Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-12-31
from the auditorium as thoroughly as

The insurance men declare that the
 curtain at the Iroquois never haG
 worked perfectly and that the mechan I ism had not been repaired
 B. R. Wetmore. of the insurance
 firm which placed the insurance ot l the Iroquois theater, declared the loss 1 will not exceed $20,OOO. He also as
 serts that the spread of the flames 1 to the auditorium was due to the fail ure Of the asbestos curtain to work
 properly.
 Early last summer prominent l trade journal of Chicago criticised the 1 construction of the Iroquois theater
 because it lacked shaft or fue at the
 back of the stage for carrying the flames and smoke upward and away
 from the auditorium in case of fire.
 The method of freproofng the bal
 cony and the gallery was also de-
 clared by this magazine to be defec- tive because metal lath was used in
 what is known as exposed construc- ! ton, where heat would easily affect
 it. Tn modern hreproof buildings
 this lath is buried in concrete.
 Chief Musham. of the fire depart
 ment, when asked to-day what would
 best prevent repetition of the hor-
 TOT, said: "I don't know as can an-
 swer that question until an investiga- ton has been made as to the causes of this fire. On the whole, suppose
 it would be good thing for the de- partment to have active uniformed men prepared to act stationed in ev- cry theater through every perform ance. I understand that New York has them and that they are paid by the managements of the theaters.
 They had man in the Iroquois who was an ex-member of the Chi cago fire department He was old, but he should have known what to do. It seems to me that there is nothing in the world. at least nothing that can think of at the present mo- ment. that can save lives when q thousand persons try to pass through one door at one time. It was a cause of wonder to many people around the theater building how so many physicians and so many trained nurses could arrive on the spot with in so short a time. Dr Herman Spalding, senior official in the city health department, made all the ar engagements for medical attendance.
 T telephoned to all the physicians in the downtown district" he said, "and then to hospitals, nurse associa tions and schools for persons to as sist in the care of the injured Elm ployes telephoned to all the principal office buildings and told the operators at the switchboards to notify every physician in the building. while otll-l CTS telephoned to the nurses. There were over 100 physicians whom I per- sonally know at the fire and probably 10 nurses. There has never been, as far as have been aware, a call for so many physicians in Chicago at one time since the great fire. Within a. few minutes, physicians three and five miles from the downtown dis trict were. offering their services" {,
 Mayor Harrison was on his way to the southwest for a hunting trip and Comptroller McCann was acting may or. It happened that the finance committee of the city council was in session when the extent of the disa!s- ter became known at the city hall. | MT McGann at once walked into the committee room and was told by | Chairman Mayor of the committee to direct the fire marshal, the chief of | police and the commissioner of public works to proceed in the emergency { without any restriction of any kind ! as to expense. He was told to do everything needful, spend all the non- ey necessary and look to the council for his warrant t.We will be your for everything you do" said Alderman Mayor. A telegram was sent to Mayor Harrison informing him of the fire, and it is expected that he will return from Oklahoma on the first train.
 One of the largest audiences ever seen i'll the Garrick theater, which is on the same street as the Iroquois, less than one block distant, sat in con- plete ignorance of the awful tragedy which was being enacted POO feet from where they sat.
 When the fire engines commenced to batter past the Garrick, Manager1 Schubert became fearful lest the inn pression that his theater was on fire should spread in the audience When the intermission between acts came 1e ordered the doors closed and re- fused to allow anyone to pass in or , put, as he was determined that no xnowledge of the fire should reach the audience. Wilton Lackaye, tbe star if the play now being presented at he Garrick, stepped before the cur ain and entertained the audience for !. ,ver five minutes with witty speech which kept his hearers in continual aughter.
 The orchestra contributed it's part S oward diverting the audience and the .urtain rose for the next act without ! ybody other than the theater em- 'loyes knowing that hundreds of lives were being sacrificed almost next oor.
 When the people filed out of the iarrick they were greeted at the door y hundreds of frantic men and wo- 2 nen who anxiously scanned their <. aces to see if any of their friends : we're among them. They were look ng for members Of their families and who had gono to town