Point.
The stage is always rccrgnized as the
clantr poinit in the theater land the desire
is to have it cut offl frtom the atdlitoriumn
as necarly as pos.sihle. The insurance
rn ,clar tha th rtin t tie chrtaic it the Tro
quic never had workc ,I perf.ctly and the
m cciI hi cisci a:cl not beeni repaired.
IER.. \\et nire of th,' itnsur cct' firm
which plact'l the Irtqu i.s theater dehlah'ed
tldcay that tlii oss woud ict . ot xciccd $oc.
. I. He a1 , . a.scrtcd that tl'e s;prcal of
tie flacii c. t file' uciitorittlit cal s ui. i e to
Ithe iailhire of the aishetcc curctali to \work
pto p.crly.
l ,;irly l ,st 5l, lnI e r ai p|llro tin e t a dll ei
journal of ihitilng c riliii ci d lth c lontru. -
clion c f I;,I' l. . ,1os tihcacir becaui se it
1.i , ; l i hal s ,,r lice iat ho iback of the
-i Itie o catlrying thle laeics and smoke
plt;w d alid ai.icy frmcc tihe atdlitriUtll ini
the evnclt if lirt. Such .hi;ts were built
in cla. i ini Squarc. (ia:deli acud the .Metro
politan lpC rtl hoIi, in .\clw York. and Ia
imilar prc sicirc n ic i ,ol al t the Chicago
.\u limlt it lnl.
rFieproofing Criticised.
I hce method cof tfireprictin the haconyt
acl gallery was. i.1 decl'ared by this
lilca;il.' to hc d ctive f 't c l,becau e mietal
lachi was iu'sd in whaat is oLtcn a.i cx
Iposed co *c.. rctciol, cchere heat wtould
easily alh ect it. Icn nowdlrn fireproof build
ing. hi lath is buried in conilcrete. It
was Ihe Iuckjing out of this tmetal lath
ldcc iron rodc sgiviing tile ilpresslont that
the galleries thenicachlies care falling that
is Ibelieved by .oi contracctor, to have
iven partly resplonsible for the panic.
"lThre s;ws no criticism of the strcength of
the guallery adl halcrny arches, swhich
Ser. built inc the lusual tcmanner.
Firemen Needed in Theaters.
Chief cl tsham, of the fire department,
wahen acsked ltday what would best pre
vent a repetition of the horror, said:
"I don't kinow that I cant answer that
qluestionit until investigation hals beein made
as to the cause of this fire. On the
whole, I think it would be a good thing for
the deplartm ent to have cuniiforlmed men,
prepared to act. stationed in every theater
through every performance. I understand
that New York has them and that they
are paid by the management of the the
"They had a man in the Iroquois. who
was tilc ex-cmembher of the Chicago fire de
partmunt. lie should have known what
to do. It setiiis to cne that there is noth
ing in the world, at least nothing that I
can think of at the present icnoiient,. that
canc save lives when 1,1i0o persons try to
pass through onie doorway at one time.
It was the rushintg, the crowding and the
trampling that was reslponsihle for the
majority of the deaths that have occurred.
Anyhodly that views the dead in the
imorgue cali tell that at a glance."
FINDS HIS WIFE AND
TWO CHILDREN
Chicago. I)ec. *p.--Clinton C. l·eeker, a
clerk in the registry division of the post
oflice, liviing in the suburb of Irving park,
has pIrobably lost his entire family, con
sisting otf his wife, two daughters and
tWO Solls.
A friend called Mr. Meeker to the 'phone
at 4 o'clock in the afternoon and asked
him if any of his family had gone to the
theater. lie answered that, so far as he
knew. none of them had Ieft home. \\'hen
he reached the house, however, he found
only his mother-in-law.
"\'Where are M abel and the children?"
he asked.
"They have gone to the Iroquois the
ater," was the reply.
"I dropped right downt on mny knees,"
said Mr. Meaker. "and prayed that God
mnight spare them.
Today Mr. Meeker had partially identi
tied the bodies of his wife and two daugh
ters. lie failed to find any trace of his
two sons.
KNOWS IROQUOIS THEATER
Showman Says House Was as Near
Fireproof as Possible.
IrI'IIAi. 'LO TII E INTER MOUNTAIN.
(;reat Falls. D)ec. 3A.--F. Miller Jr., ad
vance agent for the "Chinese lloneymoon"
company, owned by Nixon & Zimmnerman,
the owners of the "Bluebeard" company,
which was playing in the ill-fated Iro
quois theater at Chicago, was here today,
and he expressed deep regret over tile ter
rible calamity.
lie is quite familiar with the Chicago
playhouse, and lie confirms the Associated
Press dispatches about it being as near
fireproof as such a place canl be made.
fie says there are 40 exits and in the
construction of the building an effort was
made to use little or no combustible ma
terial.
"I amn at a loss to account for the ter
rible loss of life," said Mr. Miller. "If
that theater was niot fireproof, there never
was one."
CORONER'S JUROR COLLAPSES
Sight of the Dead Is Too Much for His
Nerves.
Chicago, Dec. 3r.-Continued sight of
dead bodies lying huddled on the floors
and tables of the various city morgues
proved too much this afternoon for some
of the jurors empanelled by Coroner Trea
ger, Several members of the jury ob
jected to being forced to view the bodies
and one juror, Joseph Cummings, practi
cally collapsed at Rolston's morgue, where
the jury was forced to step over the dead
bodles In their tour oi inspection,
CORONER BELIEVES
CURTAIN CAUSED IT
SAYS IF DROP HAD WORKED, FIRE
WOULD NOT HAVE SPREAD.
Chicago, Dec. jt.-Coroner Trenaer
has made a complete inspection of the
theater. lie says:
"If the asbestos curtain had been work
ing I believe the fire might have been pre
vented from spreading into the au lien:e
chamber. An iron railing which se :arst.d
each row of seats from the adjoining tier
prevented many from reaching Ilaces of
safety. This circumstance, conbindtl with
the steep incline, made it dillicult for so
large an audience to escap* without great
delay.
Modern and Fireproof.
"This is a modern fire-proof theater,
furnished with all the applia:neI* ant
trluipmlent that are supposed to 1,revet
just sut h a catastrophe as hrs now oc
curred.
"The plush on the seats of the first
balcony was charred, but still visible.
This does not look to me as though every
body could have gotten out of thlie theater
alive i hen you ta!<e into acco.nt the
speed with which the flames had spread.
"My in.spection showed that the seats
on the mstn floor were burnedI but little,
the Iealcoy haI evidently shichlied to a
large extent the seats in the parltuet.
"The path of the flllnmes w:a evident.
The stage a; l ceiling wa'; bli teird and
blacktned.. There was practically in dam
age to furniture on the first fltr. The
1 ;joth hIxes on the secondl tier w" ti de
troye.I hy fire. while th,,,e 1n the first
1oor wter. r 'urti'dl only itn spots, ro,,hbly
by hur.,ig, fagm'.:nts from aihve.."
DISTRACTED FATHER IS
RUSHING ON TO SCENE
Charters Special Switch Engine After
Hearing of Disaster by Telephone,
C'linton. Ihl. Ikec. 3t.--W. .. D)ee of
Chicago. a tile manufacturer, with a fac
tory at .Mecca. Ind.. to miles from here,
herItrdl of the ('hicago theiater disaster by
teletphnc last night. The list of the miss
ing co'it;inedl the nam'es of two mImbetrs
of his family.
Ili instlantly startl I for Chica.., 1J5
mile.: .aay. Jutmping into a ,uggy, he
drove at top speed to Clinton, where he
chartered a switch enginte and daIshed on
to Itanville. Ill.. 5o miles away. A special
train had I'been ordered Iby telegraph, which
was waiting for him. and at miidnight lie
started for Chicago. ' IeI expected to reach
thtere at 3 o'clock this mlornllig.
The list of missing contaits the names
of l":dward and Louise Dee.
MOST DISASTROUS FIRE
IN HISTORY OF STAGE
Chicago, Dec. 3.--The Iroquois theater
disaster was vastly more destructive to
hutman life than any other play house fire
in the history of the country.
The fire next to it in point of lives
lost occurred l)ecember S, 4n76, in Con
way's Brooklyn theater, Brooklyn, N. Y.,
wshere a~S of the audietnce perished in
the flames.
In the great Chicago fire of A7r1, the
largest conflagration of modern timlies, in
which a,1 24 acres were devastated, but
aoo lives were lost, so far as the mnost
reliable infotrmation shows.
NURSES SENT TO SCENE
City Health Department Acted Promptly
in Emergency.
Chicago, Dec. 31.-It was a cause of
wonder to many people round the thea
ter building how so many physicians and
so maIlny trained nurses should arrive on
the spot within so short a time. Dr. Her
man Spalling, senior official in the city
health department, at the time the fire
broke iout madle all the arrangenlents for
tmedical a tttndaniice.
"I telephoned to all the physicians in
the down town district," he said, "and then
to the hospitals, nurses' association and
schools for persons to assist ill the care
of the injured. I'Employes telephoned to all
the principal office buildings and told tile
operators at the switchbo(ards to notify
every physician in tile building, while
others telephoned to the nurses. There
were over too physicians whoml I person
ally knew at the fire anlld probably 15o
nurses."
THEATER COST $500,000
The Iroquois theater was completed less
than two months ago at a cost of half a
million dollars, and was the finlest play.
house in Chicago.
It was opened to the public on the night
of November 23, with "Mr. Bluebeard."
l'The style of the structure arc'itectur
ally is French Renaissance, which has a
strong suggestion of the classic. It has
a total seating capacity of 1,724 chairs,
with plenty of good standing room on
each floor. 'The balcony had seatings for
475 persons. The records of the city
building department show that the theater
was complete in every detail and that it
was absolutely fire proof, all requirements
having been complied with.
CALCIUMS STARTED BLAZE
Actor Caithorne Says He Is Certain of
Origin of Fire.
Chicago, Dec. 3l.-Herbert Caithorne,
a mnember of the cast, assisted many of
the chorus girls from the stage exits in
the panic,
Mr. Caithorne says: "I was in a po
sition to see the origin of the fire and
I feel positive that it was an electric cal
cium light that started the blaze. Above
the stage, perhaps ia feet higher than the
top of the curtain, exposed to the audi
ence, was a swinging platform from which
12 calciums were operated. It appears
to me that one of the calciums had flared
up and the sparks ignited the lint on the
curtain."
SMALL INSURANCE CARRIED
Damage to Interior of the Theater Ih
Estimated at $250,000.
Chicago, Dec. 31.--The monetary dam
age to the theater will amount to $250,ooo.
This loss is almost entirely sustained upon
the interior decorations and the destruc
tion of glass and seats made by the crowd
in its rush for the doors.
To build anld furnish tihe theater cost
$450,000, and the proprietors believed it
to be so entirely safe from damage by fire
that they carried upon it insurance amount
ing only to $to,ooo.
(Additienal Fire News on Toi wlvWf