The Republican journal., 1904-01-14
THE CHICAGO TRAGEDY.
A MAINE MANS EXPERIENCE IN THE
IROQUOIs THEATRE FIRE.


1R0QUOIS THEATRE FIRE.
AUGUSTA, JAN. 6. Francis M, Peaks
received a letter this afternoon from
his father, Col. J. B. Peaks. railroad
commissioner, who, with his brother in
law, was one of those having narrow
escapes from the Iroquois theatre fire
IN chicago. The letter says in part:
'Ihe scenes were too horrible for
description, yet l did not see. | pre-
sumo, a tenth part of the fearful eff
1orts OF the crazed and maddened
throng to escape from a horrible death.
we mad seats on the floor in the eighth
row from the stage, and about midway
from side to side of the theatre. The
capacity was less than 100, am told.
yet it is said over 22OO tickets had been
sold. know that when we went into
the theatre standing room only was
being sold at the ticket office.
"We took our seats Just as the Or
chestra commenced the overture. Two
thirds of the audience seemed to be
women and children. l saw bnt few
men in front of us. The first act went
off with jolly eclat. The audience
seemed to appreciate to the fullest the
catchy music and the holiday spirit of
the play. Young women and children
all about us applauded enthusiastically
and seemed especially merry and hap
py;
"The curtain had been rung down upon
the first act before an audience of de-
lighted people. The second act was be-
gun. The scenery was gorgeous. the
music delightful, the costumes magnifi-
cent. a double quartette of male and
female voices commenced to sing 'In
the Moonlight" | was looking at the
moon showing just above the clouds in
the scenery, when, at the left of the
stage, about two-thirds up from the
floor, l noticed little puff of fame. 1t
seemed to go out, but sparks kept fall
ing to the floor, was somewhat start
led but kept my seat. 1t flashed again, a
little further up, and | became aware
that the scenery was on fire.
People grew uneasy. feared panic,
so l stood up and said to those about
us, Don't be alarmed, this will be out
in moment William also said to
those in front of him, 1T is better to be
calm and not create panic.'
Zone woman sitting in front of us,
lady of some 60 years of age, who APP
parently had party of young girls in
ClldlSC, UCudtCo uClO1Cdlly. SUt Udu
risen from her seat, but on hearing
Williams reassuring words she called
to her young ladies with smile l shall
and keep your wits and we shall get out
safely Il afterwards had the satisfac-
ton of seeing these women 60 out of
the scenery was we'll afiame on the left
han6 ci6o of tho h,1f fo1f
heat from it,
''Some of the stage hands were at
tempting to lower the asbestos curtain,
but it would not lower. 1t stuck on its
way down and they could not move it.
Eddie Foye, the comedian of the play,
with sparks and portions of the burning
scenery falling upon him, stepped to the
front of the stage and said something
which l could not understand. By this
time every person who had been sitting
in front of us had gone out into the
aisle and were pushing their way to the
back of the theatre. The confusion
was indescribable.
"The screams of the women, the
cries of the children and the stampede
of the whole audience created a bedlum
of the entire place. The stage was all
on fire and burned like dry brush pile.
Up to this time William and l had not
left our seats. Though we had not ex-
changed a word we seemed to be of one
mind, that we would not get into the
vortex and have our lives crushed out
in the mad frenzy. Suddenly, as
though some one had opened wide a
door in the rear, the wind blew the
flames out from the stage into the
theatre so that our faces were burned
and our clothes were scorched.
81 said to William. we can't stay
here any longer. | looked behind me
and to my amazement saw the seats
empty and the people struggling in
aisles. We jumped to the tops of the
seats. The floor was strewn with
clothing of all kinds.
"Furs, capes, coats and hats were
left in confusion. We walked on the
backs of the seats to the rear of the
theatre and instinctively started for
the main exit (horrible misnomer) But
all! What sight. For some reason
there were no lights and | could see
only the light from the burning scenery
which showed diagonally across.
"The exit was choked with bodies
piled six or eight deep where mature
women, young women, girls and chill
dren had been tumbled into heap at
what seemed to me to be landing at
the bottom Of some stairs, and
hundreds were jumping upon and
climbing over them, only to increase
the horror and the impossibility of
getting out.
81 could see no escape in that direc-
ton unless | trampled upon the bleed
ing forms of these women and children,
and l involuntarily turned back, say
ing to myself, L am too old now to
die the coward
II saw things there that are too aw-
full to believe. l saw one man kick an
other who was in his way, when each
was endeavoring to assist some loved
one from that human death trap. l saw
men strike each other and women catch
each other by the hair in their agonized
efforts to free themselves from the
crowd. Awful as this is to relate it is
nevertheless probable that those very
persons were for the time bereft of rea-
son, and knew nothing but the instinc-
tive law of preservation.
Gas turned back from this scene of
horror | heard William saying to me 1:
This way, l think there is an exit on
the other side l followed him across
the threatre where we found an exit
opening into an alley. This exit at that
time was not blocked at all. In fact,
William and I were, | think, the last
two persons who went out of the lower