The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1904-01-05

their beds. Mr.. Williams was selected
with the idea that he was the proper
man to see that no such catastrophe
could happen again.
Fire Inspector Monroe Fulkerson
tonight announced that he had finally
discovered the secret of the fire. The
asbestos curtain upon which the
safety of the audience depended was
according to Mr.. Fulkerson. blocked
in it's descent by a steel reflector,
carelessly left open by a stage hand.
While one end of the curtain got
within five feet of the stage. the other
was suspended twenty feet above it.
and beneath it swept the food of
flame that carried death to so many
hundreds.
The first step toward a definite con-
clusion as to the cause Of the fire
was made when William McCullen.
operator Of the spot light threw
the blame upon another electric light
nearby. The task was completed
when Mr.. Fulkerson followed UP a
clue furnished by John A. Mazzoni.
a stage hand, and discovered the
deadly reflector still open in the ruins
of the theatre. The wire used in the
aeriel ballet, mentioned as a possible
cause Of the curtains failure to reach
the stage, was proven to have been
out of the way of the curtain as it
descended.
On each side of the prosceneum
arch at the theatre, was metallic re-
nector, conclave in form, 20 feet long
and studded throughout it's entire
length with incandescent lights. Nor
mally these lights fitted into inches
in the masonry, but when in use were
swung out in order that the lights
might be thrown upon the performers
upon the stage. Their greatest width
when opened, was fourteen inches.
When both reflectors were in place,
the fire curtain had no impediment
in it's course, but with either swung
outward the descending curtain could
not get below the refiectors top. Care
lessness of some employe, whose iden-
tity it will be the effort of the police
to ascertain tomorrow, resulted In the
combination of the open reflector and
falling curtain, which lost nearly 500
lives.
Mozzoni who was employed as
scene shifter was one of the first of
the stage hands to be placed under
arrest After his release this after
noon on bond of $4,000, he disclosed
the truth of the misplaced reflector
to Fire Inspector Fulkerson.
"I stood near the switchboard from
which the fire started, said Mozzoni
when I saw the flames shooting up
from the drapery near the lamps The
wire curtain was coming down as I
looked up and almost at the same
time / saw that the second was lower
than the other. / looked close and
l could see that 1t was caught. I ran
up on the bridge on the north side
to get the curtain free, but failed.
; When I looked again. few seconds
later a great sheet Of flame was dart
ing under the curtain and into the
faces of the people"
Inspector Fulkerson taking wit
nesses with him, at once went to the
| theatre where he found that although
the flames had whipped the asbestos
, curtain into sheds, the reflector which
| had blocked it's descent was still in
| the position stand by MozZoni.
! From the large number Of COM
! plants received of the loss of person
al effects from the bodies of the fire
victims. coroner's office, clerks esti-
mate that 100000 worth of dia-
I monds, watches, jewelry, furs and
. other property was lost in the fire
Many of the victims had money in
! their possession which could not be
! found when the bodies were examined
at the morgues. Much of the prop
tat a large amount may have beer
. st2ien by ghouls. The largest amount
pinned to the garments of a woman
! of currency recovered was s405, found
Superintendent of Street Cleaning
Solon and a force of men went to the
! iroQuois theatre today with ;nstruC-
tons to clean it most thoroughly A:
! the men set to wor they examined
every scrap for jewels, articles o.
clothing and trinkets. The order wa:
issued after City Custodian Dewitt c
Creigier had found a diamond piI
holding a stone as large as a pea, anC
valued at $500. Mr.. Cregier added tn,
gem to the collection of effects dis
played for purposes of ident fication.
Mayor Harrison today received
! letter from Coroner Traeger suggest
ing that a public funeral be held II
. the near future of the unidentifie,
dead. The mayor agreed hearth,
with the suggestion.
1t also proposed to build a 1nonu
ment by popular subscription in hon
or of the unidentified dead. This sug
geston came from Coroner Traege
and was approved by Mayor Harri
son.
The number of dead is now definite
: have been identified. The remainin
twelve bodies were tonight upon orde
of the coroner removed to the coun
~ morgue where they will be KEEP
;! hereafter
f..
: Most OF the State colleges and schcoi
I. will reopen this week for the sprin
term. after the holidays. Wilmington
sva M 80 0;r