The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-12-31

ZID lights were Quicsly carried into the
4 building and the work OF rescue COM
meuced. So rapidly were the bodies
brought down that in an hour there
were two streams OF men I'm and out
I or the door the orc carrying bodies.
the other composed Of men returning
10 get more. Tho bodies were carried
into the Thompson restaurant. which
adjoins the theatre on the east. where
Oh the available space was given by
the proprietor
Gruesome Sight.
The dead and wounded were placed
on chairs, tables and counters, one
oman even being placed for lack Of
"a better spot on TOP of a cigar case.
Because of the tremendous throng
which surrounded the block IN which
the theatre building stood, it was not
possible for the police 80 carry the
dead and wounded any distance. ard
/ they were compelled 10 wait for ann
| balances at the theatre. Although all
the patrol wagons and every ambu-
lance in the city was pressed into
service they were utterly inadequate
to carry away the dead. and in
short time there was a line Of corpsce
fifty feet long piled two and three
/ high. on the sidewalk I'm front of the
theatre.
Dead Taken Away OF Trucks.
1t was found necessary. in order to
convey the bodies rapidly To the
mOrgue and TO the various undertak-
ing establishments, to press trucks in
to service. and I'm these. upon costly
/ blankets furnished by the dry goods
stores in the vicinity. and covered with
the same material. the dead We're
hauled away practically like so much
cordwood. The merchants i'm the Vi
Cinity of the theatre came to the euer-
gency in splendid fashion. Marshall
Field e. Co. Mandel Bros. Schlesinger
& Mayer. Carson. Pirie, Scott & Co.
and other large dry goods stores, sent
Wagonlcad after wagonload of blank
cts, rolls Of linen and packages OF cot
ton to be used I'm binding up wounds
Of the injured and TO cover the dead.
: Prompt Medical Aid.
The drug stores furnished their stock
to aryb0dy that asked for it in the
name of people hurt in the fire Doc
I tors and trained nurses were on the
ground by the score within half an
hour after the calamity was known,
and every wounded person who was
Icarried from the building received
prompt medical aid. a number Of doc
/ tors waited at the entrance of the the
latre with stethoscopes i'm hand. and as
soon as a body which looked as though
! it might possess life was carried out
I 30 was at once examined and If dead
placed ON the pile lying on the sidewalk.
The others were at once placed In am
/ buiances and whirled away to hospitals
or TO the Offices Of physicians i'm the inl-
mediate neighboyhood.
Loadsd Down With Bodies.
one large truck, ordinarily used for
I conveying freight TO the depOts. was
50 heavily loaded with dead in front
7 OF the theatre that the two large
/ horses attached 20 &c were unable TO
start. and the police We're compelled
I 70 assist by Juggling at the wheels.
/ When the need for trucks to remove
I the dead was more pressing. a huge
/ electric delivery wagon, owned by
Montgomery. Ward & Co, was hailed
I by the police. The automobile headed
I for the scene. but at State street en-
/ cUuutered so great "a press OF people
] that it could not get through. The
/ chauffeur changed his gong repeatedly.
/ tut the crowd refused to part, and the
auto was finally turned away.
Proprietor's Theory.
I While the police and firemen were
/ carrying out the dead and injured. VIII
/ ]. Davis, one Of the proprietors Of the
/ theatre, was interchangeable in his efforts
( % alleviate suffering aud to assist in
/ caring for the dead. He said:
There was no need. as far as I
/ know, of q single life being lost. There
! were over forty exits to the theatre.
/ The building is Grepro0f and IL some
body had not screamed Fire / think
/ that all, as far as those killed in the
panic are concerned, could have
/ reached the street in safety And of
/ those who were sunocated by the gas.
I nearly all would have been taken out
\ by The time the explosion occurred if
order had been preserved i'm making
their exit. AS Tar as we have learned.
everybody on the first floor except
/ three escaped. although some sustained
. bruises and other minor injuries The
. Ereat loss OF life WAS i'm the first and
second balconies. These combined viii
seat about 900 persons. The sale OF
! seats had been good. but not Up TO the
capacity. and as far as { can estimate
the balconies between them held be-
{ tween 100 and SEQ people. The top bal
cOur. where the cheapest seats were
/ located, was the most crowded. and 81
g. here the crowd found most difficulty
4 in struggling toward the exits"
Busting Of Calcium Light.
It was declared tonight by the man
agemcnt OF the theatre that the fire
vas not caused by tho grounding OF
an electric wire or 81 any defect ir
the equipment OF the taeatre. Ii
started. they claim. by he bursting OF
90 calcium light apparatus. The con
russi5n WAS 50 great that u blew ou
the sEyiight over the stage and audi
/ tOrium This statement OF the theatre
management is COutTadictcd by many
people who were in the theatre. and
who declared that when the explosion
occurred they saw flames ir q marrow
streak crossing the wall near the up
per part of the drop curtain
Eircman'S Story.
w. a. @. Sellers. the house fireman
/ who was severely burned in trying II
lower the asbestos curtain. describe.
the scene upon tie stage and the Gauss
as follows.
81 was standing in the wings when
heard the explosion and then imUedi
iately went forward "a cry of Fire.
f-om the stage and Si over the theatre
Looking up. / saw that the curtain wa
aDlaze. So I rang FOR the IRE curtain
we got 30 half way down when thl
wind. rushing iu from the broken SKY
lsEhts Leilied FL ont so that &c caugh
aud we could not bulge it, With tn
, stage hands 7 climbed 90 where If wa
suspended. and together we tried G
/. push it down. our efforts were futile
and seeing that 40 human power coul
, move the fire curtain and that IN
stage was "a mass OF flames. I turne
, my attention toward warning the ac
! tors and trying 20 save those who wer
, FRI trouble. The women were franti
~