Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1903-12-31
THEATRE HORROR.

to Death, Trampled Upon and AS
phyxiated by Fire In Chicago The
atre
Two thousand persons, mostly women
and children, set in the newly completed
Iroquois Theater, the largest and sup
posedly the safest in Chicago, yesterday
afternoon, and laughed at the antics OF
'Mr. Bluebeard. Then there was an
unexplained wait of several minutes Tor
the curtain to go up on the fourth act.
The audience became restless; ieel-
ing of apprehension and dread chilled
'he hearts and stopped the laughter and
chatting. Then thin curl Of smoke
crept up and around the curtain, the cry
of "Fire." was raised, afearful stampede
began, and in half an hour 1873 OF the
audience lay dead, smothered, trampled,
beaten to death in the mad rush for the
open air. There we're nearly 1000 per-
sons in the theatre About 200 were
injured and many are missing. In
few minutes was enacted the most ter
rible theater borrow in the history OF
Chicago. The gas tanks exploded and
completed the havoc. Not a soul es-
capped from the upper galleries, where
the police found the dead piled ten deep.
Over 600 bodies we're taken out last
night. On the stage the victims were
huddled in pitiful groups. Down the
main floor, in the inner doorways and in
the first balcony the floors were Uttered
with the bodies of MANNED and lifeless
women and children, while insthe base
ment where they had CROPPED and fought
through the coal vaults seeking in vain
for life, were more than so persons,
trampled out of semblance to humanity.
The scenes we're horrible. The police
Injured to terrible spectacles, were APP
palled and benumbed by the work before
them. Headless, legless bleeding forms
were drawn out of the pit of death.
Women with half their faces clawed
away children whose faces had been
crushed to pulp by the heels Of madden
ed men. Topmost on the hideous heap
were several persons, whose fingers had
been torn to the bone trying to tear
through the glass skylight in the pave
ments in the vain search for air.
Locked in the embrace of death, the
bodies were pulled out in steady stream,
while the onlookers tainted and screamed
with horror. At the foot of the frees
capes the dead were piled where they
had falleHlike flies. One man fell four
stories, alighted on the struggling mass
and arose to walk away. Just as he did
so women plunged from the fre-escape,
struck him on the head and killed him
instantly. Frantic mothers threw their
children to the pavements below and
plunged after them to certain death.
Utter panic took possession of everybody
in and about the theatre, aud there was
no attempt to help the unfortunates.
Serious charges are made in connec-
ton with the conduct OF the ushers and
policemen during the early stages of the
fire. When the audience began pouring
toward the exits the ushers refused to
open the doors. They were finally flung
aside, but not until the passageway had
become choked and practically useless.
Outside two or three policemen were
clubbing back the people pouring out OF
the doors.
All the nearby stores, restaurants and
buildings Of every description we're i'm
mediately thrown open to accommodate
the dead and injured Wholesale houses
hurriedly sent wagon loads of blankets
and other supplies, and every doctor
within radius of mile was summoned
to the scene, although there was little
for them to do but pronounce the poor
mangled corpses dead.
The appalling horror of the calamity
wrought upon the nerves of the vast
crowd of people and hundreds became
frantic or tainted away. Frenziei rela-
tives vainly tried to fight their way
near to the theatre, but were beaten
back.
The fire broke out during the second
act of the play "Mr. Bluebesrd," which
was the first dramatic production pro-
duced in the theatre since its erection.
The company, which was very large,
escaped to the street in safety, nearly
all of them, however, 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 none was seriously
| hurt
The accounts of the origin of the fire
are conflicting and none of them certain,
but the best reason given is that an
electric wire near the lower part Of
piece of drop scenery suddenly broke
and was grounded. The fire spread rap
idly toward the front of the stage, caus-
ing the members of the chorus, who
were then engaged in the performance,
to fee to the wings with screams of
| terror.
The fire in itself up to this time was
not serious and possibly could have been
checked had not the asbestos curtain
failed to work.
As soon SIS the fire was discovered
Eddie Foy, the chief comedian of the
company, shouted to lower the curtain,
and this was Immediately done. 1t de-
scended about half way and then stuck.
The fire thus was given practically hue
through which strong draft was setting,
aided by the doors, which had been
thrown open in the front of the theater.
With roar and bound the flames shot
through the openinp over the heads of