The Butte inter mountain., 1903-12-31
CR|T|C|SE BU|LD|N c
AND APPARATUS

Chicago, Dec. 3r.--Among many Of the
theatrical men employed in the other
Chicago theaters the responsibility for
the fire was ascribed today to the careless
placing of an electric arc light apparatus
too close to one Of the hanging borders
Of the scenery. The electrician Of a
leading Chicago theater expressed great
surprise on hearing that this was con-
sidered possible cause of the fire.
There never would have been any
fire." he said, III proper care had been
exercised in handling the lights. The
electric plant Of the thcatcr was installed,
as ! happen to know from personal OBJ
servation, in accordance with every
modern requirement for safety The plant
was not to blame II the facts have
given are correct the whole blame rests
on the person who placed or who was
operating light so close TO the curtain"
The failure Of the expected fire pro-
lection is attributed by insurance men
to trouble with the asbestos curtain
Always a Danger Point.
The stage is always recognized as the
danger point in the theatcr and the desire
is to have il cut off from rie auditorium
as nearly as possible The insurance
men declare that the curtain at the Iro-
quois never had worked perfectly and the
mechanism had not been repaired
l.. K. Wetmore Of the insurance firm
which placed the Iroquois thcatcr declared
today that the loss would not exceed Sao,-
600 He also asserted that the spread of
the flames TO the auditorium was due TO
the failure of the asbestos curtain to work
properly.
Early last stunmcr a prominent trade
journal Of Chicago criticised the construc-
tion OF the lroquois theaier because ii
lacked a shaft or llue at the back OF the
stage for carrying the flames and smoke
upward and away from the auditorium in
the event Of fire. Such shafts were built
III Madison Square Garden and the Metro
politan Opera house i'll New York, and a
similar provision is made at the Chicago
Auditorium.
Fireproofine Criticised
The method OF hrcprooiing the baicony
and gallery was also declared by this
magazine to be defective because metal
lath was used in what is known as ex-
posed obstruction. where heat would
easily affect it, In modern frcproof build
ings this lath is buried in concrete. 1t
was the buckling out OF this metal lath
h'ih i'h i'iN EiNilis lht ibIlNHNltI llldl
the galleries themselves were falling that
is believed by some contractors to have
been partly responsible for the panic.
There was no criticism OF the strength OF
the gallery and balcony arches, which
were built in the usual manner.
Firemen Needed in Theaters.
Chief Musham, OF the fire department
when asked today what would best pre-
vent a repetition OF the horror. said
81 don't know that | can answer that
question until investigation has been made
as to the cause OF this fire. On the
whole, think il would be good thing for
the department TO have uniformed men,
prepared to act, stationed in every theater
through every performance. ] understand
that New York has them and that they
are paid by the management Of the the
aters.
They had man in the lroquos, who
was an cX-membcr OF the Chicago fire de-
partment. He should have known what
10 do. II seems to me that there is moth
ing in the world, at least nothing that
can think of AT the present moment that
can save lives when 1000 persons try to
pass through one doorway at one time
1t was the rushing, the crowding and the
trampling that was responsible for the
majority OF the deaths that have occurred.
Anybody that views the dead in the
morgne can tell that at glance