The Van Buren press. [volume] (Van Buren, Ark.) 1859-1914, 1904-01-02


er could make it. the safest theater
in Chicago Estimates of the dead
and injured vary The police account
of dead Is 53s The estimate Of the
newspapers is 562.
Besides this there are fifty-fye
missing at midnight, the majority OF
whom are probably among the dead
in the morgues and various under
taking establishments; eighty-six OF
the dead have been positively identi-
fed and ninety.two others are known
to be injured.
A few of these people were burned
TO death by fire, many were suffocated
by gas and scores were trampled TO
death in the panic that followed the
mad plunge Of the frightened audi
ence for the exits. II will be several
days before all the dead are known
and identified. There are bodies ~
ing by the dozens tonight in the I'M
dertaking rooms, in the police sta
tions, and In the hospitals, from which
nearly everything that could reveal
their identity to those who knew
them best Is gone. Their clothing Is
torn to rags or burned to cinders, and
their faces have been trampled into
an unacceptable pulp by the heels
OF the crowd that trampled them down
as they fed for safety,
frsl 10 1n
ond act of the play, Mr. Bluebead
which was the first dramatic produc'
ton given in the theater since It's
erection The company which was
very large, escaped to the street in
safety, nearly all OF them, however,
being compelled to fee into the snowy
streets with no clothing but their
stage costumes A few members OF
the company sustained minor injuries,
but none were seriously hurt.
Origin Of the Fire.
The accounts of the origin OF the
fire are conflicting and none OF them
certain, but the best reason given is
part of a piece of drop scenery sud
denly broke and was grounded The
fire spread rapidly toward the front
of the stage, causing the members OF
the chorus who were then engaged In
the performance to fee to the wings,
with screams OF terror.
The fire in itself up to this time was
not serious and possibly could have
been checked had not the asbestos
curtain failed to work. AS soon as
the fire was discovered Eddie Foy
the chief comedian OF the company
shouted to lower the curtain, and this
was Immediately done. II descended
about half way and then stuck. The
fire thus was given practically a fiue
through which strong draught was
setting, aided by the doors, which had
been thrown open In the front of the
theater, With a roar and a bound,
the flames shot through the opening
over the heads OF the people on the
first floor and, reaching clear up to
those In the first balcony, caught
them and burned them TO death where
they sat.
Explosion Soon After the Fire Started,
Immediately following the rush OF
the flames there came an explosion
which lifted the entire roof OF the
theater from It's walls, shattering the
great skylIght into fragments. Az
soon as the flames first appeared by
the curtain a man In the rear OF the
hall shouted Fire, fire." and the en-
tire audience rose as one person and
made for the doors, II Is believed the
explosion was caused by flames con-.
ing In contact with the gas reservoirs
Of the thoatcr, causing them to burs;.
win J. Davis, manager OF the thea
ter, said after the catastrophe that II
the people had remained In their
seats and had not been excited by
the cry OF fire not single life would
have been lost, This. however, Is
contradctod by the statements OF the
iiremon, who found numbers OF people
sitting IN their seats their fnoos d.
rcclod toward the stage, as II the per
Torrance was s,ill going on, II was
the opinion OF the ilrcmen that these
people had been suffocatod at once
by the flow Of gas which came from
behind the asbestos curtain,
1900 People In Theater When the Fire
Started.
A near as can be estimated about
1900 people were In the thcaler,
Three hundred OF these were on the
first floor. the balance being In the
upper balconies and IN the Railways
back OF them,
Tho theater Ia modelled after the
Opera comiQue IN Paris. and from
the rear Of each balcony there are
three doors leading out TO passage
ways toward the front OF tho thea
ter, Two Of these doonwAys are nj
the end OF the balcony and one In
The center The audience, In its rush
for the outer air, seems TO have, for
The greater part, chosen TO Zee to the
left entrance and then attempted TO
make its way down the eastern stair
way. leading into tho lobby OF the
fhoater.
Outside Of the people burned and
fufrocated by gas. Il was In these
two doors on the first and second
balconies that the greatest loss OF
NE occurred
when tho aremen en,sS )lhc
building the dead were foaE foteh