The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-01-07
CHICAGO FIRE INQUIRY.
4 WORSE CONDITION oFAFFAIRs
 THAN SUPPOSED

shown by the Evidence Given by the
 Active Managers of the Thsater-AiI
 Plead Ignorance of Any Precautions
 Taken to Prevent Loss of Lifc-Admit
 Also That Employcs Were Not In-
 structed In Fighting Fire.
 Chicago, Jan. 6.-By their own evil dence given to-day before Monroe Full kerson, who is conducting the fire de- partment investigation into the Iroquois Ftheater horror, the proprietors of the theater showed that a worse condition of affairs existed than had heretofore been thought possible.
 William J. Davis, Harry J. Powers
 and Thomas J. Noonan, active mana gers of the Iroquois theater, were ex-
 amined, by MT. Fulkerson to-day. All
 of them pleaded ignorance of any pre- cautions taken to prevent loss of life by fire at their theater.
 They admitted failure to instruct em- ployes in fighting fire, and failure even to provide suitable appliances for use against flames. Their statements were corroborated by the testimony of twen- ty employees of the theater. none of whom had ever been told his duty in case of fire.
 Noonan, who is the working manager of the theater under the direction of Davis and Powers, admitted to-day that eleven of the theater exits were locked and bo1ted. Two of these exits, leading to the front of the theater, on the ground floor, were locked, three ad- ditional exits on the north side of the ground floor were bolted, three exits on the north side of the theater from the first balcony were bolted, and three ex- it's on the north side of the second bal cany were bolted.
 The greatest loss of life from the fire was in the first and second balconies, where hundreds of people were suffo- cated through inability to get out, or were trampled to death while trying to do so. Had these three exits in each
 
 Inspector Fulkerson, the loss of life must have been greatly diminished. Noonan declared that no person had been named by the theater management to superintend the operation of the ven- tilators of the theater in case of fire and that in consequence the flames had been permitted to sweep the place instead of seeking a natural outlet. through the
 stage roof. It was said by Noonan that George M. Dusenberry, the head usher Archibald Bernard chief, electrician and the theater engineer knew how to operate the ventilators.
 It was proven by the evidence of these men, however. that two of them never went upon the stage and that the other had never been told to assume charge of the ventilators in case of fire
 Dusenberry declared that his duty as usher kept him in the front of the
 house. The engineer was always below
 the stage, attending to his engine, and Bernard. the only one of the three | knowing how to operate the ventilators who was ever upon the stage during a | performance, testified that he had never | been told to assume charge of them. From figures obtained by Noonon to- day, it became evident that almost one I in three of the people who attended the
 matinee lost their lives, the percentage
 being a trifie over 31 per cent. The thea
 ter seated 1906 people and in addition te
 these 2S6 had been admitted after all
 seats were sold, making total of 1,S4s
 people in the theater, of whom 591 were ! killed