Perth Amboy evening news., 1904-01-05
HUNDREDS CL@--
Chicago Public Halls Are OFF,
cially Sealed Up.
ARE WORSE TRAPS THAN HEATERS
Fuller COmHany's Wrecking Crew
Destroyed Evidence of skylfght
Defects at Iroduois-Chief Ush-
err ~Dusenberry Arrested.


- e4.. fA~ i. 4a1f az
CHICAGO, Jan. 5.-As a result of the
IroqIois theater fire and panic, in
which SOC. persons lost their lives,
| Building Commissioners Williams has
issued an order closing all the public
halls, dance halls and all similar places
of public assemblage until a n inspec-
ton has shown that they are complying
with all provisions of the building ordi-
nance. All the theaters have already
been closed. This leaves Chicago
churches and lodge halls alone open for
public gatherings.
As there are upward of 400 halls in
Chicago, ranging il size from those
that will accommodate fifty persons to
those with a seating capacity of 500.
this order will affect probably as many
persons as the theater closing order.
Protests were numerous, but the builds
ing commissioner was infexible. He
said: KIN
MANY of these halls are worse than
any theater in Chicago, some of them
are put up with no restrictions such as
govern theaters, and many of them are
fire traps of the worst kind"
Mayor Harrison and sever aldermen
who have been appointed members of
the city council committee to control
legislation in relation to theaters met,
with theater managers, every play
house excepting the Great Northern be-
ing represented.
The managers asked if they could
not open their houses and sell seats on
the lower floor only, but the mayor and
aldermen refused this request. 1t was
declared that all the places must re-
main closed until the ordinance require.
ments had been fully met.
Attorneys for the fire department Sc
cured from five witnesses corroboration
of the charge that a wrecking crew of
the Fuller Construction company had
destroyed the stage skylights on the
day after the disaster.
Fire Inspector Fulkerson said: 'It
was the intention that these skylights
should open automatically to allow the
escape of heat and smoke and create a
draft which would draw them upward
instead of allowing them to pass over
| have l am positive that the opening
of the skylights was impossible be-
cause beneath each section of the lights
had been placed pieces of scantling,
which remained there until removed
by employees of the Fuller Construc-
finn 0otnnonxy on ft1n Thrro6ou offor
moor following the fire. 1t has been
said by Powers and Davis, managers
of the %Iroquois theater, that the house
was not filed on Wednesday afternoon
at the time of the fire. This assertion
was contradicted by Manager Edwin
II. Price of the "Bluebeard' company.
81 should say" said Mr.. Price, that
between 90 and 100 tickets were sold
after the theater was filed. The days
receipts amounted to something more
than $1.700."
Little result followed the examina-
ton of several men of the double &C.
tet, which was on the stage when the
fire broke out. y
"NVe kept on singing and dancing
and did not wen know that there was
a fire until sparks fell on the stage and
two girls of the double octet fainted,'
said William Sleek. ut is the rule of
the stage that we are fined if we turn
our faces for an instant from the audi
ence. All l know is that we stuck to
our work until we had to run for our
lives"
Sleck's story was c~orroborated by the
other six men.
The police arrested George NJ. Du-
senberry, chief usher of the theater, on
a charge of manslaughter. Dusenber-
ry declares that he tried to hold back
the rush of spectators and helped to
save thirty women from the TANNED
front exits.
Benjamin Solomon, a boy who rented
opera glasses in the upper balcony, de-
clared that all the ushers and attaches
closed the doors and shouted to the
spectators to remain seated, as there
was NJ danger. F.
Coroner Traeger is looking for the
chief serubwoman of the theater, who,
it is said, carried all the keys to the
doors and exits of the balconies. She
will be arrested when found.
a AYE a.