The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-01-01
IT WAS A FIRE TRAP.
Owners of the Troquois Had Not Com
piled With Law.

Owners of the Iroquois Had Not Com
piled With Law.
Chicago, Jan. although the Iro-
quois theater was as safe as any the
alter in Chicago, it has become evident
that the city building department had
not strictly enforced one or two sec
tons of the building ordinances
William Curran a building inspec-
tor, was in the theater only few min
utes before the catastrophe and went
away saying that everything was in
good condition. He reported this fact
this morning to the deputy building
commissioners, Mr.. Stanhope. The dep
uty commissioner, in company with IN
spectorS Laughlin, LenSe and Dalton,
went to the theater to make the inves-
tigation- On his return to the city hall
he said:
1.-THE theater and its management
were strictly within the law. I shall
not go into details until I have COM
pleted my report"
Section 1856 of the local building or
dinanCe provides that in buildings of
the class to which the Iroquois theater
belongs there shall be a system of au
tomato sprinklers. There were no
sprinklers in the Iroquois theater and,
Mr.. Stanhope, when this was called to
his attention, said:
There was no sprinkler system ir..
the theater but the provision about the
theater to have them"
Section 1S9 of the ordinance provides
that theaterS be equipped with fire
alarms connected with the city fire
alarm system. Mr.. Stanhope said:
1.-The Iroquois has fire alarm connec-
lions. I did not see the box, but that
is my information"
The city electrician, Mr. Hyland, said:
1.-The Iroquois had no fire alarm con-
nection with the city alarm system. No
application is on file for any such con-
nection."
The alarm of fire was turned in from
a box more than half q. block from the
theater.
The law provides that there shall be
ventilating shaft at the rear end of the
stage to conduct flames and smoke
away from the auditorium in just such
emergencies as arose yesterday. The
Iroquois possessed no such ventilating
shaft.
Twelve aldermen inspected the theater
and returned to the city hall and called
on the building department. They ask
ed to see the plans of the theater and
Mr.. Stanhope produced them.
How about sprinklers?' demanded
The way the theater is built they
can be left OUT Mr.. Stanhope replied.
"And, anyhow, the flames spread SO
rapidly that no sprinkler system would
have availed anything"
Alderman Jones then remarked that
the ordinance. requires all exits to be
marked
THAT will be looked into" Mr.. STAN
hope said. Remember, however, that
the light were out and that many of
the people were killed in their seats"
Pointing to the diagram of the the
ater Alderman Herman said:
Here is assageway on the south
side of the first balcony which looks as
though it led to a stairway. But in the
darkness, people scrambling through it
were caught like rats in a trap. They
could not get either way. The confu-
sion of exits was such that no one
could find his way in the dark. If
those things are regarded as exits. do
not know what constitutes an exit
that would be Of any use"
Mr.. Stanhope told the alderman that
he had made an inspection of the
building and that strueturally it was
good
You cannot convince me-" declared
Alderman Herman, If you talk for 100
years that people could get out of that
place. do not care what they call the
exits, they did not work. there were not
enough of them open, and the people
could not get out. These plans show
aisles at the end of the frst floor, but
we were over there and saw the seats
run bang UP against the railing, leav-
ing no aisle at all Now what 1 want
to know IS did these people in build
ing this theater live up to the plans
they submitted to the city building de-
partment? Here, there seemed to be
ample exits on paDer. but a number of
friends of mine got badly scorched just
the same"
ON the first floor they got out" said
Mr.. StanhoDe
My friends were on the first floor,
but they received burns on their backs
just the same,'' Alderman Herman re-
Joined.
Alderman Friestedt declared that in the
second balcony there was not sufficient
room when the seats were down to allow
anyone to walk between them
Alderman Scully and Alderman Cone-y
took from the floor. of the stage bits of
curtain, none of which was larger than
the palm of a hand. to the store of an
asbestos company. The bits We're shown
to be of asbestos, although the examiner,
pronounced it of a low grade.
They wanted a cheap curtain and thew
got it, an incautious clerk remarked He
was instantly hushed up by one of the
members of the company, who added that
they did not wish to discuss the matter
inasmuch as they had bid on supplying
the curtain to the theater and their Did
had been rejected for q lower one.
In addition to the proclamation issued
during the afternoon, suggesting that the
usual New Years festivities be abandon
ID, Mayor Harrison last night announced