Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-01-11
BENT IRON GATES
Show How Theatre Crowd
Fought for Their Lives.
Locked SoIidIy and Strong Enough to
Stand Terrific Pressure.
Another Death, Saturday, at Chicago.
Making Total 569.

Chicago. Jan. lo.-It was discovered,
Saturday, that two iron gates. the
existence of which has not been known
to the public ana which We're rrmnN-
ed from the IroquOiS theatre after til.
fire. played deadly pant i'll the des-
tru"tion Of life in the Inflated play
house.
Fire Insuertor Fulkers0n who knew
nf their existence, WAS not able until.
Saturday. to secure sworn eIidenc"
, concerning them. George n. DuZen-
berry head usher of the theatre. ;td
mittoG to Mr. fulkerson that these
gates We're placed. one across an exit
from the first balcony. and the Other
across an exit from the second bal
cony. Eoth gates We're locked secure
ly with padlocks, and We're never, Al
any performance. unlocked until aftci
The second act of the play.
on the day Of the fire the second
ACT had not been completed when the
catastrophe occurred and the gates
, We're st.ll standing. They We're 50
strong that the firemen We're not Hh.o
! to batter them down with axes after
! the fire. and to the frenZied peop.r
| who sought safety through those eXis;
| they We're absolutely impenetrable.
| IN his Sworn statement given to IN
| ,,,nctor Fulkers0n. Dust nbrrry declar-
! ~ that they were locked to prcVc..t
| /, OBI" from entering portions o: tn
I house to which their tickets did n"i
| grant them admission. II was tn,
4 DUTY 81 Duscnbcrry to see that these
| tWu gates We're locked before every
! performance and unlocked after the
second act.
when asked by the Inspector why a
! man hai not lepn stationed in place
! of thu. euttS to direct the audience
: Dus, ubrrr% said that he merely To-
ce,ived his orders from Messrs. Powers
and Davis, the managers, and ha1
carried them out.
II found these gates after the fire"
said tn" inspector, all battered ant
bent inward. but still standing. ana
both Of them tightly locked. / que%-
toned pusanhcrrY about them ut that
time. but did not care to say anything
publicly until | had secured his sworn
statement ana this | now nave.
A meeting OF th, relatives Of PEG
Saturday afternoon. 10 agree upon
concerted action toward establishing
responsibility ANA for accomplishing
the punishment of the people Who
should be found guilty of criminal
negligence. 1t was held at the office
OF Arthur T.. Hull. whose wife and
three children persisted in the fire. y
committee. of five WAS appointed to ar
rams" for a larger meeting to be held
! Wednesday evening, the Office of Mr.
HUI having been found too small t.
accommodate all who desired to gal:
aGmittance.
Several Of the speakers urged that i
the coron,r'S jury fixed tn" RESPONSE
biity IF the disaster ursnn any of tn,
city officials they should he attacke,
in the civil courts and made RESPONSE
bic for damages rs long as their pro
crty should last.
Miss Lizzie Haley. a teacher in thu
public schools. created something of ;
sensation by declaring that many %
the public school buildings are abso
Iutelv without protection against fire
and that repeated protests by teacher:
and principals mad produced no result
and had not even been honored by :
reply.
It was the sense Of the meeting thu
damage suits should be instituted
against klaw < Erl;nger. who repre-
sent The Eastern stockholders in tn
theltrC ana the manner Of doing this
will he decided upon. next "Wednesday
| night.
During the afternoon several mem
hers of the Mr.. Bluebeard' company
testified but their evidence did no
vary in material detail from that which
has already been published
Tie most important witness Wa!
VIM WiertZ, who had charge of
light similar to that which is supposed
To haze caused the fire. and which Wa,
placed Il short distance from it. H.
said that he was not an electrician, n!
the term is generally understood. bu
knew enough about lights to manage
one. He declared that it would hav'
!, b, en- impossible for the light close &
the scenery TO nave caused the fire. 70
the reason that a blue screen was helt
before it for the purpose Of pTOtuoir
q moonlight upon the stage. This. Il,
/ said would prevent the curtain from
; coming in contact with the light.
He admitted. however. th9t wheI
changing scenes the carbons We're I'm
: protected. and that if scenery tOuchet
them at such q time it would be isnit
ed. The heat If the light, he assert
ed. would not cause the fire and it wa
not likely that sparks would fly out il
: such manner as to ouch the scenery
; which was hanging above it, and j
Was above the light that the fire start
r 81. Such a thing might be possible
but he had never known it to happen.
) At the conclusion Of Weirtzs eyi