Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-01-07
IR0QU0IS FIRE
Investigation Shows a Gross
Violation of the Law.
Working Manager Of Theatre Testlfles
That Eleven Exits Were Locked.
Witnesses Declare They Received NO
instructions as to Use Of Apparatus


Gence given. tolay- before MonrO Full
kerson who is conducting the tire "e-
partment investigation into the lfo-
uuois theatre horror. the proprletofs Vi
the theatre showed that a worse con-
dition of affairs existed than hai he'e
tofore been thought possible.
Will J. Davis Harry J. Powers ana
Thomas ). Noonan. active managers VI
the Irouuois theatre, We're examined
by Mr.. Fulkerson, today. All or them
pleaded Ignorance of amy precautions
taken to prevent loss of life by IRE at
| their theatre.
They admitted failure to instruct
employees in fighting fire and failure
| even to provide suitable appliances for
use against flames Their statements
were corroborated by the testimony of
! 20 employees of the theatre.
| NoCnan, who is the working mana
ger of the theatre under the direction
| Of Davis and Powers, admitted, today.
that II of the theatre exits
were locked and bolted. Two of
these exits, leading to the front
of the theatre on the ground
floor We're bolted, three exits on the
north side of the theatre from the first
balcony were bolted and three exits OH
the north side OF the second balcony
/ were bolted.
Had the three exits in each balcony
| been available, according to Inspector
| Fulkerson, the loss of life must have
been greatly diminished. =
| Noonan declared that no person had
been named by the theatre manage
tmrnt to superintend the operation Of
the ventilators Of the theatre in case
iof fire aid that;in. consequence the
Aames' bad been permitted, to sweep.
the place instead. T seeRingta natural
outlet through the stage roof: 1t was
said by Noonan;. that George NJ.
Dusenberry. the head usher, Archibald
Bernard, .chief electrician. sand the
theatre engineer know how to operate
the, vehtilafors .:
It was proven by the evidence of
these men, however. that two of them
never went upon the stage and the
other had never been told to assume
charge of the ventilatOrs in ease Of
fire.
From figures. obtained from Noonan,
today, it became evident that almost
one in three of the people who attend
ed the matinee lost their lives, the
percentage bling a trife over 81 per
cent The theatre seated 1,G06 people
aud in addition to. these 236 had been
admitted after all seats We're sold
making q total of 1912 in the theatre, of
whom l91 We're killed
Manager Noonan declared that the
two balconies, including seats and
people standing. held $3.50 persons. Only
three persons were killed on the first
floor. This would make. according to
Manager Noonan's statement, 55S
deaths out of $50 people in the two
balconies.
Will J. Davis testified that he had
given no orders to place n fire alarm
box in the theatre or pump upon the
stage beyond the fact that any appa-
ratus the filemen wanted should be
provided as soon as possible. He de-
clarrl that he could not say as to
whether tn. building had been finally
accepted from the Fuller Co. or not.
nor had he given instructions to any
body as to what should be done in case
Of fire. He had no knowledge as to
whether the theatre had received
final certificate of inspection from the
building department of the city before
opening.
Mr.. Powers gave evidence substan-
TALLY the same.
| Manager Noonan declared that Arch
ibald Bernard the electrician. was de-
pended upon to operate the skylights
and ventilatOrs.
Bernard. who followed Noonan, said
that he had never been told to look after
either the skyliChts or even the Venti-
lators, and that his post was at the
switchboard where he had several hun
. dred lights to manage. The stage veHti-
lator. which would have saved many
lives had it been opened. was controlled.
he declared. from the side of the stage
Opposite his post of duty.
Fifteen other witnesses who worked on
the stage declared that they had never
received orders from the management as
to what they should do in the case Of fire.
There was no frc drill in the theatre and
none OF the stage hands was ever inform
"a as to the location use of fire APP
plianceS or the operation of the VcntI-
lators over the auditorium and stage.
That the employees in the front Of the
house were thrown into a panic by tn"
ire was shown by the testimony Of all
the stage hands examined. toby.
| The formal inquest into the fire will be-
gin. tomorrow morning.
| Four bodies OF the IrOquoiS fire still
iremain unidentified at the county mnrgue.