The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1904-01-06

tie children fought in vain for life at
"a fire IN the Iroquois theater, the new
sest, largest and safest theater, in 1hi-
Ca GO, this afternoon. AT o'clock,
Coroner Traeger reported by actual
count 637 dead, aud the CHASTITY work
Of the firemen was not even then end
ed II is estimated that 300 people
were killed in ten minutes.
The theater was crowded by mat
inee audience, mostly of women and
children. In the midst of the perform
ance, while the stage was al,ght With
beauty and color, the first alarm of
IRE was given, and the next instant a
great wave of fame shot out over the
theater. The resulting scenes were
Understandable. Hundreds, were trampled
to death in the mad rush to escape
from the blazing furnace. Many bo-
dies were scorched and blackenei- by
the flames after the life had already
been trampled out, Several people
were burned to death, others were suf-
located by gas thrown into the audi
forum by the explosion of gas tank,
but by far the larger majority persisted
An the wild stampede for safety.
The lire broke out during the second
act OF "Mr. Blue Bear" which WAS
the first dramatic production produced
In the theater after its opening. The
theatrical company, which was large,
q capped. nearly al of them, however.
being compelled to fee into the snowy
streets with no clothing but stage cos
TUNES. A few members of the COM
pamy sustained injuries, but none ware
severely hurt.
Started From Broken Wire.
Ihe accounts { the origin of The
fire are conflicting and none of them is
certain, but the best reason given is
that an electric wire near the lower
part Of piece of drop scenry, broke
and caused a short circuit. setting fire
TO the scenery. The fire spread rap
Idly toward the front of the stage,
causing the chorus, which was on tie
stage. to flee to the wings. screaming.
The fire in itself up to this time was
hot serious and possibly could have
, been checked had not the asbestos cur
tain failed to work. As soon as the
IRE was discovered. Eddy Foy. chief
Comedian of the company. shouted for
the asbestos curtain to be lowered, and
1t Was Immediately dropped about half
way. Then II stuck.
The fire thus was given q fiue
through which strocg draft was
formed. aided by the doors which had
been thrown open in the front of the
theater. The flames shot roaring,
tongue shaped. through the opening
over the heads of the people on the
hrst floor almost licking the faces Of
those in the first balcony, and smooth
cred many where they sat
Immediately following this rush of
names, came an explosion, which lifted
the entire roof of the theater from the
walls, shattering the great sky light
into fragments. A hail of glass, the
tottering galleries, the quaking OF the
building and cry of fire" from sew
eral persons in the rear, started the
panic. The entire audience rose as one
person and made for the doors. 1t is
believed that the explosion was caused
by flames coming in contact with the
gas reservoirs within the theater.
How the Tragedy Happened.
The theater is modelled latter the
Opera Comique in Paris, and from the
rear of each balcony there are three
doors leading GU. to passageways to-
ward the front of the theatre. Two Of
these doorways are at the end of the
balcony, one being in the center.
Most of the spectators IN the rush
for the outer air seem to have chosen
to fee to the left entrance and to at
tempt to make their way down the
eastern stairway leading into the lob
by. Outside OF the people burned and
sutfocated by gas, it was in these two
doorways on the first and second bal.
comics that the greatest loss of life oc-
-curred. When the flremen entered the
building the dead were found stretched
in a pile reaching from the head of the
stairway at least eight feet from the
door back to point about five feet in
rear of the door.
This mass of bodies in the center of
the door way reached within two feet
of the Intel. All the corpses at this
point were women and children. Here
fight for life took place that dismem-
bered many persons in death, This is
shown by the aspect of the bodies as
they lay when found
Women on top of these masses of
dead had been overtaken by death as