Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1904-01-08
C0RONER'S INQUIRY
INTO IROQUOlS FIRE
Official List Of Dead Placed
at Over Five Hundred.
MOST SEARCHING INVESTIGATION

VIII Require Week To Hear the Tes.
tlmony of the Two Hundred Wit
nesses-5Iame for Disaster To BE
Placed.
Chicago, Jan. THE coroners in
quest over the remains Of the victims
of the Iroquois theater fire began in
the city council chamber today The
coroner's official list Of dead-for use
at the inquest-contains just 565
names. Previous police reports indi-
eating 591 dead are declared now to
be inaccurate and due to the shifting
of bodies from one morgue to another.
Preparations were completed for the
most searching inquiry into the causes
of the greatest public calamity that
Chicago has ever known. Coroner
Traeger presided over the investiga-
ton with states attorney Dineen or
one Of his assistants. in constant at
tendance as the coroner's legal repre-
sentative and corporation counsel, the
county attorney as one Of the lawyers
representing private interests and nu-
merous officials of the fire and police
departments taking part in the in
quiry.
1t is estimated that it will require
at least six days for the jury to hear
the testimony of the two hundred or
more witnesses.
The provision of the law that the
Jury shall view the bodies over which
the inquest is held having already
been complied with, Coroner Traeger
entered at once upon the examination
of witnesses to determine the cause
of the fire and the responsibility for
the loss Of life. Technically, the
inquest is held over the body of
Miss Mary Edna Torney and 564
others
Deputy coroner Buckley knew Miss
Torney and arrived on the scene of
the fire few minutes after her body
had been carried out He was able
to locate the two policemen who had
handled the body. The check of her
seat in the theater was found in her
clothing. Precise evidence can, there
fore, be conducted as to the circum-
stances of her death and these cir
cumstances will be interpreted to ap-
ply in general to the 564 others. Al
though some died CT asphyxiation some
of burns and some from concussion,
the jury will find that death in each
of the SOS cases resulted from Shocks
and injury" The jury will sign a
separate verdict for each victim
For the task of fixing the respon.
sibflity for the great loss of life,
States Attorney Dineen instructed
Coroner Trager to establish the iden.
tity, IL possible, of some person or
persons found at the end of the pass.
age leading south from the entrance
OF the second balcony. There the
locked door cut off the escape of hun.
dreds, whose bodies were found
against the barricaded door The cor.
oner has succeeded in gathering this
evidence.
Mrs. Strong. of Chicago, and her
niece, Vera Strong, of Americus, Ca,
died at the foot of the stairway. The
story of their death before the locked
exit has been told to the coroner by
James M. Strong, son OF the elder vic
tim. Mr.. Strong, who Is a board of
trade clerk, consented to testify.
The arrest of William Maher and
William Nagel, which took place to.
day is considered important by Coro.
ner Traeger in connection with the
investigation. The men were employ
ed by a sub-contractor Of the Fuller
Construction company. According to
a policeman, the men say they nailed
down the ventilators on the roof OF
the theater over the stage and the ex.
animation will show that the skylights
and frames had never been removed.
In other words, the safety vents for
fire on the stage were never opened
even experimentally, and every audi.
ence that ever sat in the Iroquois the.
ater from the day the theater was
opened had been in imminent danger
of roasting to death by wholesale
whenever fire broke out.
Tha two wnrkman wara at hnrao in