The Butte inter mountain., 1903-12-30
ny ASSOCIATED PRESS.


Chicago. Ill., Dec. so.-Firebroke out in
the lroquois theater this AFTERNOON. The
audience fed in panic to the street.
The Iroquois was only recently opened,
being a magnificent structure modelled after
the Opera Comique in Paris.
The fire broke out during the second act
of the play "Bluebeard." 1t started i'll
the flies, presumably from n defect III the
electric attachments In an instant the
draperies and nimsy stage settings had
burst into flames.
The actors and actresses ran wildly
about the stage as the audience fought and
iammed its way to the front doors. In
short time the interior OF the theater was
apparently a mass OF flames, and smoke
was issuing in clouds from the front OF
the house a dozen women and num-
her of men with faces and hands feariully
burned were soon taken into a neighboring
drug store. where those worst injured were
hastily attended to.
Trough the fire broke out on the stage,
there was apparently little protection for
the audience. Women and children were
piled out Of the doors, but the flames
gained rapidly, and it was a considerable
time before large number of the people
could leave the building. Meanwhile spc-
cial calls and general alarm had sum-
moned large number of fire engines.
Chief Fire Marshal Musham took per-
sonal charge Of the fire when he arrived.
He found the theater balconies still oc-
cupied by many persons and promptly di-
rccted the fremen in raising ladders to the
upper exits in order to, save the persons
imprisoned there.
Two little girls, their hands and faces
blstered, were among the first taken down
from the balconies.
At this time it was estimated that be-
tween six and ten persons were dead with
in the theater. They were believed for
the most part to be attaches Of the thea
ter.
At the same time persons were being
carried from both the front and rear oi
the theater. The fire apparently was gain
ing upon the iremen who were having the
greatest difficulty in gaining entrance be-
cause Of the crowds.
As the fire progressed four dead were
taken out, two men, boy and little
girl about six years OF age. A woman
was also taken out with her face so badly
blistered that she could not be recognized.
A man who jumped from the third story
window was taken to the emergency hos
piial in an unconscious condition.
Fire Marshal Musham, who has just
been up in the balcony, says it looks to
him as il there were two or three hundred
people lying piled upon the floors OF the
two upper balconies.
He could not say whether they were
alive or dead. In one place there seemed
to be over 100.
lie is going up and down in front of
the theatcr urging his men for Gods sake
TO go up stairs and bring the people down.
Numbers OF the fremen rushed up in the
smoke and began bringing people down,
most of them unconscious and some
crushed.
Some OF these people were sulfocated by
the smoke but most of them were thrown
down during the panic which ensued when
some one cried FIRE"
Manager Davis said that most of the
actors were accounted for, but that a num-
Der of the minor employees were missing.
He said that the cry of fire created a
panic and that this accounted for SO many
people losing their lives
Three additional bodies were quickly re-
moved from the building. one year-old
child and two of women. They were taken
to feed store nearby. The child was
found burned and trampled to death ON
thc Iist ilool' Hc WoihSH ioNilu WCiC
found close to the child. While the dead
bodies we're being recovered IS persons
were stretched on tables in Thompson S
restaurant, not far distant, many of them
believed to be dying.
1t was reported that 10 persons in the
balcony were cut off from retreat and
probably pcrishcd in the flames.
Three dead women were carried across
ladder which was stretched across the
alley from the rear of the theater to the
fremont building. Most of the spectators
who escaped from the balcony were res
cued in this manner
The Northwestern university law school
in the fremont building and other sur
rounding places were turned into tempo
rary morgues and hospitals
Nine in jured persons arrived at the Sa-
marian hospital within 10 minutes after
the fire broke out.
At 4 40 p. m. it was estimated that at
least 90 dead bodies had been rescued
from the fire. The bodies were taken to
nearby stores and every possible available
place.
The loss of life was the greatest at the
foot of the stairways from the upper bal
comics.
At that point the bodies of the persons
who sought to flee from the flames were
piled fully Ia feet deep.
The bodies were taken out as rapidly as
the men could enter the Smoke-flled cor
Tidors and grasp their awful load.
With over 60 bodies recovered from the