The pioneer press. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 1893-190?, 1904-01-07
| the rush from the interior Of the build

granite paved alley below. Others
leaped from the platform, fracturing
legs and arms, and two were picked up
at this point with fractured skulls,
having been killed instantly.
Rarely in the history OF Chicago
has its people been SO stirred as by
this calamity. 1t is, next to the Chi
| cago fire, the greatest catastrophe that
has ever occurred here. and the speed
| with which 1t came and went seemed
| for a brief period to appal the business
| section of the city. The news spread
| with great rapidity and in short time
| hundreds Of men. women and children
were rushing toward the theater. The
building In which the calamity oc.
Cured stands midway between State
and Dearborn streets on the north side
| o. Randolph street Although every
available policeman within call Of the
| department was Immediately
Hurried to the Spot
and the men placed in lines at the end
Of the block, allowing nobody TO enter
Randolph street from either Dearborn
or State, it was found for time al
most impossible to hold back the
freuzied crowd that pressed forward,
| many OF them having friends or rela-
tiyes In the theater, and anxious TO
learn something Of them. The con-
duct of the police was beyond all
praise. The officers held their ground
firmly and gently pushed back all
those who sought to gain an entrance
to the theater, although in some in
stances frantic men. anxious to look
for their loved ones, actually beat the
officers with their fists in their rage
at being prevented.
In spite OF the efforts OF the police,
however, a large number OF people
succeeded in breaking through their
lines and entering the theater, and in
many cases did heroic work in rescu-
ing the injured and carrying out the
dead.
Day of tiourning.
Chicago never witnessed such a day
of mourning az that which ushered in
the new year. In every portion of the
city almost it seemed as though thee
were funerals going or undertaken
wagons arriving with dead, taking
them to their homes for the last time.
While the funeral professions were
moving through the snow-covered
streets to various cemeteries. the
throng about the various morgues
seemed almost as large as ever. The
scenes here were the same as those Of
Wednesday night and of Thursday
and Thursday night. Many men ap-
peared at the door OF Rolston's and
Jordan's morgues yesterday afternoon
who had been on their feet for forty
eight hours constantly searching for
those they had lost. The greater num-
Der of unidentified dead are in these
two places, and men who had viewed
the
CHASTITY Rows Of corpses
before and had gone on unavailing
search to every other morgue in Chi
cago went back once more to Rol-
ston's and to Jordan's almost in des-
pair, but hoping against hope that they
might have overlooked their dead in
the great number that had crowded
the tables and floors on Thursday
morning. In some cases they were
successful, in many others they were
not. Nearly all bodies which admit of
careful Identification have been car
ried away, and, Of those which re-
main the majority are in such a con-
dition that only the most minute and
careful inspection will be able to re-
veal their identity to those who knew
them best.
1t was absolutely impossible for the
bereaved relatives to secure all the
carriages they wished to convey their
friends and relatives to the cemeteries.
In many cases 1t was not possible for
to ride in the funeral cortege because
no carriages could be procured for
them.
Theater Employees Arrested.
Twelve of the employees OF the
Iroquois thcater were arrested Thurs
day night ON orders issued by Chief of
Police O'Neil. The charge against
them is at present that of being access
sorry 10 HltlSlduSnlCI. luCy Will NC
held pending the verdict of the coro-
ner's jury.
After being arrested four of the men
told Chief O'Neil they had been re-
quested by people connected with the
theater to leave the city. When asked
who advised them to do this they mt
first refused to say, but later admitted
that the advice was given by an as
sistant stage manager.
Chief OF Police O'Neil said the ar
rest of the men did not necessarily in
dieate that there was any specific
blame attached to them. The move
was made to prevent the possible dis
appearance of witnesses before the
time when they are needed at the in
quest.
Inquiry Vigorously Pushed.
The police yesterday vigorously
pushed their inquiry into the causes OF
the fire and made several other ar
rests of stage hands. among them Will
lam McMullen. the operator of the
light which started the nre. He was
locked UP at the central station. and
Wilson Kerr, a 1yman at the theater,
was also placed in cell.
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