The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-12-31
Death for Hundreds in a
Chicago Theatre,
Continued from First Page.)

way between State and Dear, m streets
on the north side of Randolph rect.
Although every available 5liceman
within call Of the department WAS i'm
mediatey hurried to the spot, and the
men placed in lines at the end of the
block allowing nobody to enter Randolph
street from either Dearborn or State, it
was found for a time almost impossible
to hold back the frenzier crowd that
pressed forward. many of them having
friends or relatives in the theatre, and
anxious to learn something of them. The
conduct of the police was beyond all
praise. The officers held their ground
irfnly and gently pushed back all those
who sought to gain an entrance to the
heatre, although in some instances frantic
nen, anxious to look for their loved ones,
actually beat the officers with their fists
their rage at at being prevented.
In spite of he efforts of the police,
lowever, large number of people sue
eeded in breaking through their lines and
antering the theatre, and in many cases
lid heroic work in rescuing the injured
and carrying out the dead. Among these
was former Alderman William H. Thomp-
son, who unaided, carried to the street
he bodies of eight women. The first
newspaper men upon the ground also car
lied out many of the dead and injured.
The building was so full OF smoke when
he firemen first arrived that the full
axtent of the catastrophe was not i'm
mediately grasped until a fireman and q
newspaper man crawled up the stairway
leading to the balcony, holding handker-
chiefs over their mouths to avoid suffo-
alton. AS they reached the doorway the
fireman, whose vision was better trained
n such emergencies, seized his companion
ny the arm exclaiming: Good God man,
7on't walk on their faces" The two men
tried vainly to get through the door
which was damned with dead women piled
higher than either of their heads
A STREAM F DEAD BODIES.
All the light in the theatre were neces-
sarily out and the only illumination came
through the cloud of smoke that hung be-
tween the interior of the theatre and the
street. The two men Immediately hur-
ried to the floor below and informed Chief
Musbam, of the fire department, that the
dead bodies were piled high in the balcony
and prompt assistance must be rendered
if an yof them were to be saved.
The chief at once called upon all of his
men in the vicinity to abandon work on
the fire and come at once to the rescue.
The building was SO dark and the smoke
so thick that it was found impossible to
accomplish anything until lights had been
secured. Word was at once sent to the
Orr and Lockett Hardware Company, two
doors east OF the theatre, and that firm
1T once placed its entire stock of lanterns
ut the service of the department Over
200 lights were quickly carried into the
building and the work of rescue COM
menced. So rapidly were the bodies
brought down that for over an hour there
were two streams of men passing in and
out of the doorway, the one carrying bod
les, the other composed of men returning
to get more.
They were carried into Thompsons res
taurant which adjoins the theatre on the
east, where all the available space was
given by the proprietor. The dead ard
wounded were placed upon chairs, tables
and counters, ore woman even being
placed for lack of a better spot al top
Of a cigar case. Because of the trenier-
dous throng which surrounded the block
IN which the theatre building stood, it
was not possible for the police to carry
8 he dead and wounded any distance. and
they were compelled to wait for anbu-
lances at the theatre. Although all the
patrol wagons and every ambulance owned
by the city was pressed into service they
were utterly inadequate to carry away
the dead and in short time there was
a line OF corpses fifty feet long piled two
and three high on the sidewalk IN front
II the theatre.
HAULED AWAY LIKE CORD-WOOD
1t was found necessary in order to con-
vey the bodies rapidly to the morgues, and
to the various undertaking establishments,
to impress trucks into service, and in
these, upon costly blankets furnished by
the DIR goods stores in the vicinity and
covered with the same material, the deed
were hauled away practically like SO
much cord wood. The merchants in the
vicinity of the theatre sent wagon load
after wagon lead of blankets, rolls of lin
81 and packages CT cotton t be used n
binding UP the wounds of thu 'jured and
. cover the dead. The drug sores furn-
shed their stock to any body that asked
Tor it in the name of people hurt in the
fire. Doctors and trained nurses were on
the ground by the score within half an
hour after the extent OF the calamity was
known, and every wounded person wro
were carried from the building received
prompt medical aid. A number of doc
toTs waited at the entrance to the ,.4eatre
with stethosCopeS In hand, and as soon
as body which looked as though II
N GIT possess life was carried out, K
wGs at once examined and il cad placed
on the pile lying on the sidewalk r.
others were at once placed in amnIiantes
ana whirled away 80 hospitals or to the
Offices of physicians in the immediate
neighborhood.