The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1904-01-08
LOCKED AND B0LTED|
ELEVEN EXITS OF THE lRoQUoIs
THEATER WERE CLOSED AT
TIME OF THE FIRE.
WAS NEGLIGENT
NO PRECAUTIONS TAKEN TO PRE-
VENT LOSS OF LIFE BY FIRE
IN THE THEATER.

Chicago, IAN. by their own evil
dence given Wednesday before Mon
roe Fulkerson, who is conducting the
fire department investigation into the
Iroquois theater horror, the proprie-
tors OF the theater showed that q
worse condition of affairs existed than
had heretofore been thought possible.
Will ]. Davis, Harry ]. Powers and
Thomas J. Noonan, active managers
of the Ironuois theater, were examined
by Mr.. Fulkerson. All of them plead
ed ignorance Of any precautions taken
to prevent loss of life by fire at their
theater. They admitted failure to in
struct employees in fighting fire and
failure even to provide suitable ap-i
pliances for use against flames. Their
statements were corroborated by the
testimony of twenty employees OF the
theater, none of whom had eve been
told his duty in case Of fire.
Exits Locked and Bottled.
Noonan, who is the working mana
ger of the theater under direction of
Davis and Powers, admitted that
eleven of the theater exits were locked
and bolted. Two Of these exits lead
ing to the front of the theater on the
ground floor were locked, three addi-
tional exits on the north side of the
! ground floor were bolted, three exits
i on the north side Of the theater from
the first balcony were bolted and three
exits on the north side of the second
balcony were bolted.
The greatest loss Of life from the
fire was in the first and second ba1co-
MES, where hundreds of people were
%suffocated through inability to get out
or were tramplsd, to death while try
ing to do SO. Had these three exits
In each balcony been available, &C
cording to Inspector Fulkerson, the
loss of life must have been greatly d.
minished. "... W."
Nobody to Operate Ventilators.
Noonan declared that no person had
been named by the theater manage
ment to supeTintend the operation of
the ventilators of the theater in case
Of fire, and that in consequence the
flames had been permitted to sweep
the place instead of seeking a natural
outlet through the stage roof. 1t was
said by Noonan that George M. Dusen-
berry, the head usher; Archibald Ber-
nard, chief electrician, and the theater
engineer knew how to operate the
ventilators.
Dusenberry declared that his duty
as usher kept him in the front of the
house. The engineer was always be-
low the stage attending to his engine,
and Bernard, the only n of the
three knowing how to operate the ven
tilators who was ever upon the stage
during the performance. testified that
he had never been told to assume
! charge Of them and that the mech.
anism controlling them was directly
opposite his post of duty and across
the stage.
\ Large Percentage of Dead.
From figures obtained by Noonan il
. becomes evident that almost one in
three people who attended the matinee
. lost their lives, the percentage being
trife over 81 per cent. The theatel
seated 1906 people and in addition tc
: these 236 had been admitted after al
: seats were sold, making 2. total Of
7 1892 people in the theater, of whom
(. 591 we're killed.
;. Manager Noonan declared that the
two balconies. including seats ant
r people standing, held 889 people. Only
three persons were killed on the frs
: floor. This would make 5S8 death!
out of Ss9 people in the two balconies
Will J.. Davis testified that he hat
4 given no orders to place a fire alarm
box in the theater; that he had givel
q nc directions to place a pump upol
the stage, beyond the fact that an.
+ apparatus the firemen wanted shoul'
be provided as soon as possible. HI
said that he could not say as to wheth
err the building had been finally &C
; copied from the Fuller Constructor
company or not. He admitted tina
he had
Never Given Any instructions
p to anybody as to what should be don
in case of fire. He had no knowledg
as to whether the theater had receive
a final certificate of inspection fror
d the building department before ope1
"a ing or not.
er Mr.. Powers gave evidence substal
n TALLY the same as that Of Mr.. Davis.
t. Besides Electrician Bernard fiftee
Le other witnesses Who had worked O
I'd the stage, declared that they ha
e, never received any orders from tn
management as to what they shout
N do in case of fire. There al neve
he a fire drill in the theater and none {
the stage hands was ever informed q
to the location or use of fire appliance
or the operation of the ventilators.
The formal inquest into the fiji
an will begin today.
Four bodies of the Iroquois fire vi
TO- Tins still remain unidentified at tt
,s. county morgue.
le-
of Bulgaria Complains to Turkey.
ng Constantinople, Jan. 1.-THE BIT
of earian government has sent a note
nd the porte complaining of the non-fu
ne fllment of its nrnmisas concerning r