Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-01-07
OFFICIAL INQUIRY
begun N CHICAGO
Coroner's Inquest Over Re-
mains of Victims Of Iroquois
Fire Is Under Way
REDUCTION IN THE DEATH LIST
New Appears That the Total Number
Of Dead is 5s5-Preparations Com
plsts for the Most Searching Inquiry
Two More Important Arrests
Mads-Gist Of the Testimony.

Mads-Gist Of the Testimony.
Chicago. Jan. THE coroner's in
quest over the remains of the victims
Of the -Iroquois Theater began today.
The corcner's official list of the dead
for use at the inquest contains just 56o
cames. Previous police reports dndi-
eating 5s1 dead are declared now to be
Inaccurate. due to the shifting OF
Sodies from one morgue to another.
Preparations are complete for the
most searching inquiry into the causes.
Coroner Traeger presided over the in
yestisation, with States Attorney De-
neen or one OF his assistants in con-
slant attendance as the coroner's legal
representative, and The corporation
couneeI, county attorney and a score of
lawyers representing private interests
and numerous officials. fire and police
departments taking par; In the in
Quiry.
It Is estimated that 1t will require six
days for the jury TO hear the testimony
of 200 or more witnesses. The arrest
Of William ]. Maher and George Nagel
today Is considered importan, by the
corcners The men were employed by
the sub contractor OF the Fuller Con-
etruction Company. According to the
police, the men say they nailed down
A.. ~, ,f
ter oser the stage and an examination
M1u show that the skyl!sht frames had
never been removed. In other words.
the safety vents for fire on the stage
were never operated, even experiment.
ally.
scepr1ing to the roilce. Mahar today
sAtd he had charge, Of the metal con-
stnaction OF the Stage ventilator. which
was to have been operated by lever
from the stage. SO II could be thrown
open at moments notice. but accord
ing 10 Maher the lever never fitted.
Naher says he went 10 the theater the
day after the fire and looked to see IL
che lever had been attached. but could
l3nd no trace Of 1t.
Nothing short OF subpoena or
U6INQudIs OINcT S1kOaSA AnaSeSA
passed the spectators into the city
council chamber today while the in
quest was bn progress. Hundreds OF
persons were turned away by the
twenty policemen on guard. Among
those refused admittance were "A num-
Aer OF aldermen. who, for the first time
In their experience, found the council
chambers barred against them.
Today City Building Commissioners
Williams. who Is under formal charges
IN connection with the Iroduois disas-
ter, offered his plans OF the theater TO
the coroner. but the offer was declined.
Other plans will be used whenever
necessary during the Inquest.
Warwick A. Shaw, attorney for the
state board OF health, is one of the
coroners legal representatives. 1t is
anticipated that Shaw's observations
viii be put into the recommendations
10 be nade to the state board. which
IN turn will issue an official bulletin to
the local boards of health rscommend-
ting safeguards against LOSS of life by
llre and panic In all public and quasi
public buildings.
The first witness was John G. Gall
vim. painting contractor. He testified
that on the afternoon of the fire. while
purchasing tickets for the following
evening, the outside entrance doors
were blown open as tho by a blast OF
not air Looking into the foyer he
saw people running towards the en-
trance. He rushed to the lobby and
esndeavored to open the west door. tina.
being the nearest. 1t was locked on
the inside and he could do nothing
with 1t.
Joseph n. Bruce testified that he
was in the second gallery when the fire
broke out: he saw the curtain roll down
within fifteen feet of the stage on the
north end and five feet on the south
end. He said ne was positive none of
the exits on the north side of the thea-
ter were open, but declared all passages
in the theater were we'll lightd.
Antonio Frozolono. leader of the or
chestra testified that he was sitting
sideways to the stage. and that the
fire started at his back. He declares
the asbestos curtain came down after
each performance, that II came down
within foot of the stage at the time
of the fire. Then 1t appeared to
etraighten out and the flames came
from underneath. He was unable to
state positively whether the curtain
was asbestos. One small piece of
hose WAS the only fire fighting appar-
atus he had found about the theater.
He denied that there was fire there
two weeks ago. He had seen neither
fire, extinguishers nor fire buckets
about the stage nor in the building.
Destroying Evidence.
Chicago, Jan. THE coroner and
chief of police received information
this afternoon of persons breaking
locks on the exits TO the Iroquois thea
ter in an effort to destroy evidence
bearing on the fire. Orders We're i'm
mediately given to allow no person un-
accompanied by a policeman to go
about the ti1eater