The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-01-01

Chicago, December 31.-For the first time since Chicago has possessed bells to peal, whistles to shriek. and horns to blow the old year was allowed to silently take it's place in history and the new year per- mitted to come with no evidence of joy at it's birth.
 In an official proclamation issued this afternoon by Mayor Carter H. Harrison, he made the suggestion that the usual new years eve celebration be, for this time, omitted. The idea found ready respons in the hearts of the people. The appalling calamity of yesterday in the Iroquois theatre has cast Chicago into deepest grief and gloom, and for the time being at least, seems to have chilled and dee sened ali the ordinary ambitions of life. Business today was performed with the sole view to actual necessity, and even that much was carried out in a perfunctory manner.
 No Merry Makers.
 Ordinarily on New Years eve, the streets of the city are filled with merry makers, but tonight the only throngs to be found were those around the morgues. Ordinarily numbers of fashionable restau- rants in the heart of the city are filled with light-hearted jewellers. Tonight these places were comparatively deserted, and some of them closed entirely. Usually, among these gay people, are found many members of the theatrical profession. To- night, however, not a single one of them was in evidence.
 For the second time in her life the city of Chicago has been stricken to the heart. Not only have many of her sons and daughters met death in variety of horrible and torturing forms, but the blow has fallen almost heavily upon the strangers within her gates There is hardly village or town within a radius of 100 miles whose people are not di- rectly or indirectly interested in the pile of dead, or in the injured, which fill the hospitals
 Dead Numbers 564. The list of dead continues, as it was given last night, in the neighborhood of 56O. It is generally accepted at this time that the most accurate estimate is 564 This number will be increased, as there are people in the hospitals who cannot live any length of time. It is believed, however, that the total number of dead Twill not in any event exceed 575.
 Including the missing, it Is estimated lat the total number of casualties is at present time approximately 1000 There are among the missing the names many who are at their homes, and of me who were not at the theatre at all. hen the names of the dead who are still be identified have been substracted rom the list of the missing it is prob kble that the exent of the catastrophe will be fully revealed.
 At midnight the list of identified dead {had increased to All. There were still be- tween eighty and ninety tcdies awaiting Identification in the various morgues. kThree hundred and thirty-seven people kwere still reported missing, but as this umber is largely in excess of the dead lhat still await Identification many of hese must have returned 10 their homes.
 Discussion About Cause.
 
 mong firemen, employees of the theatre Ind architects ss to the cause of the fire. accounts differ today as widely as they hried last night. The theatrical people practically unit in declaring that the started with an explosion, and in this y are f1atly contradicted by scores of ple in the audience who declare that saw the fire creeping along the edge the curtai. for several minutes be- the explosion took place. These state nts are suostantated by the stories of humber of people who left their seats Ter seeing the blaze, and were well on cir way to the street when overtakcn the frightened rush of those they had (t behind.
 Hiss Anna Woodward. lady who oc- Vi seat in the second balcony gave
 evidence on this point. She said:
 Is in the second balcony and plainly
 fire I am a large woman, weigh
 hounds, and I made up my mind
 ere was going to be a panic. it
 wise for me to beat it to the
 seat in the balcony
 irs to the first balcony
 arted to pass out the
 so many people were
 fnts later.