Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1904-01-06
CHICAGO HAS AWFUL FIRE

iliqu'y' III dilS, anu from tne rear OI
each balcony there are three doors
leading out to passage ways toward
the front of the theatre. Two of these
doors are at the end of the balcony
and one in the centre. The audience in
its rush for the outer air seems to
have for the greater part. chosen to
flee TO the left entrance. and to at
tempt to make its way down the cas-
tern stairway leading into the lobby
OF the theatre
Outside Of the people burned and
suffocatcd by gas. it was in these two
doorways on the first and second bal
comics that the greatest loss of life oc-
Cured. When the firempn entered the
dead were found stretched in n pile
reaching from the head of the stair
way at least eight feet from the door
back TO point about five feet in the
rear of the door. This mass of dead
bodies in the centre OF the doorway
reached to within two feet of the ton
passage way. All OF tho corpses at this
point were women and children.
The fight for life which must have
taken place at these two points is
something that is simniy beyond hui
man power adequately to describe.
Only faint idea Of its horror could
be derived from the bodies as thy lay.
Women on ton Of these masses OF dead
had been overtallen by death rs they
we're crawling on hands and knees over
the bodies of those who had died be
fore. Others lay with arms outst~etch-
ed in the direction toward which lay
life and safety. holding in their hands
the fragments OF garments not their
own. They were evidently torn from
others whom they had endeavore6 10
pull down and trample under foot as
they madly fought for their own
lives.
As the police and firemcn removed
layer after layer of dead in these door
ways. the sight became too much even
for them. hardened rs they are 30 such
narrowing scenes. to endure The bod
les were in such an incytricablc mass
and SO tightly were they iammei be
tween the sides OF the door and the
walls that it was impossible TO lift
theIl. one by one. and carry them out.
The only possible thing To do was to
SEIZE n limb or some other portion OF
III sbody and pun with main strength.
Mnt worked at the task with tears
rtfiihing down their checks. and the
sobs of the rescUerS could be heard
even in the hall helow where this aw-
full scene was being enacted. a num-
ber OF the men were compelled 10
abandon their task and give it over to
others whose nerves had not as yet.
been shaken by the awful experience.
AS one by one the bodies were drog-
ged out OF the water. soaked blac' .
ed mass OF corpscs. the spectacle be-
came more and more heartrending.
There were women whose clothing
was torn completely from their bodies
above the waist whose bocoms had
been trampled into n pulp and whose
face were marred beyond all power OF
Identification. Bodies lay in the first
and second balconies in great numbers.
III some places they were piled up in
the aisles t. ne and four deep. where
one had fallen and others tripped over
the PROSTATE forms. and all had died
where they lay evidently suffocated by
the gas. Others were bent over backs
OF seats, where they had been thrown
by the rush of people for the doors
and killed with hardly a chance TO rise
from their seats. One man was found
with his back bent nearly double. his
spinal column having been fractured as
he was thrown backward. a woman
was found cut nearly in half by the
back OF the seat she having fallen over
face down.
"The fire began in the middle of the
second act" said Mr. Foy AN cleo
trio wire b, oke. was grounded and the
flames we're started in the rear of the
stage. The stare is unusually wide
and there Is 50 great draft the flames
spread rapidly. They soon had astack-
cd all the scenery in the rear OF the
house. nevc- believed it possible for
FIRE TO spread so quickly. When ii
first started I went to the foot-lights.
and to prevent alarming the audience
said that there was slight blaze and
that il would he better for all to leave
quietly. Then stepped back and call
ed for TIE asbestos curt9fr~ 10 pe low
cred. This WREN about half way down
refused 10 go furthe" andNhus an aaii-
tional daft was created This swept
and | knew that the theatre was doom
eds | hurried back to the stage and
aided in getting the women members
Of the company into the alley. Some
Of them were in their dressing rooms
and were almost overcome by smoke
before they could get down to the stage
end to the doors. The simple fact that
the cu-t3in did no. descend entirely
was what saved the lives OF the com
pany, although IL cost such . horrible
c9tastrorfe in tie front OF the house.
The curtain had refused to descend.
thee came the explosion OF the gas
t7n'-s. ard with tho curtain DOWN all
the fire and gas would hove Iron con
fred between the rear wall of the the
atre and tho firo-proo' curtoin in front.
Under tfeso circumstances it would
not have Necn possible for n single
nicmhe- of the comrany to escape alive
unless hc or she had been standinc
imrSe 'i1telv in front OF the door load.
in9 into tNe allev. AS ii was the
draft carried the fanes or from the