Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1904-01-09
ZEN Burned and
-hicago Fire.
:. BY FLAMES IN THE SCENERY.
the Victims Overcome By Gas Which Filled
The Auditorium Others Were Trampled to
Death-Scenes of Indescribable Distress
Attend the Great Catastrophe

I with the smoke curling about them.
every thing plunged i'll absolute dark
ness. not even friendly lantern TO
show them the way ont Oi tins dance
OF death.
The theatre. with its classic outlines.
beautiful plush hangings. the archcd
windows, with their stained glass. and
the stately pillars became a morguc III
! five minutes after the first little flame
made its way along the stage.
Women who had managed by
! strength or terror to get INTO the aiSleS
| found their awful ending i'll mingled
doom OF smoke and fire and tearing oil
limbs in the aislcs and in the open
/ space back oi the seats Dozens oil
others. swept. carried. dragged or
thrown out TO the stairwayS and even
beyond them To the landings i'll actual
sight OF the daylight that strcamed
through the big front doors in sight OF
the throngs outside. with fire wagons
and the smoking horses. died in great
masses 10 and - iect high limbs min
glcd fcarfully together. clothing burn
ed off and faces caught in their last
agonics all turned toward the doors
they could not reach.
From windows at the north aud west
end OF the building they strcamed,
! blinded by the smoke and crazed beyond
any possibility OF helping themselves
farther or OF taking advantage OF the
aid extended To them from the upper
floors of the buildings facing the the
atrc.
Ladders, planks. ropes. poles. every
thing that could possibly serve TO as
sist these poor creatures in their battle
for life were rugged and turned into
bridges, but few got across alive. Rap
idly one blackened corpse after another
was passed along until every building
on the north and west side was filled
with them
Barely five minutes alter the first
alarm was turned in tircmcn were strug
Cling into the theatre. making their way
IN some miraculous manner. though
the maddencd mob was pouring out
of the auditorium. doing what little
they could not only To check the fire.
which was fast turning the whole in
terror shell into a cauldron. but To res
cue the frantic hundreds i'll the upper
baconies by ladders stretched from the
main floor
a icw-3o n most-wcrc rescued in
this way. and then the fircmcn after
controlling the flames abandoned their
lengths of hose to go with the gather
ing police and make their way TO the
horrors that waited for them on the
upper stairways and in the balcony
seats. Here was no more struggling.
no more frantic haste. Hundreds with
homes in every part oil the city still
showing at their windows Christmas
wreaths. still filled with the decora-
~ L.. l.
yond all thought OF worldly things in
silent heaps OF death.
And still outside tho main entrance
to the building many passcrsby at
tractcd by the presence OF the fire ell
gincs had no knowledge of the fearful
disaster inside. Tens OF thousands
passed and rcpasscd within a block
without knowing il. Hundreds OF po-
lice officers stationed in the roadway
were asking ono another il there had
been any among the audience badly
hurt.
But when from the inside began to
stream procession OF fircmcn carrying
between them the charred bodies OF
those who a little while before had
been happy in the enjoyment OF an al
ternoon's pleasure the scene without
changed as il BY magic. From every
business street OF the city men whose
wives and families had gone TO the mat
inee. came with white faces and eyes
blinded with tears to the theatre and
screamed like madmen the names of
those they were seeking Many OF
them found their loved ones safe but
still hall crazed III surrounding stores
and hotels. Others discovered them
among the dead by some particle OF
dress. a hali-charred hair ribbon, Il shoe
or lookci.
Eycwitnesses OF the Iroquois fire de-
clare that no words can begin TO de-
scribe the pandcmonium that occurred
nor the frenzy OF the men and women.
Among the hundreds OF persons who
rushed To the rescue when the call OF
fire was heard on the streets was Bish-
op Samuel Fallows. who happened to
be passing the theatre Without fear
or hesitation he made his way through
the darkness that was intensified by the
volume OF smoke which filled the audi
forum 10 the top gallery and assisted
in carrying out the victims.
God forbid that ever again see
such hcartrending sight" said the
Bishop later. Il have been in wars
and upon the bloody field OF battle, but
in all my experience ! have never seen
anything hall so grueSomc as the sight
that met my eyes. when. with the aid OF
tiny lantern. was finally able TO pen
citrate the inky backncss OF that bal
cony
There was a pile OF twisted and
bleeding bodies 10 icct high. with
blackcned faces and remnants OF char
red clothing clinging TO them. Some
were alive and moaning in their agony.
Others. and by lar the greater number.
were dead. ! assisted in carrying many