New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-12-31
iRY TELEGRAPH TO THE rRrBUSE.I

iRY TELEGRAPH TO THE TBIBUSE.I
Chicago. Dec 3o-The Iroquois Theatre, the
most modern and, supposedly, the safest play
house in the West. was the scene this after
noon of fire horror unparalleled in the history
Of America At least FIVE hundred persons
possibly eight hundred-perished from fire
which. starting it is supposed. from an electric
light in the wings, shot across the footlights
and with fearful rapidity swept through the
house. In a few minutes the building dedicated
to merriment was a charneI house The house
,,.,s ,sc,ea when the fire broke out. There was
not vacant seat on the main floor and in the
two balconies
When the blaze started an attempt was made
to lower the asbestos curtc lEad it droppeH
there might have been no loss Of life. But 1t
stuck fast. the fire shot out across the foot
lights and the scenes Of horror began.
All on the first floor escaped, it is believed,
but before the galleries packed with nine nun
dred persons. could be enptied the interior OF
+be theatre was filled with smoke and flames.
Men. women and children, losing all reason in
the face of death. fought shrieked and prayed
Most of them died. scores from burns. hundreds
from suffocation and from being trampled upon.
REMOVING THE DEAD.
after
destroying most of the interior of the theatre
.,,d the noIice began removing the dead. On
the east exit stairway. within thirty feet OF 'he
street and safety, was a pile of more than two
hundred bodies So tightly were they wedsed
l., shat the police could not move them in the
,,.5i-arv u,sv without tearing limb from limb.
At the bottom and the outer edge was a woman
still alive. The police could not extricate her
from the pile of dead The officers had 10 CHINO
70 the top and, standing on the DEAD ana gyms
hand down the bodies. few were fouho VIII
cot ext,nct. Few here were burned; the
ros,or,ty had been suffocated and tranpieu IL
death.
Then I'D into the balconies the poilce anu iie-
r,en 6Iad. Here were otfer piles OF oeao-iiiaiS
burned beyond all recognition Hose carts anu
0.rn-sss wagons were pressed into service win
,,,,.,,oes and patrol wagons 10 carry away
..o aead BODIES were piled UP many feet high
IN tbe sidewalk and restaurant tables. and some
in an adjoining saloon. AS fast as possible the
dead were lifted into the vehicles ana started
g .ra r,oreue. CihouIs crept among the dead,
s+ss,,re nocketbooks, jewelry and furs
DISTRACTED RELATIVES GATHER
As the loading of bodies was going on crowds
~ distracted persons gathered whose relatives
Nd attended the play Unable to secure in
,o-,oatton IT the theatre they thronged the
,,o-rues. At O'Clock Raiston's morgue was
fuu There were two hundred dead within Yet
in the street stood thirteen wagons. loaded with
bodies They were taken to other morgues and
undertaking establishments
Tho city is plunged in grief. Nothing like
conplete list OF the dead can be secured To-
night. Hundreds of members of the best lam
lilies in Chicago are going from morsue 10
,ooreue seeking their loved ones All the menu
,<rs n the blue Beard company escaped md
.,..achks Of the theatre saved themselves.
". ]. Davis, manager Of the theatre, declares
that nearly all the persons on the main hoor
e.caped. but of the nine hundred In the bal
,t.. he does not believe that more than a
core escaped alive.
-,.-rox DRIVERS REFUSED TO HELP.
All the livery stable keepers in the city Of
= I'D avsrv carriage they had TO carry away
injured. and asked tsa striking hVery en-
eyes TO drive the vehicles The union men
7 sisivsly refused to aid in the work az mercx.