The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1904-01-02
DEAD WAS FOUND IN PILES
Fight For Life During Panic is
Beyond Description.
SCORES TRAMPLED TO DEATH

Equipment Was Not in Place.
Chicago. Dec. 3l-About $50 per
sons were killed in TO- minutes in a
fire in the lroGuois theatre the newest,
the largest and, as far as human power
could make il. the safest theatre In
Chicago. Estimates Of the dead and
injured vary The police account OF
the dead Is obs The estimate OF the
news. apers is SOP. Besides this. there
are 50 people missing the majority
Of whom are probably among the dead
in the mOrgue and various undertaking
establishments. Eightysix OF the dead
have been positively identified and
q others are known TO be injured.
A few OF these people were burned
10 death by fire. many were suffOcated
by gas. and scores were trampled TO
death in the panic that followed the
mad plunge of the frightened audience
for the exits. Many OF the dead will
never be identified. There are bodies
lying by the dozens in the undertaking
rooms. in the police stations and in the
hospitals. from which nearly every
thing that could reveal their identity
10 those who knew them best is gone.
Their clothing is torn to rags or burn
ed 20 cinders. and their faces have
been trampled into an unacceptable
pulp by the heels of the crowd that
trampled them down as they fed Tor
safety.
The fire broke ont during the second
act Of the play. Mr. Blue Beard, '
which was the first dramatic production
produced in the theatre since its cree
ton. The company, which was very
large. escaped TO the street in safety
nearly all Of them. however being
compelled to Zee into the snowy streets
with no clothing on but their stage
costumes.
The accounts Of the origin OF the
FIRE are conflicting and none OF them
are certain, but the best reason given
is that an electric wire near the lower
part of a piece of drop scenery sud-
denly broke and was grounded. The
fire spread rapidly toward the front
Of the stage. causing the members II
the chorus. who were then engaged in
the performance TO flee to the wings
with screams OF terror The fire in
itself M 20 this time was not serious.
and possibly could have been checked
had not the asbestos curtain failed 10
work. As soon as the fire was discov-
oh Of
the company. shouted TO lower the cur
tain. and this was Immediately done.
Ii descended about half way and then
stuck. The fire thus was given prac-
ticaly a flue through which strong
draft was setting, aided by the doors.
which had been thrown open in the
front OF the theatre.
Burned TO Death Where They Sat.
With a roar and a bound. the flames
shot through the opening over the
heads of the people on the first floor
and. reaching up to those in the first
balcony. caught them and burned them
to death where they sat Immediately
following this rush OF flames there
came an explosion which lifted the en-
tire roof OF the theatre from its walls,
shattering the great skylisht into trae-
ments. AS soon as the flames first ap-
peared beyond the curtain, a man in
the rear Of the hall shouted Fire.
Fire" and the entire audience rose as
one person and made for the doors.
As near as can be estimated at the
present time about 1900 people were in
the theatre Three hundred Of these
were left on the first floor, the bal
ance being in the two upper balconies
and in the Railways back OF them
The theatre is modelled after the
Opera Comique, in Paris, and from the
rear of each balcony there are three
doors leading out to passageways
toward the front Of the theatre. TWO
of these doorways are at the end OF
the balcony and one being In the CEN
ire. The audience in its rush for the
outer air seems to have. for the. greater
part chosen to fee to the left entrance
and 10 attempt 20 make its way down
the eastern stairway leading into the
lobby of the theatre. Outside OF the
people burned and suffocated by gas.
II was in these two doorways on the
first and second balconies That the
4 greatest loss of life occurred.
Terrible Struggle For Life.
When the fremen entered the build
ing the dead were found stretched In
nile reaching from the head Of the
stairway at least eight feet from the
door back TO point about hve feet IN
the rear of the door. This mass OF dead
bodies in the centre of the doorway
reached TO within two feet of the top
of the passageway. All of the corpses
at this point were women and chill
dren The fight for life which must
have taken place at these two points Is
something that is simply beyond hu-
man power adequately 20 describe.
Only a faint idea OF its horror could DO
derived from the aspect OF the bodies
as they lay Women on top OF these
masses of dead had been overtaken by
death as they were crawling on their
hands and knees over the bodies CT
those who had died before. Others lay
/ with arms stretched out In the direction
/ toward which lay life and safety, hold
/ ing in their hands fragments Of gar
ments not their own. They were evil
IDENTIFY torn FROM the clothing OF others
whom they had endeayored to pull
down and trample under foot as they
fought for their own lives. AS the po-
lice removed layer after layer OF dead
in these doorways, the sight became too
much even for police and firemen har-
dened as they are to such scenes, TO
endure.
The bodies we're in such an mex
tricable mass, and so tightly were they
TANNED between the sides Of the door
and the walls that II was impossible
to lift them one by one and carry them
out. The only possible thing to do
was to seize limb or some other por-
ton of the body and pull with main
strength. Men worked at the task with
tears running down their cheeks, and
the sobs of the rescuers could be heard
even in the hall below where this
awful scene was being enacted.
Bodies Crushed to Pulp.
AS one by one the bodies were drag
ged out of the water-soaked. blackenee