The St. Louis Republic., 1903-12-31

dealt out TO hundreds before they realized
what had happened.
BRADY COMPARES SCENE
TO DANTE's "INFERNo."
Such a panic as followed the first cry
The stairways and exits became jammed
with fighting humanity in moment, and
the shrieks and means of the poor people
cut of from all escape were the most aw-
ful imaginable. 1t can only be likened to
Dante's Inferpo.'
''with two companions i tried to reach
the balcony. but we were driven back by
the suffocating smoke and were unable
to accomplish anything until the firemen
had extinsuished the flames. Hundreds
Joined the rescuers and from one Of the
entrances to the balcony were removed
80 bodies by actual count. They were
jammed and twisted together in all shapes.
MANY of the women and children had
efforts 10 escape from that living tomb. If
tie audience had not become panic-strick-
en-, I'm sure not more than half hundred
persons would have been killed or injured,
as all the bodies helped to remove from
the place were those of persons who had
been killed in the terrible JAM
| THIEVES WITH BASKETS
COLLECTED vALUABLEs.
While scores of men were busy in car
rying out the dead and injured others,
fortunately few in number. searched the
aisles and seats for valuables. Two men
were found who had provided themselves
with baskets, and we're filling them with
the property of the dead. They were i'm
mcdiately placed under arrest. and the
| theater ushers and stage hands were Civ
| en- the work of collecting all the valuables
| on the floor OF the theatcr.
During the evening the police arrested
a. dozen men accused of being thieves and
| pickpockcts.
| The count of the dead was practically
complete at midnight. but it was not as
yet accurate. and the exact number will
not be known before some time to.mor-
row.
! Despite tho utmost care, great confusion
| marked the removal Of tho bodies. In
their haste the police transported bodies
to undertaking rooms, and in many in
| stances forgot to report the fact to the
| station. This is evidenced by the fact
that in five different undertaking estab-
| lishments bodies were received. of which
the police had no record whatever.
Allowing for these discrepancies, the
lists made up by the police and the news
papers practically agree. Tho newspapers
claim 5S2 dead: the police 5as..
CORONER SAYS RAILING
PREVENTED MANY ESCAPES.
| Coroner T-eager made as complete an
| inspection of the theater as is possible in
| the condition in which 1t is tonight. He
said:
"If the asbestos curtain had heen work.
ing believe that the fire might have been
prevented from spreading into the audi
ence chamber. An iron railing which sep
arated each row of seats from the ad.
joining tier prevented, I think, many
from reaching places Of safety. This cir
cumstance, combined with the steep in
cline. made 1t difficult for so large q
crowd TO escape without great delay.
/ Now, this said the Coroner, SIS a
modern fire-proof theater. furnished with
all the appliances and equipment that
are supposed to prevent just such catas.
trophe as now has occurred. The plush
on the seats OF the first balcony was
charred, but still visible. This does not
look TO me as though everybody would
have gotten out of the theater alive, when
you take into account the speed with
| which the flames had spread.
MY inspection showed that the seat.
on the main floor were burned but little
The balconies had evidently shielded t,
a large extent the seats in the parquet
The path of the flames was evident.
'The stage and ceiling of the theate
were blistered and blackened, but Their
was practically no damage to the fur
niture on the first floor. The furnishing
on the first balcony were entirely de
stroyed by fire, while those on the frs
floor were burned only in spots, evidentI.
by burning fragments from above.
RECORDS SHOW ALI.
LAWS COMPLIED WITH.
The Iroquois Theater was completed les
than two months ago at a cost of half
million dollars, and was the finest play
house in Chicago. 1t was opened to tn
public on the night Of November @ Wit
"Mr Bluebeard.''
The records of the City Building De
partment show that the theater was com
plete in every detail and that 1t was alb
solutely fireproof., all requirements of tn
law having been complied with.
W. A. Merriman. Western manager Q
the George II. Fuller Company. the con
Germ which erected the Iroquois Theatel
when seen tonight made the followin
statement concerning the construction Q
the building.
1.-THE Iroquois Theater was built wit
safety as the first consideration. All til
building ordinances were adhered to 1
every detail, and. more than that, ther
, were additional safeguards thrown abou
until 1 do not hesitate to state that ther