The Savannah morning news., 1904-01-08
STORY OF THE FIRE
AS 1T Is TOLD BY CORONER'S WIT
NESSES AT CHICAGO.
INVESTIGATION HAS BEGUN
GREAT CROWD HEARS PROCEED
INGS IN THE CITY HALL.

Host of Witnesses to he Heard-In-
quest Is Proceeding Along Judi
cial Lines-Vera GOOIsby, a Geor-
gia Girl Who Died in the Fire,
One of the Victims for Whose
Death Ii Is Sought to Fix the Re
spOnsibiIity-StOries of Witnesses.
Chicago, Jan. before a dense
crowd, packing the Council chamber
in the City Hail. Coroner Traeger and
a jury of six men to-day began the
official investigation of the Iroquois
Theater. The first witnesses were per-
sons who were in the audience at the
matinee. They told of the panic and
of finding exits locked.
Outside in the ante-rooms a host of
witnesses waited to be heard. Fright
ened victims, who escaped with their
lives from the fiery furnace; actors,
chorus girls, stage hands, policemen
and firemen mingled there, making a
strange gathering.
Within the Council chamber, the in
QUESTION proceeded along judicial lines.
Lawyers were present in behalf of nu-
merous interests seeking opportunity
to examine witnesses along the lines
of special interest to their clients. I'm
der Coroner Tracgers ruling, such
questions were barred, and the exami-
nation continued strictly along the
lines laid down by the officer.
For the task of fixing the RESPONSE
bility for the great loss of life, States
Attorney Deneen instructed Coroner
Traeger to establish the identity, if
possible, of some person or persons
who died at the end OF the passage
leading south from the entrance of the
second balcony. There a locked door
cut off the escape of hundreds whose
bodies were found against the barri-
caded door. The coroner has succeed
ed in gathering this evidence.
Vera GOOlsby selected.
Mrs. B. K. Strong of Chicago, and
her niece, Vera Goolsby. of Americas,
Ga, died at the foot of the stairway.
The story of their death before the
locked exit has been told to the coroner
| by James NJ. Strong, son of the elder
1SCSAA -
| of Trade clerk, consented to testify.
A dozen witnesses were heard to-day
The chief witnesses were Eddie Foy,
the comedian of the Mr.. Bluebeard'
Company, and George w. Stetson, a
representative of the company which
manufactured the asbestos curtain. The
evidence of Mr.. Fly did not d fer great
ly from the statements which have
been published heretofore concerning
his action on the day of the fire.
Mr.. Stetson and Coroner Traeger be-
came involved in a lengthy discussion
as to the merits of asbestos curtains,
during which Mr.. Stetson admitted
that asbestos curtains, If subjected to
an extremely high heat, would lose their
life" and crumble. When shown a
portion of the curtain brought from
the theater, he declared that it had
evidently been subjected to a very
high temperature, but that he could
not say as to whether it had endured
a sufficiently great heat to cause it
to crumble. BE declared that in his
opinion, the greater portion of the as
bestos curtain in the Iroquois Theater
was still in good condition and ex-
pressed himself as anxious to make
experiments to prove the truth of his
assertion.
The first witness before the coroner's
jury was John c. Calvin, a painting
contractor. He rushed to the lobby
and endeavored to open the west door,
that being the nearest. It was lock-
ed on the inside, and he could do
nothing with it. He tried to open two
other doors, but could not, and kicked
out the panels.
A WOman's story.
Mrs. Elvira D. Pinedo, was one of
the most important witnesses. She
said: 81 was standing near the boxes
on the extreme right on the main
floor, and in the rear of the seats
People were standing four deep. 1
first saw sparks on the south side of
the stage back of the scenes, and
could see a man clapping his hands
in an effort to put out the sparks.
The moment I saw fire, 1 quietly look
ed about for an exit and saw what
/ believed to be one near the boxes.
The fire spread rapidly, and people
got up and urged everybody to re-
main seated. as there was no danger.
II never saw a saner audience in
my life. Half Of the audience were
women and they calmly sat there and
saw the sparks change into flames
without screaming or getting panic
stricken.
Suddenly big ball of fire drop
ped from the top of the stage to
the floor. 1t was burning scenery.
II then thought 1t time to leave, so
/ walked to the exit near the boxes.
/ tried to open the door, but found
it locked. A man came up and we
demanded that the usher open the
door. He either said he would not
or could not. Then suddenly there
was powerful draft, which opened
the doors and blew us out into the
alley"
Sf0rv nf Eddie Eca,
Eddie Foy testified that during the
second act he was in his dressing room
and heard a noise to which he had at
first paid little attention. He said to
himself, Are they fighting again down
there?" thinking over a quarrel which
had occurred few days previous.
The noise grew stronger and stronger
and, becoming anxious about his boy,
ne ran down the steps from his dress
irg room to the stage, picked up the
boy right In front of the switchboard
and then looked up and saw a fireman
above him who WAS trying to put out
the fire. At that time the two lower
borders running up the side of the can
vas near the edge Of the proscenium
arch were burned
The audience was getting into a
panic, as he thought and in order to
quiet the people he called to the stage
hands, drop the curtain" and to the
musicians, Keep up your music" He
urged the audience repeatedly to re-
main quiet and not to get excited.