Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1904-01-01
THE CITY BY THE LAKE SAD AND SILENT
There Was Too Much Sorrow and Too Earnest Prepara
ton for Study of the Causes of the Disaster Which
Had Robbed the City of More Than Half Thousand
of It's Inhabitants.

Z started to pass out through the very
door i'm which so many people were
killed a few minutes later. The door
was closed and man standing on the
outside refused to open it for me-
Whether he was an employe OF the
| theater | do not know. but he had
evidently determined that no one
should leave the theater and in so do
| ing he started panic. | was leaving
quietly up to this time. but when he
! refused TO allow me to pass out peace
fully. ! determined to get out if l had
to make all sorts of a noise l went
along the balcony about ten feet to
! a glass partition and smashed it with
the point of my umbrella, l went ont
and down stairs. When 1 was about
half way down l heard the roar of the
crowd as il came after me nd l hur
ried with all the speed l had. They
overlook me. however, knocked me
down and but for the fact that l was
close 10 the door l think my chances
of life would have been almost moth
| ing. AS it was. l think l must have
walked the last ten feet of my pass
age to the exit on the bodies of those
who had fallen"
The best evidence at present obtain
! able is that the fire was started by
| sparks from an arc light striking the
/ edge of the drop curtain, but this has
not been proved. There are so many
statements as to the cause at present
and they differ so widely, that it is i'm
possible to ascertain the exact truth
of the matter.
| Although the Iroquois theater was
As safe as any theater in Chicago, It
became evident today that the city
building department has not strictly
enforced one or two sections of the
| building ordinances. VIM. Currdn
building Inspector was in the theater
only a few moments before the catas
trophe and went away saying that
everything was in good condition. He
reported this fact this morning %
Deputy Building Commissioner Stan
hope. The deputy commissioner this
morning. in company with inspectors
Laughlin, Lense, and Dalton. went to
the theauer to make an inspection. on
his return TO the city hall he said:
The theater and its management
was strictly within the law. 1 shall
not go into details until 1 have COM
pleted my report"
Section 1S5 of the local building Or
dinance provides that in buildings Of
the class to which the IriquOiS belongs
there shall be a system of automatic
sDr:nklers. There were no sprinklers
In the Iroquois theater and, Mr.. Stan
hope. when this was called to his at
: tention said: There was no sprinkler
system in the theater but the provision
about the iron doors made it unneC-
cessary for the theater to have them.
Section 1s9 of the ordinance pro-
vides that theaters shall be equipped
with fire alarms connected with the
city fire alarm system. Mr.. Stanhope
said: The Iroquois has fire alarm
connections. l did not see the box but
that is r1y information"
City Electrician Hyland said:
The Iroquois had no fire alarm con
nection with the city alarm system. No
application is on file for any such con-
nection." The alarm of fire was turn
cd in from q. box more than half
block from the theateT.
The law provides that there shall be
Il ventilating shaft at the rear end of
the stage to conduct flames and smoke
away from an auditorium in just such
emergencies as arose yesterday. The
Iroquois possessed no such ventilating
shaft Twelve aldermen today inspect
I'd the theater and returned to the city
hall and called on the building depart
ment. They asked to see the plans of
the theater and Mr.. Stanhope produced
them.
How about sprinklers?" demanded
Alderman Jones.
"The way the theater was built they
can be left out" Stanhope replied.
And the flames spread so rapidly that
no sprinkler system would have availed
anything"
Alderman Jones remarked that the
ordinances require that all exits be
marked.
That will be looked into" Mr.. Stan
hope said. Remember that the lights
We're out, and that many of the people
were killed in their seats"
Pointing to the diagram of the thea
ter, Alderman Herman said: Here is
a oassageway on the south side of the
first balcony which looks as though it
led to a stairway. But in the darkness
the people scrambling through it were
caught like rats in trap. They could
not get either way. The confusion of
exits was such that no one could find
his way in the dark. If these things
are regarded as exits. I do not know
what constitutes an exit that would be
of any use"
Mr.. Stanhope told the aldermen that
he had made an inspection of the build
ing and that structurally it was good.
You cannot convince me-" declared
Alderman Herman, IF you talk
hundred years that people could get out
of that place. I do not care what they
call exits; they did not work. There
were not enough of them open and peo-
ple could not get out. These plans show
aisles at the end of the first floor, but
we were over there and saw them run