The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-01-23
POWERS AND DAVIS
IRoQUoTs THEATRE MANAGERS
 ARE EXAMINED.
Harry J. Powers Says His Positi ,n Was Merely Advisory-Davis Refuses to Place blame
 For Fire.

Chicago, Jan. 22.-Harry J. Powers, one
 of the resident owners and associate
 managers of the Iroquois Theatre, took
 the stand as a witness before the coro-
 ners jury today. Before taking any tes-
 timony Coroner Traeger requested Will
 Davis, the other resident owner" of the
 Iroquois Theatre to retire from the room
 during the examinations of Powers. Tae
 request was complied with after remon'
 strances by attorneys for the two theatri- cal managers.
 Mir. Powers said ile was a stockholder
 director and treasurer of the Iroquois
 Theatre Company and associate manager of the theatre with Will J. Davis. Tn a general way he was identified wisn the preparations of the plans for the theatre. He approved them as a layman and interested party. He referred to con sideration given the plans at Klaw and ErIanger's New York office. Klaw and Erlanger were interested stockholders, he said. and also passed upon and ap- proved the plans At that time it was decided to let the contract for construc- tion to the Fuller Construction Company. The detail of letting the contract was left to MT. Davis as president of the cohl- pany. All concerned signed the contract Concerning details as to the opening of the theatre. he referred his interrogator to Mir. Davis. The latter arranged the contract whereby the date of the open ing was fixed and MT. Bluebeard' was secured IS the opening attraction. MT. Powers told the coroner's jury that the reason the Iroquois theater had no fire apparatus was because the office fireman, Sallers, had not ordered 1t. It was Saller's business he said. to pro- vide such things. Saller works there for such purposes and had come recommend ed by Chief Champion of the fire de- partment.
 MT. Powers also placed responsibility on the Fuller Construction Company. which he said, was supposed to be con-
 structing the building according to the
 law. The theatrical manager declared
 that Business Manager Noonan, Stage l Carpenter Cummings and Chief Usher Dusenbury were entrusted with looking after the details MT. Powers then told | the jury that he did nothing toward the procuring or seeing that there was in-
 stalled in the theater what could be used 1 for protection against fire.
 'T understood that those orders were given by MT. Davis.' he said. MT. Powers also did not know, he said, whether there were signs over the exits
 on the opening day. Since the fire he had understood that there were no signs | over the exits. He knew the law requir- | ed such signs, he said. but as associat te manager, he felt that the matter was
 in the hands of the Fuller Construction Company and everything proper would be put in. The theater had been opened for several weeks, before the fire. he said,
 but he did not know through those weeks | that the exits signs were not in place.
 He supposed the placing of the signs, he
 testified a moment, later, was part of the contract for painting.
 MT. Davis was really the executive head
 of the Iroquois theater, he explained.
 and while I acted as the manager, it
 was more in an advisory capacity or in
 consultation. l knew everything that was going on through Mfr. Davis, but I gave no orders"
 All orders were given, he said, through
 Mir. Davis or MT. Noonan.
 "Who did you consider was the man
 in charge of the stage?"
 Mfr. Cummings"
 ''If the fireman of the house told him
 that 1t was necessary to get a half dozen
 reels of hose. could MT. Cummings go
 out and purchase that hose?" "Yes. sir"
 What was the limit placed on Mir. Cummings's expenditures?'
 There was no limit placed on them.' l Mir. Davis, when called refused to place
 the blame on any particular person. hut | said that he had had confidence that the employees of the theatre would attend to
 their business properly, and he also had
 believed that the Fuller Construction Company would erect the building in com pliancc with the city ordinances. | He said he knew nothing of what lave demanded in the construction of A thea
 Ire, although he had been managing the-
 atres in Chicago for twenty years He had a general knowledge of what was nec-
 eaiary. but he had never read the citv laws goveI ming the construction and on- eration of theatres. Mir. Davis said he
 did not know whether there was fire pro lection in the theatre or not. When ask ed whose duty 1t was to see to those
 things. he replied: "Well, do not know, lthat I c0Asd say.'