The Forrest City times., 1904-01-01
Audience Stampeded and Most of the
 Victims Were TrampIed to Death.
Fire Started from a Grounded Electric Light Wire rlost of the Dead, Women and Children---- Stout Hearted Men Overcome With
 Grief at the Awful Scene

Chicago, Dec 30-More than five hundred and fifty people were killed in ten minutes this afternon during fire in the Iroquois theater, the new est, larger and, as far as human pow CT could make it, the safest theater in Chicago. Estimates of the dead and injured vary. The police account of dead is 536. The estimate of the newspapers is 562
 Besides this, there are fifty-five missing at midnight, the majority of whom are probably among the dead in the morgues and various under taking establishments; eightysix of the dead have been positively identi- fed and ninety-two others are known to be injured
 A few of these people were burned to death by fire, many were suffocated by gas and scores were trampled to death in the panic that followed the mad plunge of the frightened audi ence for the exits. It will be several days before all the dead are known and identified There are bodies ly- Ing by the dozens tonight In the un- dertaking rooms, in the police sta tions, and in the hospitals, from which nearly everything that could reveal their identity to those who knew them best is gone Their clothing is torn to rags or burned to cinders, and their faces have been tranpled into an unrecognizable pulp by the heels as they fled for safety
 The fire broke out during the sec ond act of the play, MT Buebead," |" which was the first dramatic produc- tion given in the theater since it's erection The company which was very large, escaped to the street in safety, nearly all of them, however, being compelled to flee into the snowy streets with no clothing but their stage costumes few members of the company sustained minor injuries, but none were seriously hurt.
 Origin of the Fire.
 The accounts of the origin of the fire are conflicting and none of them certain. but the best reason given is that an electric wire near the lower part of piece of drop scenery sud denly broke and was grounded The fire spread rapidly toward the front of the stage, causing the members of the chorus who were then engaged in the performance to flee to the wings, with screams of terror
 The fire in itself up to this time was not serious and possibly could have been checked had not the asbestos curtain failed to work As soon as the fire was discovered Eddie Foy, the chief comedian of the company. shouted 10 lower the curtain. and this was immediately done II descended about half way and then stuck The fire thus was given practically a flue through which strong draught was setting, aided by the doors. which had been thrown open in the front of the theater. With a roar and a bound, the flames shot through the opening over the heads of the people on the first floor and reaching clear up to those in the first balcony, caught them and burned them to death where they sat.
 Explosion Soon After the Fire Started.
 Immediately following the rush of the flames there came an explosion which lifted the entire roof of the theater from its walls. shattering the great skylight into fragments. As soon as the flames first appeared by the curtain a man in the rear of the hall shouted, Fire. fire" and the en- tire audience rose as one person and made for the doors. It is believed the explosion was caused by flames com ing in contact with the gas reservoirs of the theater causing them to burs,
 Will J. Davis, manager of the thea ter, said after the catastrophe that if the people had remained in their seats and had not been excited by the cry of fire not single life would have been lost This, however, is contradicted by the statements of the flremen, who found numbers of people sitting in their seats, their faces di- rected toward the stage. as if the per formance was still going on It was fha ODjDiOn pf inc firameD that thaca people had been suffocated at once by the flow of gas which came from behind the asbestos curtain
 1,30o People in Theater When the Fire
 Started.
 AS near as can be estimated about 1900 people were in the theater. Three hundred of these were on the first floor, the balance being in the