Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-01-02

me newest theatre in Chicago, the
playhouse declared to be- fireproof
from dressing room to capstone, burn
ed till its stage was steel skeleton
and its wrecked interior a charnel
house. Fl
Why Curtain Failed to Work.
The only thing plain last night was
that the asbestos curtain did not fall.
The lyman Of the theatre, Charles
Johnson. said that for some time past
1t had been the practice at the theatre
to have the curtain high at night SO
as to permit good view for the aerial
ballet.
"They attempted to drop the cur
TAIN" he said, "but it would not drop
below the height it had been fixed at"
Manager Will Davis was not at the
theatre. The report made to him
was that the curtain caught when a
little way down and bulged out under
the force of the terrific draft.
Men tried to pull it down." he said.
1T would not come"
Absent from All Important Post.
Another report in wide circulation
was that the assistant stage manager
who had Immediate charge of the cur
tain. was not on the stage but in front.
He, it was declared, could have touch
ed an electric button which would
have operated the sheet insa second
Without him, according to this story
the attempt was made clumsily to run
the curtain down by hand, an attempt
that failed.
The fire started while the double oc-
tet was singing ''In the Pale Moon
light" Eddie Foy, off the stage, was
making up for his elephant" speciality.
On the audiences left--the stage
right-a line of fire flashed straight up.
It was followed by a noise as Of an ex-
plosion. According to nearly all ac-
| counts, however, there was no real ex-
plosion, the sound being that of the
fuse on the "spot" light, the light
which is turned on pivot to follow
and illuminate the progress Of the star
across the stage.
"Spot" Electric Light the Cause.
This light caused the fire. On this
all reports of the stage folk agree. AS
to manner, accounts differ widely. r.
M. Cummings, the boy in charge of
the light, said last night that it was
short circuited.
Stage hands, as they fled from the
scene, however, were heard to ques-
ton one another, "Who kicked over
the light?" The light belonged to the
"Bluebeard company.
Just a Little Flame at First.
The beginning of the disaster was
| fighting the line of wavering flame
along the muslin fly border for some
seconds before the audience knew any,
| thing was the matter.
The fly border, made Of muslin and
saturated with paint, was finder to the
Edames. 81. 9... !.
Nv Attack Blaze With Sticks.
The. stage hands grasped the long
sticks used in their work. They for
got the hand grenades that are suppos-
ed to be on every stage.
"Hit it out with the sticks!" was the
cry. "Beat it out" "Beat it out!"
The men struck savagely. A few
yards of the border fell upon the stage
and was stamped to charred frag-
ments.
That sight was the first warning the
audience had. For a second there
was hush. The singers halted in
their lines; the musicians ceased to
play.
Then the murmur Of fear ran
through the audience There were
cries from a few, followed by the
breaking, rumbling sound of the first
step toward the flight of panic.
One Man Keeps His Head.
At that moment a strange, grotesque
figure appeared upon the stage. 1t
wore tights. loose upper garment,
and the face was one-half made up.
The man was Eddie Foy. chief comedi-
an of the company, the clown, but the
only man who kept his head.
Before he reached the center of the
stage he had called out to stage
hand: Take my boy, Bryan, there.
Get him out. There by the stage way
The stage hand grabbed the little
chap. Foy saw him dart with him to
safety as he turned his head.
Freed of parental anxiety, he faced
the audience
Keep quiet!" he shouted. .sQuiet.,'
go out in order!" he shouted.
Don't get excited" .s
Between EXPLANATIONS he bent over
toward Herbert Dillea, the orchestra
leader.
Orchestra Plays In Face Of Death.
start an overture!". he commanded.
Start anything. For Gods sake, play,
play, play, and keep on playing"
The brave words were as bravely an.
swered. Gillea raised his wand, and
the musicians began to play. Better
than any one in the theatre they knew
their peril. They could look slantingk
ly up and see that the 800 sets of thd
"Bluebeard" scenery all were ablazel
Their faces we're white, their hands
trembled, but they played, and played.
Foy stood there, alternately urgilhg
the frightened people to avoid panic
and squirting the orchestra on. Ohe
by one the musicians dropped fiddle,
horn and other instruments and STOLE
away.
Clown" Proves Hero.
Finally the leader and Foy wereS left
alone. Foy gave one glance upward
and saw the scenery all \ afi2sne,
Dropping brands fell around him
then he fed-just in time to saw
own life. The Clown" had p
himself a hero.