The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-01-05
HALLS CLOSED TIGHT
CHICAGO SAFETY oRUsADH Is
 OoNTTNUzD.
Impossible to Hold Public Meetings in the Windy City Except in
 Churcheo-c1ty Council
 is Busy.

Chicago. Jan. &.--After tonight 1t will for some weeks at least, be practically impossible to hold a public meeting of any kind in Chicago outside of churches. Building Commissioner Williams tonight issued an order closing all public halls, dance halls and tufnverein halls. and all similar places of public assemblage until an inspection has shown that they are complying with all provisions of the building ordinance.
 As there are upwards of A00 halls in Chicago ranging in size from those that will accommodates fifty persons up to those with a seating capacity of 500. this order win affect probably as many per sons as the theatre closing order. Pro tests were numerous but the Building Commissioner was infiexihle. He said:
 '1f8nS of thAss halls arc w0rse thasn any theatre in Ghieanui some Of them are put up with no restFictions, such as govehn. theatres and many of them are fire traps of the worst kind.'
 The sole exemption Is in favor of private lodge halls, which do not fall within the scope of the order.
 Mr. Williams was notified tonight of the election of Joseph Downey, prominent contractor and trustee of the Board of Education. and x.Building Commissioner. as chairman Of the joint committee se- lected at Mayor Harrison's request by the various architects and buildings asso- ciations to inspect all of the downtown theatres. It was pointed out to the build- ing commissioner today as indicating that the Iroquois Theatre was opened prema- turely, that the $10.000 bond filed with the street department by the Fuller Construc- tion Company, April 20th, to secure the proper use oe the street and to insure the city against damage to the frontage hn haa ya At the office of the street department it was declared to be the invariable custom of contractors to redeem bonds as soon as the work is finished.
 Mayor Harrison and seventy aldermen who have been appointed members of the City Council Committee to control legislation In relation to theaters met this afternoon with the theater mana gers The managers asked If they could not open their houses and sell seats upon the lower floor only, but the Mayor and aldermen declared positively against 1t. The managers on departing from the Mayors office reiterated their purpose of obeying the directions of the Mayor and City Council, but urged haste In drawing up the new ordinances provid-' ing for alterations as the closing of the money by them.
 This afternoon attorneys for the fire department secured from five witnesses corrobQratiOn of the charges that c wrecking crew of the George A. Fuller Company employees has destroyed the stage skylights on the day after the dis aster. These witnesses were Charles Hughes, S. F. Gary, Frederick Schmidt. a druggist, and James McGrath and A. D. Hoyt. all with offices in the Schiller building which overiooks the theOter
 Fire Inspector Fulkerson said today: Tt was the intention that these skylights should open automatically to allow the escape of heat and smoke and to create a draught which would draw them upwards instead of allowing them to pass out over the audience. But from the information I have I am positive that the opening of the skylights was imposb.-Ie because be- heath each section of the lights had been placed pieces of scantling, which remained there until removed by the employees of the Fuller Construction Company 4 nurs- day afternoon"
 It has been stated by Messrs. Powers and Davis, the managers of the theatre. that the house was not filled Wednesday afternoon at the time of the fire. This assertion was fiatly contracted this af- ternoon by Manager Edwin H. Price of the Bluebeard Company.
 Ordering all places of public amuse- ment with seating capacity of 800 or over to provide an automatic apparatus to open and close all doors to exits, the system to operate in conjunction with Iev- CTS any one of which shall open all doora simultaneously and at the same time operate electric lights in all passage ways.
 Ordering that the names of the actual proprietor and actual manager of any place of amusement shall be printed on every play bill issued.
 Ordering that all doors and exits shah be plainly indicated by signs.
 Directing that every theatre shall be provided with steel fire proof curtain
 which shall be operated not more than five minutes before the commencement of every performance and lowered at least once during every performance,
 Providing that all employees and at- | taches of theatres be given a fire drill and be subject to inspection and drill by | the fire marshal of the city of Chicago, N N-