The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-12-31
DEATH FOR HUNDREDS I'M A
BLAZING CHICAGO THEATRE
Fire Breaks Out in the Flies of the roquois Converting
the Temple of Pleasure into
Lurid Inferno.

of corpses, the spectacle became more and
more heart-rending. There were women
whose clothing was torn completely from
their bodies above the waist, whose
bosoms had been trampled into a pulp
and whose faces were marred beyond all
power of identification.
Bodies lay in the first and second bal
COMES IN great numbers. In some places
they were piled up in the aisles three and
four deep, where one had fallen and
others tripped over the PROSTATE forms,
and all had died where they lay, evidently
suffocated by the gas. Others were bent
over backs of seats where they had been
thrown by the rush of people for the
doors and knocked down with hardly a
chance to rise from their seats One man
was found with his back bent nearly
double, his spinal column having been
fractured as he was thrown backward A
woman was found cut nearly in half by
the back Of the seat. she having been
forced over it downward.
BODIES TRAMPLED INTO PULP.
In the aisles nearest to the doors the
scenes were narrowing in the extreme.
Bodies lay in every conceivable attitude
half naked, the look on their faces reveal
ing some portion of the agony which must
have preceded their death. There were
scores and scores of people whose entire
face had been trampled completely off by
the heels of these who rushed over them
and in one aisle the body of a man was
found with not vestige of clothing, flesh
or bone remaining above his waist line
The entire upper portion of his body had
been cut into mince-meat and carried
away by the feet of those who trampled
him; search was made with a hope of
finding his head. but at a late hour to-
night it had not been discovered, and all
that Will tell his friends who he was is
the color and appearance of the clothing
ON the lower limbs and this is in such
condition as to be hardly recognizable.
HURLED FROM FIRE ESCAPES.
The theatre had been constructed but
short time and all its equipment was not
yet in place. This was unfortunately the
case with fire escape in the rear of the
building. The small iron balconies to
which the iron ladder was to be attached
were up, but the ladder had not yet been
constructed. When the panic was at its
height great number of women ran for
these fire escapes only to find as they
emerged from the doorway upon the
little iron platform, that they were thirty
to fifty feet from the ground, a fire be-
hind and no method of escape in front.
Those who reached the platform first en-
deavored to hold their footing and ID
keep back the crowd that pressed upon
them from the rear. The effort was ut
terly useless and in few moments the
iron lodges were iammed with crowds of
women who screamed fought and tore
at each other like maniacs. This lasted
but brief interval, and the rush from the
interior of the building became so violent
that many of them were crowded off and
fell to the granite paved alley below
Others leaped from the platform, fractur-
ing legs and arms and two were picked
up at this point with fractured skulls,
having been killed instantly.
George H. Elliott secretary of the
Ogden Gas Company, was in a building
directly opposite from the theatre across
this alley, and noticing smoke went down
to ascertain its cause When he reached
the street the women were already drop
ping into the alley and Elliott inmc-
dlatcly rushed for q ladder in the effort
to save as many as possible No ladder
was available and the only method of as
sistance they were able to devise was to
hurredly lash some plans together and
throw them across to the afrighted wo-
man on the platforms with instructions
to place the end firmly on the iron frame
work Before this could be done fear
tul loss of time ensued, the women were
being pushed over every instant into the
alley, and by the time the bridge was
constructed but few remained to take ad-
vantage of it. However, about two dozen,
1t is believed, made their way across this
narrow causeway.
The members of the theatrical company.
being on the first floor had comparatively
little difficulty in reaching the street,
although their situation was for a mo-
mcnt highly critical because of the speed
with which the flames swept through the
mass of scenery in the flies and on the
stage.
FOY'S STORY OF THE HORROR.
Eddie Foy, principal comedian in the
play, was one Of the last to escape, by
getting out through a rear door after as
ssting the women members of the com
pany to safety. He went into the Shcr-
man House in bis stage costume end with
his face covered with grease ard paint
in order to secure surgical attendance
for some burns he had sustained In de-
scribing the commencement of the Ere
Foy attributed the extent Of the catastro-
pho to the failure of the fire-proof cur
tain to work properly. Because of this
he said, the flames obtained access to the |
main part of the theatre and were by he |
draft, carrying with it gas as well as
fire, swept up the two balconies where
Iho loss of lifs, was preatpsf
1.-THE fire began in the middle of .he |
second act said Mr.. Foy. IAN electric !
wire broke, was grounded, and from this /