The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1904-01-13
NO FIRE PRECAUTIONS.
Managers Of IroquoIs Theater Admit
Carelessness In This Matter.
ExIts Locked and BoIted.

| HefgOre Monroe FulkersOn, VINO IL
conducting the Fire Department inves-
| tlgation into the Iroquois Theater fire,
the proprletors of the theater testi-
| fed. VIII j. Davis. Harry j. Powers
and Thomas j. Noonan. active mana
ger of the Iroquois. all pleaded ignor-
ance of any precautions taken to pre-
vent loss of life by fire at their thea
ter. They admitted failure TO in
struct employees In fighting fire. and
failure even to provide suitable appli
ances for use against flames. Their
statements were corroborated by the
testimony of 20 employees Of the thea
ter, none OF whom had ever been told
his duty In case of fire.
Noonan, who Is the working mana
ger of the theater under direction OF
Davis and Powers. admitted that IL
of the theater exits were locked and
| bolted. Two of these exits leading
to the front OF the theater on the
ground floor were locked, three addl-
tional exits on the north side of the
ground floor were bolted, three exits
on the north side of the theater from
the first balcony were boted and
three on the north side of the Sec
ond balcony were botted.
Had these last three exits In each
balcony been available. according to
inspector FulkersOn. the loss of life
would have been greatly diminished.
Noonan declared that no person had
been named by the theater manage.
ment to superlntend the operation of
the ventllators of the theater In case
of fire, and that In consequence the
flames had been permitted to sweep
the place instead of seeking n natu-
ray outlet through the stage roof.
From figures obtained by Noonan II
became evident that almost one i'm
three of the people who attended the
matinee lost their Lives, the percent
age being trife over 81 per cent.
The theater seated 1,G0G persons. and
In addition to these 236 had been adj
mitted after all seats were sold, max
ing total of 1,S42 persons in the
theater, of whom 591 were killed.
David Jones, John Kingsbury, Otto
Rausch and William Brown, the Full.
Ter Construction Company employees
arrested on a charge of malicious mis-
chief In destroying evidence at the Iro.
quois Theater by changing the sky
lights, were held under bonds Of s., 900
each. Their cases were set for hear.
ing January II.
Secret Of the Fire.
Fire Inspector Fukerson announced
that he had discovered the secret of
the fire. The asbestos curtain upon
which the safety of the audience de.
pended was. according to Mr.. Fulker.
son. blocked in its descent by steel
reflector, carelessly left open by
stage hand. While one end of the
curtain got to within Ave feet of the
stage, the other was suspended 90
feet above It, and beneath It swept
the flood of flame that carried death
| to so many hundreds. The first step
toward definite conclusion as to the
cause of the file was made when Will
| liam McMullen, operator of the spot
light, threw the blame upon another
electric light nearby. The task was
completed when Mr.. Fulkerson follow
ed up a clue furnished by John A.
Mazzoni. stage hand. and discover
ed the deadly reflector still open in
the ruins of the theater.
VIII j. Davis and Harry Powers,
proprletors of the Iroquols theater,
and Building Commissioner Williams
are under arrest, charged with man.
slaughter. They have been released
on $4,000 bonds. The warrants for
their arrest were sworn out by Arthur
Il. Hull. who lost his wife and three
children In the fire. Mr. Hull ex-
planned that his action was not in
spired by any motive of vengeance.
but simply to make 1t certain that the
owners of the theater should not es-
cape any chance of punishment that
was rlghtfully theirs while stage
hands and electricians and other en-
ployes were compelled to suffer.
Ghouls by the score focked to the
scene of the theater and began rob.
bing the dead. They crushed
through the doorways of the temper
ary morgues by the hundreds in the
guise of frantic mourners seeking for
their lost relatives. and they carried
OFF rings. watches and purses and jew
elry despite the utmost efforts of the
police.
Mayor Harrison, of Chicago order
ed all the theaters in the city closed
until the owners comply with the laws
requiring fire protection.