Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1904-01-02

'hSatie, tHe newest, tne largest, ana
far as human power could make it, Il
safest theatre In Chicago
. Estimates of the dead and injure
vary. The police account of the dea
Is 636. The estimate OF the newspape,
Is 662. Besides this there are 55 peop
missing at midnight, the majority
whom are probably among the dead |
, the morgue and various undertaken
, establishments. Eighty-sIx Of the dea
have been positively identified and 8
others are known to be injured
1t will be many hours before th
number Of the dead Is accuratel
known, and many days before all G
them will be identified. There ar
bodies lying by the dozens in the un
dertaking rooms, in the police station
and in the hospitals, from which near
ly everything that could reveal thei
identity to those who knew them bes
is gone. Their clothing Is torn to rag
or burned to cinders and their faces
trampled beyond recognition.
The fire broke out during the secont
act of the play, "Mr. Bluebeard," which
was the first dramatic production In
the theatre since it's erection.
The company, which was very large
escaped in safety, nea,ly all of them
however, being compelled to flee into
the snowy streets with 10 clothing but
their stage costumes. A few sustained
minor injuries, but none were seriously
| hurt.
The accounts of the origin of the fire
are conflicting, and none Of them cer-
tain, but the best reason given is that
an electric wire near the lower part of
piece Of drop scenery suddenly broke
and was eronnasu'rroht ol-,"e 'srase,
causing the members OF the chorus VINO
were then engaged in the performance,
TO flee to the wings with screams OF
terror The fire in itself up to this time
was not serious and possibly could
have been checked had not the asbes-
tos curtain failed to work.
AS soon as the fire was discovered
Eddie Foy the chief comedian or the
company shouted to lower the curtain,
and this was Immediately done. 1t be-
scended about half way and then stuck.
The fire was thus given practically
fiue through which strong draft was
setting, aided by the doors, which had
been thrown open In the front or the
theatre.
With a roar and bound, the flames
shot out through the opening over the
heads of the people on the first moor
and reaching clear up to those in the
first balcony, caught them and burned
them to death where they sat.
Immediately following this rush OF
flames there was an explosion which
! lifted the entire roof of the theatre
from its walls, shattering the great
skylight into fragments.
AS soon as the flames first appeared
| beyond the curtain man in the rear
of the hall shouted, Fire, fire." and
the entire audience rose as one person
and made for the doors
| 1t is believed that the explosion was
caused by the flames coming In con-
tact with the gas reservoirs or the
theatre.
Will j. Davis, manager of the thea
tre, said after the catastrophe that II
the people had remained in their seats
and had not been excited by the cry
of fire not single life would have been
lost This, however is contradicted by
the statements of the fremen who
found numbers of persons sitting In
their seats their faces directed toward
the stage as II the performance was
still going on. 1t was the opinion oi
the firemen that these people mad been
suffocated at once by the flow OF gas
which came from behind the asbestos
curtain.
AS near as can be estimated at the
present time, about 1900 people were IN
the theatre. Three hundred OF these
were on the first floor, the balance be-
ing in the two upper balconies and II
the Railways back Of them.
The theatre Is modelled after the
Opera ComiQue in Paris. and from th'
rear of each balcony there are three
doors leading out to passageways tow
ard the front of the theatre. Two @
these doorways are at the end OF thu
balcony and one being in the centre
/ | Inc auOleuCe III ltb luoh ici thS oueS
air seems to have, for the greater part
chosen to fee to the left entrance ant
to attempt to make its way down tn
eastern stairway leading into the lob
by OF the theatre. Outside Of the peo
pie burned and suffocated by gas,
was in these two doorways on the frs
I, ana second balconies that the creates
loss of life occurred.
!. When the firemen entered the build
: ing the dead were found stretched i
: a pile reaching from the head OF tn
; stairway at least eight feet deep In tn
: door back to a point about five fec
in the rear OF the door.
This mass OF dead bodies in the Ger
, ter of the doorway reached to with
two feet of the top of the passagewa.
> All of the corpses at this point wei
:, women and children.
The fight for life which must hay
taken place at these two points
something that is simply beyond h,
! man power adequately to describe. o.
= ly a faint idea of its horror could
ygl derived from the aspect of the bodit
D as they lay. Women on top Of the:
z masses of dead had been overtaken l
:, Shelleys First Work.
D. Tho discovery nf N second coDy