Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-12-31

office in the Illinois Theater. where the con-
ference was held, to inspect the ruins of the
Iroquois. AS -esult of their investigation
they issued the following statement to the
public:
so far as we have been able to ascertain
the cause or causes of the most unfortunate
accident of the fire at the Iroquois, 1t ap-
pears that one of the scenic draperfes was
noticed to have ignited from some cause
Killfyre Not Effective.
TT was detected before it had reached
any appreciable flame, and the city fireman
who is detailed and constantly on duty
when the theater is open noticed it stimuli
taneously with the electrician.
1.-The fireman, who was only few feet
away, Immediately pulled tube of killfyre,
of which there were many hung about the
stage and threw the contents upon the
fire, which would have been more than
enough if the killfyre had been effective,
to have extinguished the flame at once but
for some cause inherent in the tube OF KILL
tyre 1t had no effect.
The fireman and electrician then ordered
down the asbestos curtain, and the fireman
threw the contents of another tube OF kill
fyre upon the flame with no better result.
1.-The commotion thus caused excited
alarm in the audience, who Immediately
started for the exits, of which there are
TWENTY-FIVE of unusual width, all opening
ont and ready to the hand of any one
reaching them.
Efforts to Pull Curtain Down.
."rhe draft thus caused it is believed, ne
fore the curtain could be entirely lowered
produced bellying of the asbestos cur
tain, causing a pressure on the suloeS
against the solid brick wall of the prosceni-
unl, thus stopping the descent.
Every effort was made by those on the
stage TO pull the curtain down, but the
draft was great, 1t seems that the pres
sure against the proscenium wall and the
friction caused thereby was so strong that
they could not be overcome.s
THE audience became panic-stricken IN
their efforts to reach the exits and trlpped
and fell over each other and blocked the
way.
THE audience was promptly admonlsheo
by persons employed on the stage and IN
the auditorium to be calm and avoid any
rush; that the exits and facilities for emp
tying the theater were ample to enable
them all to get out without confusion
Thought to Be Fireproof.
mo expense or precaution was omitted
to make the theater as fireproof as 1T could
be made. there being nothing combustiple
in the construction of the house except the
trimmings and furnishings of the stage and
auditorium. In the building of the theater
we sacrificed more space to aisles and exits
than in any theater in America" !.
1t is now believed that many persons
rendered unconscious by the gases and
smoke inside the theater, and who might
have been revived. were mistaken for dead
by rescuing parties and thrown upon the
pile of corpses which lined the sidewalk In
front of the playhouse, and there froze to
death or died from lack of proper medical
attention.
The majority of those brought from the
burning building were unconscious. Physi-
clans in the numerous mprovised hospitals
in the stores and hotels, in the purlieus of
the theater, tested their hearts with a
stethoscope to see if life remained.
Physicians Worked Over Patients.
If even n faint pulsation were registered
half dozen physicians worked with the
patient. One rubbed his lower limbs, while
another chafed the torso and a third
pumped the arms up and down to restore
circulation.
At times oxygen was forced into the
lungs and the tongue pulled outward with
forceps as an aid to respiration. Many
persons seemingly dead to the casual eye
when subjected to the stethoscope test,
were found alive and were revived.
Several hundred dead bodies carried from
the theater while the fire was burning and
Immediately afterward were piled at the
curb In heaps five and six bodies deep and
were removed to morgues and undertaking
shops In ambuianees, trucks and express
wagons. One large express wagon was SO
heavily loaded with corpses that six police
men bent to the wheels to assist the horses
to bulge the cargo
Made Rounds of Hospitals
All night long people who had lost reia-
tives and dear ones made the rounds Of
the hospitals and morgues and many an
affecting scene was enacted when the MISS
ing ones were found dead. In the train of