The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-01-10
iron GATES
BLOCKED.N||A.'YI'
Damaging Evidence Brought Out
in Iroquois Holocaust In IA
vestigation.
TWO FIRES BEFORE DISASTER
-----------------
Relatives Of Victims Meet to
Agree on Concerted Action
III Prosecution. #
TWO FIRES BEFORE DISASTER
(By Associated lPress.)

I
CHICAGO, Jan. Oft was discovered )
to-day that two iron gates, tho existence 4
Of which has not been known to tho
public. and which were removed from the
1roduois Theatre after the fire, played
a deadly part In the destruction Of life 81
4 in the Inflated play house. Fire Inspec-
tor Fulkerson, WHO knew Of their exist
eilce, was not nbl' until to-day to secure
sworn evidence concerning them. M * d ssG
To-day Georges N. Dusenberry, head \
usher Of tho theatre, admitted to Mr.
Fulkerson that these gates werc placed, t
one across the exit from the first bal-s
cony, and the other across an exit from y
tire second balcony. Both gates we're
locked securely with padloclts and we're
fever, at any performance unlocked until
after the second act OF the play. On the x
day Of the fire tho second act had not
been completed when tho catastrophe oc-
CURED, and the gates were still Standing
Thcy were 80 strong that the firsmelt x
4Msre not able to batter them down with 3
axes after tho fire, andl to the frenzied
PEOPLE who sought safety through those
exits they were absolutely lmpenetrable.
THREE WARNINGS. al
Sworn testimony was given to-day that
night that the theatre was opened This
first fire only preceded by a fow weeks III
the great disaster which resulted In the q
loss OF hundreds Of lives. Tho testi-8$
many regarding the fact ofB the initial
blnze was given by John Bickles, q
workman employed on the construction
Of ths theatre. He said: ~
II was in the basement the night the
theatre was opened, In a short passage
or ! az ~, Mae I
report and flames came over the parti-S
tons over@n1y head. tho partitions In the
basement under the stage. A, ~ st3s
The partitions rise from the floor
about eight feet, but do not reach the s
ceiling. The flames came from another
rom from where IT happened to- be.#j
There was q crowd rushed around the d
door, and I could not sec in. was told +;
It was soma kind Of a gas tank that e.
ploded. u
In the light Of this evidence, the res
4 cord OF testimony taken to date shows
that there were two previous direct
warnings to the Irouuois management OF u
the catastrophe, Joseph Dougherty, cur-E
tain manager, has testified during the
Fire Department lnvestigat ton that there
was fire on the stage II week before
the holocaust 5f(f AZ t5g., ;$fl S Ss57sg
/, Members OF tho double octette In the
moonlight scene to-day told the SGornner's
jury Of the Cleveland fire, which burn-$
ed the big fans used as part Of the
scenery In the second act. ls$5ssS
According to the testimony on record,
therefore. there We're three distinct warn-
ings Of the danger OF fire In the produce
ton of Spectacular shows 5&g
RELATIVES OF VICTIMS. 5sg
meeting Of the relatives OF people
who We're lost in the fire, was 4 held
this afternoon to- ngree upon concerted
action toward establishing responsibility
for tho fire. and for accomplishing the
punishment of the people WIN should be
found guilty Of criminal negligence.
Miss Lizzie Haley. leacher In the
public schools, created something OF
sensation by declaring that many ofSrhe
public school buildings are absolutely
without protection against fire. and that
repeated protests by teachers and prin-A
cipals had produced no result and had 4
not even been honored by a reply, 1t /
was the sense OF the meeting that dam
age suits should DO instituted against
Klaw and Erlanger who represent the \
eastern stockholders in the theatre. and
the manner Of doing this will he decideds
upon at q meeting next Wednesday,
night. Stas
The Iroquois death roll continues to-
grow. Another. death resulting from the RI
fire was reported to the coroner to-day
3 Mrs. MA Helms, died ut the Samaritan
Hospital from burns and injuries. Her
death Increased the total to 569. ", " s3