Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-01-07
INQUEST is BEGUN
Over Victims of Iroquois
Theater Disaster.
IT WILL BE THOROUGH
CORONER HAS SECURED SOME
VALUABLE TESTIMONY.
Identity of Persons Who Died at End
of South Passage
Discovered.
IT WILL BE THOROUGH

CHICAGO, January THE coroners In
quest over the remains OF the victims of the
Iroquois Theater disaster began today. The
coroner's official list of dead for use at the
inquest, contains just 5G5 names. Previous
police reports indicating 591 dead are de-
clared now to be inaccurate and due 10
shifting of bodies from one morgue to an
other.
Preparations were complete for the most
searching inquiry into the causes of this
great public calamity. Coroner Traeger
presided over the investigation. with States
Attorney Deneen or one of his assistants
in constant attendance as the coroner's
legal representative and the corporation
counsel, the county attorney a score Of
lawyers representing private interests and
numerous officials of the fire and police de-
partments taking part in the inquiry.
1t is estimated that II will require at least
six days for the jury to hear the testimony
of the 200 or more witnesses.
Jury Had Viewed the Bodies.
The provision of the law that the jury
shall view the bodies over which the In
quest is held having already been compiled
with, Coroner Traeger entered at once upon
the examination of the witnesses to deter
mine the cause of the fire and the respon-
sibility for the loss of life. Technically
the inquest is held over the body OF Miss
Mary Edna Torney and .G4 others.
Deputy Coroner Buckley knew Miss Tor ;
ney and arrived on the scene of the lire
few minutes after her body had been car )
ried out He was able to locate the two po-
licemen who had handled the body. The
check to her seat in the theater was found
in her clothing.
Precise evidence can. therefore, be de-
Quoted as to the circumstances of her
these circumstances VIII be IN
terpreted to apply in general to the ''o64
others" Although some died OF asphyxia-
ton, some of burns and some from concus-
sion, the jury will find that death IN each
of the 565 cases resulted from "shock and
injury" The jury will sign a separate ver-
dict for each victim.
Valuable Evidence Discovered.
For the task of fixing the responsibility
for the great loss of1ife, States Attorney
Deneen instructed Coroner Traeger TO es-
tablish the identity, If possible OF some
person or persons who died at the end OF
the passage leading south from the en-
trance of the second balcany. There a
locked door cut off the escape OF hundreds
whose bodies were found against the barri-
caded door. The coroner has succeeded IN
gathering this evidence.
Mrs B. K. Strong of Chicago and her
niece, Vera Strong of Ameficus, Ga, died at
the foot of the stairway. The story OF
told to the coroner by James NJ. Strong,
son of the elder victim. Mr. Strong, who Ii
q board of trade clerk, consented to testlfy.
The arrest of VIM. J. Maher and George
Nagel. which took place today, Is consld-'
cred important by Coroner Traeger in con-
nection with the investigation. The men
were employed by subcontractor of the
Fuller Construction Company. According
to the police the men say they nailed
down the ventilators on the roof or the
theater over the stage, and the examination
will show that the skylight frames had
never been removed.
Safety Vents Never Operated.
In other words, the safety vents for
fire on the stage were never operated, even
experimentally and every audience that
ever sat in the Iroquois Theater from the
day the theater was opened had been IN
imminent danger of roasting to death
wholesale whenever fire broke out on the
stage E. Krifting is the subcontractor OF
the Fuller Construction Company VINO en-
ploved Maher and Nagel. The two work
men were at home in bed when arrested.
The workmen explain to the ponce t,aI .ne
nails were expected to be removed iater
and the skylights placed in proper WORKING
order when the theater was pIaceo III lhs
hands of the owners. Both men expressed
Willingness to appear before the corohers
jury.
Statement by Maher.
Great stress is laid Dy the coroiieI upoA
the developments during the fpquest IN re-
la ton to the stage ventilator and ar shai's'
the proper working OF which. 1t is heid'
would have saved hundreds from death'
The ventilators and shafts were opened the
naxt morning after the fire by Foreman
David Jones of the George Fuller Cohslu uc
Hon Company, and the two Worknien'
Maher and Nagel. According 10 the pohces
Maher today said that ne hao cIai se %
The yentilator was to have been operated
by lever from the stage, SO that IL c9uiu
bs thrown open at a moments notice' put,
according to Maher, the lever was never
fitted Maher acccr ding to the police, says
that he vent to the theater the day after
the fire and looked TO gee II the lever nao
been attached, but could IND no trace OF IL;
He saw several temporary scantlngs sun
nailed to the wall in the way he had hxed
them when his part OF the work OF con-
structing the theater was finished
Exhibit A. at the inquest probably VIII
be the fatal flood light from which the fire
originated. Fire Department Attorney
Fulkerson and two city firemen went to the
theater building today to recover this
hooded lamp, which was operated by Ed
ward McMullen when the fire broke out.
Will Attend Coroner's Inquest.
Attorney Fulkerson decided today to hold
no sessions in the city's fire investigation,
but instead to be present with a stenogra-
pher at the coroner iHpueSt' anu tiei9
secure testimony pertinent to the citys
inquiry Any witnesses Mr.. Fulker-
son wishes to question later will be re-
called for the separate inquiry by the city
fire department The first witpess before
the coroner's jury John c. Calvin,
painting contractor He testified that on
the afternoon of the fire he stepped into
the vestibue of the Iroquois Theater to
purchase tickets for the following evening.
AS he turned to the ticket Office the center
doors of the lobby foyer and the outside
doors were blown open as though
by a blast of hot air. Looking into the
foyer, he saw people running toward the
entrance. He rushed to the lobby and
to open the west door, that
being the nearest. 1t was locked the
inside. and he could do nothing with It.
BAN ON COLISEUM RAISED.