The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-01-02
ANOTHER THEATER FIRE
KEITH'S UNION-SQUARE PLAYHOUSE
PROBABLY BURNED.
Was Partly Wrapped in Flames at 3
o'clock a. M.-Guests of Morton
House Forced to Seek Safety.

NEW YORK, Jan. 2.-Fire was discOv-
cred early this morning in the engine
room of Keith's Union Square Theater.
The flames were first seen by the engineer
OF the " IN House, which adjoins the
theater, and he gave the alarm. There
were 800 guests in the hotel, who were hur-
riedly notified ard made their escape clad
in their night garments.
The halls and corridors of the hotel were
filled with smoke and the guests from the
upper floors were compelled TO grope their
way TO the street so far as known they
all got out in safety Keith's Theater is
a six-story building and the Morton House
is five stories high and both are practically
covered by insurance BY 2:25 a. m the
flames were rapidly spreading through the
entire theater. but had not eaten their
way into the hotel. The fire spread to the
eastward, destroying quickly two small
stores. and the prospects were that the fire
would spread still further in that direction.
1t was learned that the fire started in the
storage room adjoining the engine room Of
the theater. Within twenty minutes after
its discovery 1t had spread upstairs, eating
its way TO the stores adjoining on the east.
The Morton house is on the west The
clothing store of Benson & Co. was soon
destroyed. as was the cigar store of
Manuel Diaz.
The rapidity with which the flames
spread through the theater was because of
a quantity of oils, paints and a huge mass
of scenery which was in the storage room
The fumes and gases from this inflamma-
BILE stuff hampered the firemen in their
work. as they were repeatedly driven from
the basement TO the street
AT 2:45 a. m. Chief Croker announced
that he had hopes of confning the fire to
the basement of the theater and of also
preventing it's spread further to the east
ward OF the two stores burned.
The guests of the Morton House were
taken to other hotels in the vicinity to
be cared for and many of the men had
time to go back to their rooms to save
their valuables. The excitement i'm the
hotel was added to by the fremen drag
ging long lines of hose through the halls.
so that they could get the streams TO play
on the rear of the theater There were
wild scenes in the hotel as the guests, por-
ters. walters and maids ran screamingly
TO the street. Many of the women tainted
and were carried out. but search of the
hotel seemed TO satisfy the police that all
were able TO reach places of safety.
While the department was trying to over
come the blaze i'm the basement a num-
Der of firemen went into the main portion
of the theater and from the stage carried
out the tanks containing seventeen per-
forming seals. comprising a troupe.
Meanwhile lines of hose were carried on
TO the stage and held in readiness should
the flames break through the floor from
the basement. This basement Is called
nrS-proOf. IL was one mass OF flame from
end 10 end and on the strength OF its fire
proof qualities depended the safety of the
theater proper.
At o'clock the flames had not broken
through.