The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1904-01-07
$50 Victims Dead and Many Others
Seriously Injured
MEN OVERCOME BY AWFUL SIGHT
Dead Found In Great Piles-Terrific
Explosion Precedes the Fire-The
sroquois Theatre Was the Scene
of Destruction.

Chicago, Special.-About $50 peo
pie were killed in about 10 minutes
in the Iroquois Theatre, the newest
and, as far as human power could
make it, the safest theatre Chicago
Estimates of the dead and injured
vary. The police account OF the dead
Is 536. The estimate of the newspa-
pers is 562. Besides this there are 55
people missing at midnight, the ma
jority of whom are very probably
among the dead in the morgue and
the various undertaking establish
ments. Eighty-six Of the dead have
been positively identified and 90 9TH
ers are known to be injured.
A few of the unfortunates were
burned to death by fire, many were
s0ffocated by gas, and scores were
trampled to death In the panic that
followed the mad plunge of the
frightened audience for the exits.
1t will be many hours before the mum,
ber Of dead Is accurately known and
many days before all of them will be
identified. There are bodies lying by
she dozens in the undertaking rooms
IN the police stations, and in the hos
pitals from which nearly everything
that could reveal their identity to
those who knew them best Is gone.
Their clothing is torn to rags or burn
ed to cinders and their faces have
been crushed into an unacceptable
pulp by the heels Of the crowd THAI
trainpled them down as they fed for
safety.
The fire broke out during the sec
end act of "Mr Blue Beard, Jr." which
was the first dramatic production pre-
sented in the theatre since its erec-
ton. The company, which was very
large, escaped to the streets in safe
ty, nearly all OF them, however, being
compelled to fee into the snowy
streets with no clothing but their
stage costumes. A few members Of
the company sustained minor injuries
but none were seriously hurt.
The accounts Of the origin of the
fire are conflicting, and none of them
are certain, but the best reason given
is that an electric wire near the lower
Part of a piece of drop scenery sud
denly broke and was grounded. The
fire spread rapidly. toward the front
Of the stage, causing the members
of the chorus, who were then engaged
in the performance, to flee to the
wings with screams Of terror. The
fire in itself up to this time was not
serious, and possibly could have been
checked, had not the asbestos curtain
failed to work. AS soon as the fire was
discovered, Eddie Foy, the chief COM
edian Of the company shoutedto lower
the curtain. and this was Immediately
done. 1t descended about half way.
and then stuck. The fire thus was
given practically flue through which
a strong draft was setting in. With a
raor and a bound the flames shot
through the opening, over the heads
of the people on the first floor and,
reaching those in the first balcony,
caught them and burned them to
death where they sat. Immeditely fol-
lowing this rush of flames, there
came an explosion, which lifted the
entire roof of the theatre from it's
walls, sattering the great skylight in
to fragments.
AS soon as the flames first appeared
beyond the curtain, q man in the rear
shouted "Fire. FIre!" and the entire
audience rose as one person and made
for the doors. 1t is believed the ex-
plosion was caused by the flames COM
ing in contact with the gas reservoir
of the theatre, cousings them to burst.
Will J. Davis, manager Of the theatre,
said, after the catastrophe. that If the
people had remained in their seats and
had not been excited by the cry of
fire, not single life would have been
lost. This is. however, contradicted by
the statements of the firemen. who
found numbefs OF people sitting in
their seats, their faces directed toward
the stage as if the performance were
still going on. It was the opinion of
the hremen that these people had been
suffocated at once by the flow Of gas
which came from behind the asbestos
curtain.
AS near as can be estimated ct the
present time, about 1900 people were
in the theatre. Three hundred Of these
we're on the first hoor, the balance be-