Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1903-12-31
CATASTROPHE.
Fire Broke Out in New Theatre
and yht Swift Death to
Hundreds.
DEATH LIST REACHES 500.
More SuRocntcd and Trampicd to Death
Than Burncd-Bodics SO .juumcd
Together They Had To he Pulled
Apart-IIundrcds of Corpse.
tnrccOEnizabic.

JnrccOEnizabic.
Chicago, Dec. 3o.--About 80 people were
killed in ten minutes this afternoon dur
ing IL fire in the lroquois theatre, the
newest. the largest and as far as human
power could make it, the safest theatre
in Chicago. Estimates of the dead and in
iured vary. The police account of the
dead Is 5Si Tho estimate Of the ncwspa-
pers Is JG9. Besides this there are ID poo
pie missing at midnight. thc majority
of whom are probably among the dead in
tn" morcucS and various undertaking cs-
tablishments. t.iphty-siX of tho dead have
l. b.al T., - Vciy identified. Nncty-tWu per-
SONS are known to hc injured
y few Of these people were burned to
death by ilrc, many were suffocatcd by
gas and scores We're trampI"d to death
in the panic that followed the mad plunge
of the frightened audience for the exits.
1t will be many hours before the number
of dead Is accurately known and many
days before AL of them Will be Identified.
There are bodies lying by the dOH"na To-
night in the undertaking rooms. IN the
police stations and IN the hospitals from
which nearly everything that cOu q reveal
their identity to those who knew them
best is gone. Their clothing IS torn to
rags or burned to ciudcrs ana their faces
have been tramplcd into an unrecug
nizablc pulp by the crowd thar ought
ana trtmplcd them Gown as try fed
for safety
Thc fire broke out during the second act
OF tho play "Mr Blucprard," the drst
production in the theatre since its
erection.
The theatrical company. which was
very large, escaped to the street IN safety,
pelicd to lice into the snow with no
clothing but their Sta ge costumes 4 few
members of the c-mpany sustained minor
Injuries but none were seriously hurt.
Tho accounts of the origin Of the fire
arc conflicting and none of them certain
but tae best reason given is that an
electric wire near the lower part OF a
piece OF drop scenery broke and grounded
setting the scenery ahlaze. The fire spread
rapidly toward the front of tho stage
causing the mob of III" chorus who were
then engaged in the performance, to flee
To- TN" wings with screams of terror The
FIRE in itself up to this time was not seri-
GUS and possibly could have been check
ed had not the sbestOs curtain failed t.
work
AZ soon as the dre was discovered. Ed
die Toy the comedian of the company
shouted to lower the curtain. 1t descend
"d about half way, and then stuck. The
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ENPLOSIDN FOILOWS FLAME.
lHlt'cd.t'''E '''I""llN lu'N rush "i
NAMES tHvI" came AN "NpI 'NloN "h!ch
tI''t" tH' eII'' r'"' "l '"' '"'"lI' rom
i'N walls sHat'"FiHs IN" great ST! !IEN'
lNi" fragments. AS soon AS lh' naln"s
hrSt appeared beyond TN 'uraIn g. man
III lhe '"ar "l me nan shouted Nie
'r'- "u" t!l' -.!'.i' "uNI'N.' '.'' -.r "l'
PERSON ana nti' or INC '''i5. u IS ne
il"Ncu tn't tht explosion ""~ caused 10y
tn' Hain'S coming IN contact with th'
gas reservoirs "i TN" thettr'' 'ali~li-
mem 10 n"rSt' VIII j. DAVIS manager
that II fine nennI. mad .m,iu.d i'm tGolr
SH'lS ana htd nor h''n cN't'd hN inc
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ms however Is '"i"r"1l'hu 10y ln'
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u'u!'9 u ""!n"VIS "' i''@""N S'''"N III
','I' s'"'S' 'itir Id''S 'i'''"' l"WuN
inc stage a. Il 'h' p'rI'rm"H'" W''s sun
Holls on ~ WI 'l' "PIn,"H "i 'm' Ni'-
men 'i'"l '"rS' pe"P'c I"d n"'u o"'"t!l"o
d., ol''e ~ I''' no" 90 s"S anu "i' mon