The San Francisco call. [volume], December 31, 1903, Image 1

About The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913

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SAN FRANCISCO, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31, 1903.
VOLUME XCV— >-O. 31.
PRICE FIVE CENTS.
Known Dekd 530
Identified Dead .• 93
TVTiccino* P^?
Injured \ 250
. Grand Total ; 1105
SIX HUNDRED PERISH IN A FLAME-SWEPT THEATER;
MASSES OF DEAD CHOKE THE EXITS AND FILL AISLES
Two unknown women; met
death by jumping from the rear
fire escape while their garments
'were aflame.
Louise Buchray.
Marie Walsh, aged 15.
Mrs. Thomas D. Maloney, wife
of a plumber."
Miss Spencer.
Ethel Jones, daughter of S. P.
Jones; attended -the theater with
brothers and sisters, two of whom
were missing and three account
ed for. It j was reported at
Vaughan's seed store, whVrey'ttie
body , of Miss Jones was. taken,
that the mother, an invalid,
dropped dead when she -received
Mrs. A. Sumin.
Miss Edith Norton of Onton
agon, Mich. . '-
Mrs.Harabaugh. ; '
C. W.'Forbush and family.....
Anna Sterling.
Three men employed; oh the
flies- on the stage; names un
known.
Florline, a -German aerial per
former; taken to hospital; died in
ambulance.
Ethel 'Blackman, 13 years old,
daughter of Harry E. Blackman,
freight department of Marshall
Field & Co., living at Glen-
Mrs. Cavanaugh of Indiana
avenue.
Unknown boy, 8 years old.
Continued on Page 5, Column 4.
Continued on Paje 5, Column f. .
Continued on Page 7, Columns 2 and 3.
CHICAGO, Dec. 30.— The fire
in the Iroquois Theater broke out
during the second act of the play
"Mr.' Bluebeard," which was the
first dramatic; production present
ed in the theater since it's erection.
The ', company, which was very
large, escaped to the street in
safety", nearly all of the players,'
however, 1 being compelled to flee
into the snowy streets with no
clothing but their stage costumes.
A few members of the company
sustained minor injuries, but none
was seriously hurt.
. Accounts of the - origin of the
fire are conflicting, and none. ce'rf;
tain, but the. best theory given is
that an electric wire Jon the lower,
part of. a piece of drop s scenery
suddenly^ broke and was grounded."
The fire spread rapidly toward the
front of the stage, causing the
members of the chorus; who were
then engaged in the performance,
to flee to the wings with screams
of terror. The fire in itself up to
this time was not serious, and pos
sibly could have been checked had
hot the asbestos curtain failed to
work.
CURTAIN FAILS TO LOWER
As Goon as the fire was discov
ered Eddie, Foy, the chief come
dian of the company, shouted to
lower the curtain, and this was.
immediately done. It descended
about . half waV and then stuck.
The fire thus was given practically
a>* flue through < which a strong
dra ft was setti ngy aided by the
doors, ' which had been thrown
- As soon as the flames first ap
peared beyond the curtain a man
in the rear of the hall shouted
"Fire! fire!" and the entire audi
ence arose as one person and made
for the doors. •
It is, believed* that the explosion
open in the front of the theater.
With a roar and a bound the
flames shot through the opening
over the heads of the people on the
f*st floor and, reaching clear up
to those in the first balcony,
caught them and burned them to
death where they sat.
, Immediately following this rush'
of flames there came an explosion
which lifted the entire roof of the
theater from its walls, shattering
the great skylight into fragments.
Bodies of Victims Locked in Death's Embrace Are Piled
From Floor to Top at Main Entrance.
SCENE AT THE IROQUOIS THEATER CATASTROPHE IN CHICAGO AT THE TIME OF THE GAS TANK8' EX
PLOSION. DRAWN FROM A TELEGRAPHIC DESCRIPTION. AND OF FAMOUS FIRE MARSHAL WHO
DIRECTED THE HEROIC EFFORTS OF THE FIRE FIGHTERS AND RESCUE FORCES.
Miss Ross, daughter of 'Dr.
Ross.
Florence Axnam, Rosemond
Schmidt, Elvira Olson, Helen
McCaughan, ; Helen Howard.
Lily Powers,' Riah A. Maker, a
dub of high school girls who
were in the balcony.
Mrs. F. A. Morrill. {; .
Irene Lang, aged 11, sister of
Hortense. Their mother escaped.
E. A. Wilson.
Anne Fitzgibbon.
Mrs. W. T. Marsh.
Miss Hattie Stratton, Alpena.
Louise Bushnell.
Mrs. A. Lake, 35 years old;
identified at morgue.
Miss A. Donaldson, 18; identi
fied at morgue by telegram found
in her purse.
Mrs. Patrick P. O'Donnell.
of President O'Donnell of
the O'Donnell Brewing Com
pany, -^v W.
R. H. Coults,
Miss Howard.
CHICAGO, Dec. 30.—Fol
lowing is a. partial list of the dead.
Where no other address is given
the residence is Chicago: .
Hortense Lang, aged 16.
Partial Roster of
the Identified
Victims.
LONG LISTS
OF THE DEAD
AND MISSING
TIIEATER BECOMES MORGUE.
*rhc classic outlines of the theater, the beautiful plush
hangings, the arched windows with their stained glass, the state-
More than one thousand persons in the orchestra seats,
with easy access to the doors, gradually made their way to
safety, but most of them threw aside wraps, pocketbooks, hats
and everything that seemed to impede them in the rush for life
and the open air.
But in the balcony and gallery the destruction wrought
frightful work. The flame and smoke, gathering on these up
per floors, caught the victims before they realized the full extent
of their danger. •
It seemed incredible that the little tongue of fire could lap
the walls so quickly and reach out after them like a stroke of
lightning. Then, when the full meaning of the disaster came
to the helpless ones, they fought and battled with one another
for safety — battled like stampeded animals, with the smoke curl
ing about them. Everything was plunged into absolute dark
ness, not even a friendly lantern showing them the wav' out
of this house of death. .
FIERCE BATTLE FOB LIFE .
Foy. chief comedian of the company, stood out from the
panic-stricken group on the stage to assure the audience that there
was no danger. Even as he spoke the great asbestos curtain was
let down, but it caught on one side and failed to work. " >¦
In another instant smoke burst from the top arch of the stage
and from under the bottom of the curtain. Before- the audience
realized the danger the whole roof of the auditorium was ablaze.
Two gas tanks exploded in the flies on the sides of the theater and
black, choking fumes beat down in a cloud of death from everv
wall.
This was not all. Fear, uncontrollable and terrible, reigned.
Men and women fought like wild beasts, filled only with a desire
for self -protection. Little babies slipped from their mothers' arms,
and in an instant their lives were crushed out by the crowd. Girls
threw themselves from the balconies and lay crushed and dying
till suffocation ended their miseries.
GAS TANKS EXPLODE.
From pit to dome the house was packed. Mothers and
their little ones had laughed themselves hoarse at the antics of
"Eddie"' Foy, a comedian. It was in the middle of the play
and the chorus, smiling and frolicsome, had just concluded the
singing of the "Moonlight Song."
"There is the moon now," cried a little chap in the front
row as a curl of smoke and a tiny tongue of flame shot out from
the wings to the right of the stage. Children clapped their
hands in glee. Mothers laughed and the whole audience was
in fine humor.
But the tongue of flame reached out and caught a bit of in
flammable scenery which hung over the center of the stage. In
stantly there was a larger ribbon of flame and in a moment
everything back of the footlights was a broad wave of fire, which
lighted the halt-illuminated house with weird effects.
TINY TONGUE OF FLAME.
CHICAGO, Dec. 30. — Chicago is stunned to-night by the
worst theater catastrophe in the history of the country. More
than six hundred men/ women and children, according to the
official report of the police, met death by fire, smc*;e and panic
during the matinee performance of "Mr. Bluebeard" at the
beautiful new Iroquois Theater. Most of the dead arc women
and children. Scores were incinerated, while hundreds were,
suffocated by smoke and gas and crushed to death by one an
other while struggling to escape. Still other hundreds are
"lyifi'g" "to-mglit Between life and death, wiih limbs broken and
burned, at their homes and in hospitals. Every undertaking es
tablishment in the city is filled with bodies, many of which
probably never will be identified.
Special Dispatch to The Call.
Harvest of Death Is Com
: plete 10 Minutes After
Cry of "Fire!"
Hideous Catastrophe Over
whelms a Chicago Mat
inee Audience.
\ -
TZS THEATSB3.
? ' , < ; •
Alcazar— "Bluo Jeans.". ¦¦' ::. -'i
California— "Are Ton a Mason 7 n
'Central— "The Dairy ram."
Fischer's — "I. O. V."
Grand — "The Minister's Son."
Orpheum — "Vaudeville.
The Chutes — Vaudeville.
Tivoli ¦ Opera-Sous o — "Xxioa."
Columbia — "The Girl With the
Green Eyes."
THE "WEATHER. -
1 ' *
Forecast mado at Sa^ rraa
cisco for thirty hoars endlnjf
iridslirht. Eccenibcr 31:
San rrancisco cad vicinity-
Cloudy, unsettled weather
Thursday; probably raia; brisk
to hifrh southerly winds.
A. Ct. JKtcAEIE,
District rorecaeter.
The San Francisco Call