The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-01-11
MANAGERS ARE
GLAD TO COMPLY
THEATRICAL MEN WILL GLADLY
HEED MAYORS SUGGESTIONS
Lac stafford Says Discipline Among
Employees Counts for Much More
Than Safety Appliances, but the
Latter Will Not Be Overlooked.

Managers Of the various Mime
apolls theaters seem thOroly in accord
with the spirit Of Mayor Haynes rec
concentrations made to the city coun-s
Gil Friday night. They realize that
While there is probably no more dan
ger from fire now than there has been
at any time since the buildings were
erected, the public is somewhat
wrought up as result Of the Chicago
catastrophe, and they are out to do
all they can to .allay this feeling. They
say work will be hurried as rapidly
as possible. ',@4
Lac Stafford Of the metropolitan
theater said this morning..
You cannot make any theater
panic-proof. Discipline is the whole
thing, or at least 80 per cent Of the
element of safety in case of fire. Now
that the smoke has cleared away, it
develops that the Chicago horror was
the fact that the lights Of the Iro-
quois were not turned on when the au-
dience rushed for the exits. The
switchboard was in convenient reach
of any of the employees Of the theater
and could have been turned on by
some one in a second, thus giving the
audience every opportunity to get out
cipline in the Iroquois theater would
have undoubtedly prevented any loss
of life whatever. Even If the theater
had not been equipped with the as
bestos curtain which failed to work,
and had the employees the presence Of
mind to drop the: ordinary cloth cur
tain, it would have, checked the draft
and prevented the burst .of flame into
the auditorium, at least long enough
for the audience to pass out in safety.
Another instance of8hoW sunreason-
able and dangerous a crowd becomes
when it once gets started is shown
by the loss of life at the opening Of
the Brooklyn bridge, where there was
no danger Of fire and the factor of
exits did not enter into the PROPOSE
ton in any way, and yet a stampede
in the crowd cost several lives.
AN instance of a similar kind, with
a heavy loss of life, occurred in con-
nection with the feeding of a large
number of people by. the. Gear of Rus
STA near Moscow, number of years
ago. A big crowd, right in the open
field, zstampeded and several hundred
were trampled to death.
Discipline What Co--nts.
Disciplined men distributed thru a
gathering will do more to prevent dis
aster than any number Of safety appli-
ances which can be introduced, as evil
dence Of which the figures from the
! 1rOquOis theater are deeply significant.
The loss by fire was less than four per
! cent Of the cost Of the building, while
the casualties were Sc per cent Of the
audience. ~
I do not mean by this that we are
not wholly in sympathy with the sug-
gestfons of the mayor, or of any other
public agencies, to make the condi-
tions in, the Minneapolis buildings as
nearly as possible. - &c
while we do not admit that the
oof ,o1 So
in the Minneapolis theaters now than
it has been at any time Since they were
erected, we do realize taat under the
| present conditions It is ID good bust
ness proposition as Welt as q humane
tartan one to insure Speedy exit for
our audiences when they DESIRE it. .
This does not necessarily mean fire
proof theaters, as it IS not necessary
! to make. the theaters fireprOOf to- in
sure speedy exit. We will see thai
our patrons are insured every oppor-
tunity to get out; then, if the house
burns, it is a matter between us and
the Insurance companies.
TT goes without saying that the
employees Of the Minneapolis theaters
have been drilled up ito high point
| of efficiency in using appliances and
ideas for assisting an audience to pass
out of a building. Other improve.
ments that are deemed necessary viii
be put in as rapidly as practicable, an6
in the meantime we feel perfectly
safe in regard to the use of our build.
ings. by our patrons" .
4 It transpires that the emergenc.
exits at the Metropolitan theater,, a:
well as at some of the other Mime
apolis playhouses, are SO easil!
1 opened, being fastened by only small
| sliding bolt, that once in a while dead
| heads have succeeded in getting thru
| them.
i Mr.. Stafford admitted that such was
| the case to-day, but added that he
1 would sooner that few people would
/ get in und ertlle canvas, so to speak
4 than to have things in such a shape
4 that a large number of people coult
not get out when necessary.