Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-01-11
AN APPALLING SIGHT
ONE MANS EXPERIENCE AT IRo-
ouoIs THEATER FIRE.


The following lis part OF q letter received
in Washington this morning from a mem
Der of the Associated Press STAFF in Chi
eago, detailing the personal experience of
the man who had charge OF the work of
preparing the story of the Iroquois Theater
fire. For obvious reasons names are omit
ted. This letter gives insight into the
perils and trials OF a news writer for the
great dailies. and shows to the public that
all is not beer and skittles" with the re-
porters for the press.
incidentally, the letter was written in re-
ply to- a personal request Of the recipient
for details.
The writer recites that he was told of
the fact that there was a fire at the Iro-
auois Theater, and continues:
when went into the theater there were
number OF men standing around in the
foyer, and they did notssppear to have the
slightest idea that there had been many
deaths. Two or three TO whom I spoke
said that everybody was out. For some
reason that could not explain thought
differently, and started up the stairs from
the foyer to the first balcony. A fireman
was very thick. / bent low and, holding
my handkerchief over my mouth, climbed
the stairs and went into the door at the
west end Of the balcony. It was as dark
there.
Ghastly Heap Of Dead.
IT erawled along under the smoke, which
nearly strangled me, to the east door of
the first balcony, where there was more
light, with the fireman close behind me.
In minute or so / stumbled and nearly
fell, and the fireman said: My God, don t
step in their faces 1 looked up then, and
right In front of me was pile of dead
women higher than my head. The door In
which they lay was wider and higher than
the ordinary door. / should say that the
pile was about as high as the top of the
upper hinge on the ordinary door. l re-
member that as l stood there j was COM
PEELED to look up at a pretty sharp angle
to Sc the top OF the pile.
''There was girl lying on top wearing
light blue waist. She had fallen on her
face, and had twisted half around in the
effort to escape from the pressure upon
her. There was no need of paying atten-
ton to the others, as 1t was evident from
the manner In which they lay that if those
on top of the pile were not alive, all the
rest were dead. The girls arm hung down
and l seized it and puIlfd, but could not
extricate her. had to work in closer, and
take brace against the pile of bodies be-
fore / could drag her out. ] carried her
off few feet and felt for her heart, but 1t
was all over before 1 had reached her. 1
took her about twenty feet distant to a
little landing and went back for another.
On the way passed the fireman, who was
carrying woman in a;3brown dress. The
next woman was too heavy for one man to
lift, and I had to wait until- the fireman
came back before we could get her out.
Left Work to Others.
LAS soon as we found tie dead we called
to the men down on the first floor. and
they came as fast as they could. I carried
out, I sthould think, about a dozen bodies,
and then there were so many men there
that left the work to those who had moth
else to do, and went after the story.
"It has always been my experience in a
story calling for fast work that there is
much gained by taking those things that
available, and allowing those things to
wait that can wait. / therefore paid no
attention at that time to such things as
the cause of the fire. interviews or anything
of that kind. What I wanted was sight
of that theater before anything had been
taken, out.
The Second Balcony
II went down stairs, grabbed hold of a
boy, made him rich for life and sent him
to telephone a message to the office, and
then / went into the theater. 1t was very
dark, very smoky, very wet, and 1 had
nothing to get around with but some
matches and a feeble light that I had bor
rowed from fireman. In the second bal
cony there was a pile of women and chill
dren that was much larger than that on
the first floor, and. they were lying all
around in the aisleS Every now and then
I would collide with one and go down, and
altogether it was not an agreeable expert
ence.
II went through as rapidly as could and
came down stairs with the notion that
there were about geo dead, which after
TO. Iro f,fI IN, 70 nsff
mate of what I had seen, but there were
many lying around on the floors that did
not see and could not see without stronger
light.
was going out I told q number Of other
newspaper men that I thought there were
200 dead, and one Of them told me I was
crazy. He insisted that there were not 100
be safe in saying that eighty were dead.
told him l most certainly did think so, and
then started for the oflcs."
The Story Completed.
The letter contains an account of getting
the story out, and says:
along about II 80 the superintendent Of
the division came in and asked how was
getting along. and ! told him that would
have 10000 words in the least by midnight.
He smiled as though he thought / was
making large statement and went away.
Two hours later he came back and asked,
How much? and when.E answered, About
1900, including Names he just looked at
me- and remarked after bit:
Do you know that 1900 words Is about
as much as the Associated Press ever han
dies on national convention with twenty
men at work? M
II knew that, OF course, bat I had not
happened to think of 1t in Just that way.
There were only the three OF us on the
story at any time-one with names. another
with his side issues. and with the main
story. We started at about 7:S0 o'clock.
and were all clear at about 1:30-10 600
words in six hours"
Clemency to Major Goe.
Gen. Funston. commanding the Depart