Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-01-01
CHICAGO soRELy STRICKEN.
Funeral Dirse Instead of Revelry Ush
ers In the New Year.

Chicago, Jan. 1.-For the first umt
since Chicago has possessed bells te
peal. whistles to shrek and horns tc
blow. the old year was allowed to 81
lently take dts place in history and tht
new year permitted to come in with no
evidence of joy at It's birth.
In an official proclamation Mayor
Carter H. Harrison made the sugges-
ton that the usual New Years eve
celebration be for this time omitted
The idea found ready response in the
hearts of the people. ana the mayors
words in fact only gave utterance to
the unexpressed thoughts that had
filled them all.
The appalling calamity I'm the Iro-
auods Theater has cast Chicago into
ths deepest grief and gloom, and for
the time being. at least, seems to have
chilled and deadened al the ordinary
ambitions of life. Business was per-
formed with the sole view to actual
necessity. and even that much was
carried out in perfuncto.. manner.
Ordinarily on New Years eve the
streets OF the city are filled with mer-
rymakers. but last night the only
throngs to be found We're those around
the morgues; ordinarily numbers of
Fashionable restaurants in the heart of
thu city are filed with light-hearted
revelers. who toast the year that
passes and hail the year that comes
Last night these places were compara-
lively deserted, and some of them
closed entirely with doors locked and
curtains drawn. Usually among these
gay people are found many OF the the
atr!cal profession Last night not a
single one of them was IN evidence.
For the second time in her hfe the
city Of Chicago has been stricken to
sons and daughters mat death in va
riety of horrible and torturing forms,
hut the blow has fallen almost as
aesvis. iircr, She strans.srs within her
gates. There is hardly village Or
town within radius of 100 miles OF
Chicago whose people are not directly
or indirectly interested in the piles OF
dead or in the injured which fill the
hospitals. or in the fate of those who
sesm to have passed from human
OF whom 1t is believed tina;
they were in the iil-faied structure.
and OF whom no word has since been
heard.
There was animated discussion to-
day among firemen, employees of the
and architects as to the cause
Of the fire. Accounts differ today as
widely as they varied last night. Th.
theatrical people are practically al
unit in declaring that the fire started
with an explosion and M this they are
hatly contradicted by scores of people
In the audience. who declare that they
saw the fire creeping along the edge
Of the curtain for several minutes be-
fore the explosion took place. These
statements are substantiated by the
stories OF number OF people who left
heir seats after seeing the blaze. and
we're well on their way to the str ret
when over.aken by the frightened rush
If those they had left behind them.
Miss Anna Woodward, lady who |
seat in the second balcony.
gave strong evidence on this point. She |
said: Il was in the second balcony
ind plainly saw the fire. am a large
weighing close to $50 pounds,
ind made up my mind that If there
vas going to be a pane 1t would he
wise for me to beat 1t to the street.
eft my seat in the balcony, went down
he stairs to the first balcony and from
here started to pass out thru the
,ery door In which so many people
we're killed few minutes later. The I
loor was closed and a man standing
III the outside refused to open 1t SO
hat could pass out. Whether he was
N employe of the theater or not do
lot know, but he had evidently deter
rined that no one should leave the
heater and in so doing start panic.
was leaving quietly up to this time,
ut when he refused to allow me TO
ass out peaceably determined to get
1t If / had to make all sorts of noise.
ent along the balcony about ten feet
glass partition. and smashed It
Ae point of my umbrella. / went
down the stairs. When l was
way down heard the roar
7. as 1t came after me and
all the speed had. They
however, Knocked me
Or the fact that l was
think my chance of
sn almost nothing. ,
must have walked
pacroua Ia aSif ,