The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-12-31

Chicago, Dec. 3O.--About i've hundred and fifty persons were killed in ten min utes this afternoon during a fire in the and. as far as human power could make 1t. the safest theatre in Chicago. Esti- mates of the dead and injured vary. The police count of dead is 5Ss The estimate of the newspapers Is 562. Besides this there are 55 persons missing at midnight. the majority of whom are probably among the dead in the morgues and various un- dertaking establishments. Eighty-six of fho dead have been positively Identified and ninety-two others are known to be in- jured.
 i A few of these persons were burned tc death by fire, many were suffocated by gas, and scores were trampled to death in the panic that followed the mad plunge of the frightened audience for the exits.
 It will be several days before all of the dead are known and Sidentified. There are bodies lying by the dozens tonight in the undertaking rooms in the. police sta- tions and in the hospitals, from which nearly everything that could reveal their identity to those who knew them best is gone. Their clothing is torn to rags { or burned to cinders and their faces have been Grampled into aa unrecognizable pulp by the heels of the scrowd that trampled them down as they lied for safety.
 The fire broke ont during the. second act of the play MT. Bluebeard," which was the first dramatic production ever given in the theatre. The company, which was very large, escaped to the street in safety, nearly all of them, how ever. being compelled to flee into the snowy streets with no clothing but their stage costumes. A few members of the company sustained minor injuries, but liene was seriously hourt. EaaEcTRIC WIRE @ -.
 CAUSE OF FIRE. The accounts of the origin of the fire are conflicting and n9ne' Of them certain, < hut the best reason given is that an cleo kft6sT8ire near the lower part of piece, of scehosy, sutdeIhiy broke and was ground cd. The fire spread rapidly toward the front of the stage, causing the members of the chorus who were then engaged in inc performanee to ice to the wings with ecreams of terror. The fire in itself up to this time was not serious and possibly could have been checked had ,.Sfots the asbestos curtain failed to work. As soon as the fire was discovered. Eddie Foy, the
 
 to lower the curtain and tks was imme- diately done. It descenSed about half way and then stuck. The fire thus was afven practically flue through which a, strong draft was setting, aided by the doors. which had been thrown open in the front of the theasre.
 With a roar and a bound. the flames shot through the qpening over the heads of the people on the first floor and reach ing clear up to th5se in the first balcony, caught them are burned them to death, where theV sat.
 Immediately blIowing the rush of the flames. there Eame ah explosion which lifted the entiIe roof of the theatre from its walls, shlttering the great skyiight into fragments.
 As soon at the flames first appeared by the curtain a man in the rear of the hall shouted. Fire" "Fira!' and the entire ! audience. rose as one person and made for IF 6ors. It is believed that the ex- plasio,s tas caused by the flames com Ing iU S9ntect with the gas reservoirs of thS thssstre. causing them to burst. : MAmR SUPPORTED
 IN THEIR SEATS. Wgiil Davis, manager of the theatre, said af fer the catastrophe that If the specta- s4sots had remained in their seats and had not been excited by the cries of fire, not
  is,t however, contradicted by the state rnetlt of the firemen, who found numbers of persons sitting in their seats. their faces directed toward the stage, as if tho performance was still going on. It was the opinion of the firemen that these had suffocated at once by the flow of gas which came from behind the asbestos curtain.
 As near as can be estimated at the present time, about 1900 persons were in the theatre. Three hundred of these were on the first floor, the balance being In the upper balconies and in the railways back of them. ..
 ACTORS LIVES AT
 EXPENSE OF OTHERS.
 ''Thgn I stepped back and called for the asbestos curtain to be lowered. This. when about half way down. refused to go further and thus an additional draft was created. This swept the flames out into the auditorium, and knew the place was doomed hurried back to the stage. and aided in getting the women mem bers of the company into the alley. Some of them were in their dressing rooms and were almost overcome by smoke before they could get down to the stage and to the doors.
 The simple fact that the curtain did not descend entirely was what saved the AtcS Ol bAo SOtHlt4ASB dAbAouBH II CdhSCu such horrible catastrophe in the front of the house. After the curtain had re- fused to descend, there came the explo- sion of the gas tanks, and with the cur tain down. all the fire and gas would have been confined between the rear wall of the theater and the fire proof curtain in front Under these circumstances. it would not have been possible for a sim gle member of the company to escape 9Ssva unless he or she had been stand ing dmmediately in front of the door leading into the alley As it was, the draft carried all the gas and fire out beneath the curtain. and We were saved although our salvation was the death of SO many people in front"
 Rarely in the history of Chicago has it's people been so stirred. It is, next to the Chicago fire. the greatest catastrophe that has ever occurred here, and the speed with which'it came and went seem- cd for brief period to appall the busi- ness section of the city. The news spread wtth great rapidity and in short time