Richmond daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1876-1904, 1904-01-06
Many OF Them May Never
Reopen Their Doors to
the Public.
Fa2-REACHlNG ORDERS
They Would Have to BE Practically
Rebuilt to Conform to New
Fire Regulations.
Investigation of the Coroners' Jury
Into IIoquois fire Horror Will
Begin Tomorrow.

Chicago, Jan 6.-The special com
mittee composed of members of the
city council appointed to investigate
the condition OF the local theaters and
to report upon what alterations are
necessary to make them conform to
the building ordinances has held its
first meeting.
According to the statement of Alder
man Friest edit, che Of the members o.
the committee, it is doubtful if 50 per
cent of the theaters will ever reopen
their doors. Strict adherence to the
building laws would require that every
one Of the playhouses in the city be
OF freproof construction, and this
would require the demolition and re-
building of the majority Of theaters.
Alderman Jones, chairman of the
committee, sid: We viii first re
wise the building ordinances. Then
we will visit the theaters and decide
what alterations will be necessary to
make the construction OF the houses
conform to the law. OF course the
owners of theaters viii do nothing
until they know just exactly what the
amended ordinances will demand of
them, but they will be obliged to re-
construct their theaters to conform
with the ordinances we are going to
prepare" Alderman Friestedt also de-
clared: tSome of the leading thea
tiers in Chicago cannot conform to the
ordinances unless they are entirely
rebuilt, and they may find it too ex-
pensive to make the changes. I do
not believe over 35 per cent of them
will ever open again, anyhow"
Late yesterday afternoon the attor-
neys of the fire department caused the,
arrest of four employees of the Fuller
Construction company, David Jones,
masonry foreman, Angus Mckay, Otto
Rausch and John Kingston, iron work
ers. Attorneys for the Fuller com
pany took Jones, who had been
sought by the police for several days.
to the fire department. It had been
charged that Jones and his men
broke the sky1ights on the theater al
ter the fire in order to destroy posi-
bic evidence It developed after the
arrest of Jones and his men that the
skylights were blocked by scantlings
and tied with wire to prevent their
opening and that neither of them had
been opened since the theater was
built
Coroner Traeger said that he was
almost ready for the inquest, which
will commence tomorrow morning.
81 wish it understood he said, that
this is not trial, but simply an in
quiry to determine the facts of the
fire as far as we can. The coroner's
jury will not attempt to fix the blame
of the fire upon anybody, nor will it
recommend the punishment of any
body It will simply report on the
facts as it has been able to gather
them, and the rest of the work will be
left for the states attorney, if it is
found that there is anything for him
to do"
According to the managers of the
local theaters, the closing of the play
houses in this city has disarranged
the theatrical business of the entire
country. Companies that have been
booked for this city for the next fort
night are either suspended or they are
being sent to other cities, thus forcing
other companies to change their
routes.
Life insurance companies object to
the statement of the coroner that no
verdict will be rendered at the inquest,
claiming that large money in insur
ance on the lives of those who per
ished in the theater fire depend for
their payment on the verdict of the
coroner's jury. And attorneys for the
relatives OF those who died declare
that a verdict should be given IN each