The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1904-01-08
EVIDENCE OF
NEGLIGENCE
FIRE DEPARTMENT PROB
ING IRoQUoIs FIRE.
Joseph Dougherty Gives
important Testimony.
IN CHARGE OF CURTAIN
IN CHARGE OF CURTAIN

coroner's Jury-Damage Suit Start
- ed-Sorrow at the Schools.
Chicago Jan. 5.-Evidence showing
gross criminal negligence on the part
Of the Iroquois theater management
was given under oath today in the
fire department investigation of the
holocaust
Joseph Dougherty, who had charge
of the curtain, swore that two weeks
ago during matinee performance
there was fire on the stage and that
when he attempted to lower the as
bestos curtain il was stopped by the
same obstruction that prevented its
operation last Wednesday, the fatal
afternoon.
The curtain manager declares that
he protested at that time, but that no
attention was paid to his warning.
In his opinion. II the curtain had been
run down during the fatal matinee,
the lives of many, if not all of the
victims of the disaster might have
been saved.
No record was made Of the fire two
weeks ago and since then every effort
has been made TO conceal the fact that
IL occurred. 1t proved to be small
blaze and was quickly extinguished
without alarming the audience, which
did not know that futile attempt had
been made to lower the fire shield.
In addition to giving a minute de-
scription of the obstruction which pre-
vented the operation of the curtain,
Dougherty gave other evidence show
ing the gross carelessness that OBJ
tanned on the Iroquois stage. From
his statements it is apparent that
every man deserted his post. The
skylights over the stage, he swears,
remained closed, the flames shooting
against them and turning downward
to the auditorium opening. The VEN
tilators between the skylights, which
he says were operated from the floor
Of the stage, were not opened.
According to his statement these
ventilators were in perfect working
order and had been opened many
times during the engagement of the
Bluebeard company.
When the fire broke out the cur
tain operator, whose testimony At
torney Fulkerson regards as the most
important yet taken, was in the rig
ging at the top of the stage, from
which position he operated the cur
tains. He says he received the sig.
nal for the fire curtain and started II
down at once, and that it caught as
1t did previously.
From the evidence given today there
would be good grounds for saying
the asbestos curtain was not lowered
at all
Another death today brought the
number of victims of the fire up to
591. There still remain four unidenti.
fed bodies at the county morgue.
The death of Miss Josephine Spen-
Ger was reported to Coroner Traeger
today. She died at the Westside hos
pital. Miss Spencer was the last sur
yiying member of a club of eight En-
gelwood high school girls who at
tended the theater Wednesday.
The story Of Miss Spencer's res
cue is one of the heroic events of the
fire. Dillwyn NJ. Bell. one of the res
cuers dashed into the burning build.
ing, found a mass of lifeless bodies in
the aisle. He was about to pass in
search of the wounded when he no
dced some indication of life In the
movement of an arm beneath four or
five forms and thought he heard
faint groan. Removing the bodies
hastily, he found the form of Miss
Spencer and taking her in his arms
he rushed from the building across
the street Thence the girl was taxi
en- to the Westside hospital.
Two important witnesses were dis
covered today by the coroner They
are Charles r. Koester and Henry
Sander real estate dealers at 50 Ran
dOlph street
They were passing the % Iroquois
iheater when the fire broke out and
attempted to get into the theater.
While smoke was issuing from the
cracks in the front door they were
denied admission. They declare that
The doors were kept closed by the
nshers and attendants in the lobby
for nearly five minutes after the fire
was discovered on the stage.
George M. Dusenbury, head usher,
charged with being responsible for the
exits being locked, has been held un-
der $1,000 to the coroner's jury, charg-
ed with manslaughter.
Learning that he was wanted for re-
moving the skylights on the Iroquois
the day following the fire Superin-
tendent Jones, Of the Fuller Con
struction company. surrendered him
self today. He says the sashes were
removed because the glass was SO
badly cracked that 1t endangered the
lives of those working below.
The first damage suit growing out
OF the Iroquois theater fire was filed