Perth Amboy evening news., 1904-01-02
RwLAYHOtSES CLOSED
Mayor Harrison's Firm Stand
For Asbestus Curtains.
NINETEEN IHEATERS ARE UNDER BAN
Chief of Police Causes Arrest of
Many IroquOis Employees, h
Charge Against Them Be-
ing Manslaughter.

CHICAGO, Jan. 2.-MayoF Carter Fl.
Harrison ordered Building Commits
sioner Williams and Chief of Police
O'Neill to inspect ali city theaters and
ascertain whether they were protected
by an asbestus curtain or not, and on
their report he has closed nineteen the
alters, some of them being among the
leading and most popular playhouses of
the city.
The act of the mayor was based on
one single violation Of the ordinances
which are intended to protect the pa
irons of the theaters from just such an
occurrence as that which cost so many
lives. This was that every one of these
places had omitted to supply an asbes-
tus curtain. The theaters ordered closed
are:
Towards, Sam T.. Jacks, Marlowe,
New American, Olympic, Academy of
Music, Alhambra, Avenue, Bijou, Chi
q G Opera House, Columbus Stock,
Thirty-irst Street, Criterion, Fiegen-
baum's, Milwaukee Avenue, Garrick
and Glickman's.
In addition to these the London
Globe museum and the Clark Street
museum were also compelled to close
their doors.
The inspection ordered by the mayor
was carried out by Building Commits
sioner Williams and Chief of Police
O'Neill. The scope of the investigation
included no other feature than ashes
tus curtains. The mayor instructed
Commissioner Williams to report to
him promptly at the conclusion of his
investigation, declarinS that it was his
lowed to open its doors in CHS>ago
hereafter unless it was provided with
an asbestus curtain of standard quail
ty that would work at all times and
under all conditions.
ut may not be possible" said Mayor
Harrison, ''to prevent loss of life when
audiences rush for the doorways, but
I have determined to see that every
precaution is taken to prevent such oc-
currences as will alarm the people and
start them on a rush for the exits. 1t
is all very well to say that the great
loss of life in the Iroquois theater was
due to the fact that the people lost
their heads and crowded into the door
ways and aisles like maniacs, but the
fact remains, and it cannot be denied,
that there would have been no panic
if the apparatus in this theater, which,
Judged by all ordinary standards, was
the best equipped playhouse in the
city, had been in proper working n
dition. There is no getting beyond
that fact. From all the evidence now
in hand it is clear that if the asbestus
curtain in this theater had been in the
condition it should have been there
would have been no loss of life, COM
p%aratively speaking" !
The report of Building Commissioner
Williams showed that the Academy 9f
Music, with a seating capacity OF 2,OU0,
had a curtain of burlap. The Alham-
bra. with a seating capacity of 2.3OO;
the Avenue, 600; the Bijou, 1900; Ozark
Street museum, go; Criterion, 1t400j
Fiegenbaum's, 400; Towards, 1909
Marlowe, 1900, and New AmeFicah
1,4OO, all had curtains of linen.i The
curtain in the Chicago Opera House
was of burlap, covered with fFeprooi
paint. In the Columbus Stockftheate
and in Sam T. Jacks it WASP of can
as. The Olympic theater,l with {
seating capacity of about 1890 people
has a curtain of canvas.
''There were other glaring defects,
said Building Commissioner Williams
(which were noticed in some of ths
houses, but we were not paying partic
ular attention to them, although l notes
them. and the theatrical managers will
/ be compelled to remedy them as sooI
as possible"
Such a day Of mourning Chicago
never before witnessed. InI every por
ton of the city almost 1T seemed al
though there were funerals going O
undertaken wagons arriving with deat
lwho were being brought tb their bones
for the last time. se Iysgt /.
Warrants charging HAIRY J.. Powers
| Will J. Davis and Building Commits
sioner Williams with manslaughtel
haye. been issued by Justice Under
wood on complaint of Arthur f. Hull
whose wife and three children wer'
killed in the Iroquois theater fire.
The complaint states that these de
| PENDANTS did wilifuliy and maliciousll
.canse the death of Helen Hull by; fail
ing to provide the proper protectinI
Eagainst injury and death by fire in tn
CONSTRUCTION and management of, tn
Iroqnois; t~heater." sieg f.
Twelve persons, employees of the the
ater, have been arrested by order Q
IChief Of Police O'NeiIl. The ehaEg
against them is lat present that of beinI
accessory to manslaughter. They vii
be held for the coroner,s Jury. 4,
Seven of the men arrested are: Wi
liam Carltony stage manager; Edwar'
Cummings. stage carpenter; Frank Jan
draw, r. NJ. Cummings, Z. Engle, Thorn
as Mcqueen, and s. J.. Masoni.
The lat five are stage hands an
| eoano cbiftnrc