New Iberia enterprise and independent observer. (New Iberia, La.) 1902-1944, 1904-01-09
THE IROOUOIS THEATRE HORROR.

i This has been an age Of disasters
the like of which have not visited
| the world for centuries - disasters
of every kind, by fire and storm,
Earthquake and volcano. Not with.
in many hundred years has the
world heard of anything more hor.
1rible in death from storm and food
than that which overwhelmed the
lefty of Galveston but three years
Iago. Not within the memory of
man had there been a greater loss
lof life from this cause. and the
stories of agony that came from
the Island City almost frozs ones
blood. 1t was . ghastly tale,
not the disaster only, but the
weeks that followed, with the dead
lying sunburied and poisoning the
air. Then closely after came the
st. Pierre disaster. There have
been many volcanic outbursts, at
tended with loss Of life, but moth
ing equal to the disaster that in a
second annihilated the prosperous
city Of St. Pierre. leaving not a
building behind and but one sur
viving inhabitant.
And now comes at Chicago the
greatest Of all fire disasters, the
greatest loss of lives occurring in
single building with the single ex-
ception Of the disaster that occurr-
ed in the Cathedral at Santiago,
Chill, in 1868, when nearly two
thousand young girls awaiting con-
firmation were burned to death.
The victims of the Chicago fire
similarly were much the same
young girls and children.
Chicago has bad fire record.
The fire Of 1871 was the greatest
the world has ever known in the
destruction Of property it caused,
but in the loss Of life-far dearer
lit pales into insignificance before
the destruction Of the Iroquois
Theatre yesterday, SO graphically
and so touchingly told elsewhere.
! The theatre was the newest and
finest one in Chicago, only q month
old, handsome internally and ex-
ternally-built after the model Of
the Opera Comique Of Paris. 1t
was popular, and SO was the play
running there, and 1t is easy to
imagine what q matinee audience
was congregated there yesterday
| in the midst of the Christmas holi-
days. OF that audience, 600 per-
sons, or more than ons-third, are
dead. and their deaths were horri-
Die beyond: description, for, buried
deep beneath the rush of panic.
stricken people, pinioned in tho
aisles and stairways, trampled and
bruised or smothsred by gas, they
were slowely burned to death, with
no chance or possibility to escape.
There is not much to be learned
from the disaster that can profit us.
The fire began from an electric
light accident, but the loss of life
was due mainly to that, fatal panic
against which no provision can be
made. Had the doors been twice
as wide and the staircase twice as
broad it would have mattered little
and would have saved but few lives
The panic had started.the audience
to the doors together, scrambllng,
fighting for exit. 1t required bni
one person to slip and pile up the
struggling humanitya dozed deep,
to shut off all escape. The fact
that the bnlk of the audience were
young women and children, the
usual matinee patrons, added t6
the panic and the loss of life Mer
wouid most likely have fough
their way ont, and the loss Of lift
wnnld, although heavy, have bee'
,tss than it was, but with two
thonsaud..or more women--mainl,
yniiug women--and children. III,
confusion, panic and5 loss Of lif,
was Inevitable.
There are few provisions lha
! can lie made against such disaster
hntthe question will call forthe bes
Eaud most careful consideration, t,
, sssnre better protection to life il
all cases where u large humber o