The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1903-12-31
iieartrendins Scenes Enacted at
Burning Of lroquois Theater
in Chicago.
OVER FIVE HUNDRED DEAD
Mad Rush Occurs Upon First Alarm
and Women and Children Are
TrampIed TO Death by the
Stronger Ones.

Chicago. Deo 81.--About $50 people
were killed in 10 minutes yesterday aft
ernoon during the fire in the IroQuois
theater. the newest, largest, and, as
far as human power could make it,
the safest theater In Chicago. Esti-
mates Of the number Of dead vary.
The police count $50: the estimate Of
the newspapers Is 562. There were 55
people missing at midnight. the ma
jority of whom are probably among
the dead. Eighty-six dead have been
positively identified and 90 others are
now known to be injured.
1t will be many hours before the
number Of dead is accurately known
and many days before all of them are
identified. There are bodies lying by
dozens in undertaking rooms. police
stations and In hospitals from which
nearly everything that could reveal
their identity to those who knew them
best is gone. The clothing 10 torn to
rags or burned to cinders and their
faces have been mashed into unrecog-
nizable pulp by the heels Of the crowd
that trampled them down as they fed
for safety.
The fire broke out during the second
act of the play, "Mr. Blue Beard" the
first production in the theater since Its
erection. The company. which was
very large. escaped to the street in
safety Nearly ALL however, were
compelled to flee into the snow in the
streets with no clothing but their
slight stage costumes. A few members
Of the company sustained minor injur-
res, but none was seriously hurt.
Darkness Delayed Work.
The fire chief Immediately called up
on all his men In the vicinity to aban-
don work on the fire and come at once
to the rescue. The building was so
dark and the smoke so thick that 1t
was found impossible to accomplish
anything until light had been secured
Word was at once sent to the Orr &
Lockett Hardware Company near by,
and that firm placed its entire stock
of lanterns at the service of the de-
partment. Over 200 lights were quick
ly carried into the building and the
work of rescue commenced. So rap,
idly were the bodies brought down
that in an hour there were two streams
of men In and out of the door, the one
carrying bodies and the other COM
posed of men returning to get more,
The bodies were carried into the
Thompson restaurant, which adjoins
the theater on the east, where the
available space was given by the pro-
prietor. The dead and wounded were
placed on chairs, one woman even be-
ANS piISSut AOA iftCh VI u DtlIer SpOt,
on the cigar case.
because of the tremendous throng
which surrounded the block in which
the theater building stood 1t was not
POSSIBLE for the police to carry the dead
and wounded any distance. and they
were compelled to wait for the ambu-
lance at the theater, Although all the
patrol wagons and every ambulance
swned by the city was pressed into SER
vice they were utterly inadequate 10
carry away the dead. and in short
tame there was a line Of corpses so feet
Tong piled two and three high on the
sidewalk In front Of the theater. II
was found necessary, in order to con-
vey the bodies rapidly TO the morgue
and to the various undertaking estao-
ishments to press trucks into service.
IA a.. AAnao ,,oa,a anoNlv, f,to ulraNn ftxr.