Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1904-01-01

Chicago, Dec. 31.-For the first time
since Chicago has possessed bells to
peal whistles to shrek, and horns to
blow. the old year was allowed silent
ly 10 take its place in history and
the New Year permitted 20 comes with
no evidence of JOY 1T its birth
AL Chicago mourned for the 500 per-
sons who died Yesterday in the fire,
panic and suffocation at the Iroquis
theater. In one official proclamation
issued this Afternoon, Mayor Harrison
suggested that the usual New Years
celebration be omitted. The idea found
response in the hearts of the people
and the mayors words seemed only
to give utterance to the universal de-
sire
The calamity Cf the Iroquois theater
has cast Chicago into a gloom. Busi
ness today was performed with a view
TO necessity. ordinarily on New
Years eve the streets are filed with
merry makers, but tonight the only
throngs were those around the NOR
CUES. Ordinarily the fashionable res
taurants are filed with light-hearted
revelers who toast the year that passes
and hail the year that comes. Tonight
those places We're deserted, while in
some the doors were locked and the
curtains drawn.
For the second time Chicago has
been stricken to heart
Not only have many of her sons and
daughters met death in variety of
horrible + rms. but blow has fallen
almost as heavily on the strangers
within her gates. There is hardly a
village or town within q radius of one
9
Dle are not directly or indirectly in
terested in the piles of the dead, or in
the injured which fill the hospitals, or
the fate of those missing. probably
dead, likely burned or trampled beyond
recognition. titles far distant in
America are -nourners ard sympathy
has come fT n across the seas.
The list ct dead continues. as it was
given last night. in the neighbOrhOOd
of coo. There is another estimate OF
564 dead This number Will likely be
increased, as there are persons in the
hospitals who viii probably die. II
is believed. however. that the total
number of casualties is approximately
ZOO. There were about $500 specta-
tors and actOrs in the theateT at the
time of the IRE. In the excitement
following the calamity many persons
We're reported missing who have since
returned to their homes. No report of
those returns has been made to the
UOlice and their names still swell the
list of the missing. When the names of
the dead. who are still to be Identified,
have been subtracted from the list
missing IT is probably that the extent
of the catastrophe will be fully re-
Vealed.
There was an animated discussion
among the firemen, the employees of the
theater and the architects as to the
cause of the fire. Accounts differ TO-
day as widely as they varied last night.
Theatrical people are a unit in de-
Clarine that the fire started with an
explosion, and in this they are fatty
cOntradicted by scores of people in the
audience who declare that they saw
the fire creeping along the edge of the
curtain for several minutes before the
explosion took place.
A number of the people left their
seats after seeing the blaze and were
well on their way to the street when
they we're overtaken by the frightened
rush of those they had left behind
them.
Miss Anna Woodward, who sat in
the second balcony today said:
Il plainly saw the fire. I am a large
woman, weighing close to $50 pounds
and / made up my mind that if there
was to be a panic, it would be wise for
me to beat to the street. l left my
seat in the balcony, went down stairs
to the first balcony and from there