The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-12-31
FIRE IN THEATERS
Iroquois Disaster Starts People
to Thinking.
Topeka Has One Safe and One
Unsafe House.
MP WIT.MARTH TALKS
MR.. WILMARTH TALKS.
Necessity for People Not to
Close Their Heads
Says Panic in Auditorium
Would Result Disastrously.

possible, against similar occurrences.
If the Trocuois, which was the most
modern and supposedly safe of all the
theaters in the world, could prove itself
such a death-trap, what could be ex-
pected If a similar fire should break
out in an old-fashioned playhouse, |
with very inferior architectural ar
rangements?
Topeka has long hoped that the man. |
agement of the Topeka opera houses !
would see fit to abandon the Crawford
theater, and place the big attractions
at the Grand. Not only is the Grand
larger, both as to seating capacity and
stage room, but it is Immensely more
safe and comfortable for the audience.
So determined and widespread is the
opposition to the Crawford that people
refer to it commonly as a death trap"
Everyone realizes that in case of
panic an audience would have very
small chance in the Crawford. Many
people absolutely refrain from going to
this playhouse for this very reason.
They do not care to take the risk.
This is no reflection or criticism on
the Crawford management. They have
done the best they could to make the
Crawford safe Every suggestion which
the fire marshal has made has been
cheerfully complied with. Iron stairways
nave been bult on the north side of
the building, giving one side exit from
The parquet, one from the balcony and
one from the gallery. This is all there
IS room for. because the south side of
the building is absolutely blocked by
the big building next door which ex-
tends back to the alley. AS far as it
Crawford are vastly better than the
means Of exit from the Grand. But
the whole plan of the Crawford is
wrong, and it can't be made right.
With comparatively small expense,
the Grand opera house could be made
to compare favorably with any the
alter in the country for means of exit
On the north side, the stairways lead
down into an alley. On the south side,
they lead into an area way between
the theater and the Masonic temple
In the rear, the doors open directly into
the alley, and in front into Jackson
street. AT present all the outside stair
ways are of wood. This is the defect
which should be remedied to make the
Grand safe
At the Crawford, it is necessary to
enter through a narrow main entrance,
which is partially blocked by a pro-
jecting ticket window. 1t is then neces-
sary to go up a flight of probably f1f-
teen stairs to reach the parquet floor
These stairs are dangerous. To reach
the balcony two narrow, winding stair
ways are provided, both very danger
Gus. Entrance to the gallery is gained
are the only means of exit for the au-
dience, except the iron stairways on
the outside of the building, with one
exit on each floor.
At the Grand opera house, the par
quet is built on a level with the
ground, and there are numerous double
doors so that the whole front of the
building can be thrown open. The
stairways leading to the balcony are
very broad and as safe as stairways
can be made. There is also a wide en-
trance or lobby back of the balcony
seats.
The only objection to the Grand,
aside from the wooden outer stairways,
is the fact that in the parquet the
floor is very steep, and the tiers of
seats are "terraced' above the aisle
making it necessary to step down some
distance to reach the aisle.
| 1t isn't right to compel the p1aygoing
public of this city to patronize a thea
ter which, aside from being inferior in
accommodations, is immensely more
| dangerous than it should be- 1t is a
point which has tended to injure the
| theatrical business in Topeka, and the
| tendency will be much stronger since
the public has the horrible example
Of the Iroquois fire before it,
Fire Marshal Wilmarth is very con-
sentative man, as is well known, and
he declines to make any comparisons
between the two theaters. His re-
ticence. more than anything else, proves
| that the theatrical accommodations OF
the city are rot what they should be-
| He said today:
s.It is not for me to say whether I
think one opera house is safer than the
other I don't want to create a preju-
dice in the minds of the public, because
it would do no good, and would only
tend to make conditions worse in case
anything should happen.
| I'VE have done the best we could to
make the opera houses safe. At the
! Crawford, it is only possible to provide
| exits on one side but the management
has done Just the best it can under the
existing conditions to make the thea tel
safe. Mr.. Crawford has manifested a
willingness to comply with any requests
| I have made relative to the arrange
n1ents Of the house.
''These two opera houses are here; the
money is invested in them, and you
can't close them up. The only thing
to do is to make the best of 1t, ano
make them as safe as possible.
but there is no opera house. the
alter or public hall in the world that
is safe, if the people become panic
stricken A panic is a terrible thing
and if the reports from the Chicage
disaster are correct, most of the lives
were lost because of the panic. Ever
here in our auditorium. with all its ex-
its, there might be trouble of this sort
1t is liable to happen anywhere where
there is a large crowd.
, Il WISH lldl lle peOplO VI 4OPCh6
would take this lesson from IroquoIs
tragedy; keep cool in case of fire in e
crowded building. Fire is a terrible
thing. and the sight of flames strikes
terror into the bravest hearts. But II
) case fire breaks out in a theater, ev-
erybody should try. to avoid getting ex
cited People sometimes lose theil
heads and scream fire 1t is the wors
thing possible to do The cry of fire
: will start panic quicker than any
1 thing else.
= Not very long ago a fire broke out il
i one of the upper front rooms of the CraIy
2 ford opera house during q matinee
got to burning bris11ly under the floor an
finally smoke commenced to drift out int
the balcony. They sent still alarm an
: hurried over with the chemical engine
Ny men and myself went right in anon
the audience. who were beginning to sus
T pect. something wrong. We caHed on