New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-01-01
CHICAGO In MOURNING.
Continued from first page

late hours of the night the confusion and sorrow
-, ,bosa ba-eft "a well as sympathizing. made
r. trnpossible to do much toward ascer'ainlns
the identity OF many of the dead. All that was
known was that more than Eve hundred We're
among the victims of the fatality al lhe Aioauo
pEc1NNING TO RESTORE ORDER
cr.,aa men. women and children all night
.,,..a +ha marques and the vicinity of the
-,,,nad theatre. Hundreds walked up and down
the street all the dark hours OF the nishl' wall
ing and moaning in their agony paForeak as
closed the same appalling conditions. but some
thing Hike a erpplance of order and system had
heen brought out Of the horrible chaos. De-
tailed to that duty by Chief of Police o'Neii Of
fcers went from norgue TO morsue to get the
Identification of the known dead and descrip-
tions OF the unknown as we'll as the total num-
her. At the very latest trustworthy count. care
fully made by the police and the coroner's as
sistants with the aid OF the undertakers. the
number of dead was fixed at $40. with the pos
sibility that there may be many charred bodies
in the ruins of the theatre With the missing
and the injured the victims OF the Iroquois disas
ter are estimated at eleven hundred. or the
missing many may be in some OF the numerous
hospitals. large and small without anything
their persons to identify them and unable to
give any account OF themselves because OF their
condition.
THE CORONER TAKES CHARGE
The coroner has officially taken charge of the
investigation of the catastrophe and sworn In
jury 10 conduct the inquests. to be begun as
soon as the bodies have been officially placed in
the hands of surviving relatives. The officials
purposs making a thorough inquiry into the
calamity. and declare their intention of placing
the responsibility for the tragic connagration.
When the blame has been fixed Coroner Traeger
says the persons will be prosecuted to the fullest
extent " the law. The jury and the coroner
visited all the Lighthouses this Afternoon and
viewed the bodies. BY 8 o'clock this task was
ftnished. and at the work Of removing bodies
TO homes by relatives was begun.
TRYING TO FIN THE BLAME.
There Is much conflict in the statements Of
those who are or should be in a position to have
knowledge as to the cause OF the calamity and
where the blame should rest The management
OF the theatre in a manner declare the audience
responsible for the fatal results Of the FIRE The
explanation OF VIII ]. Davis and Harry J. Pow
ers. the resident owners OF the theatre. is that
the scenic drapery ignited from some cause. The
city fireman on duty the stage Is alleged to
have detected the fire before It had reached an
apprecia bic flame and made an unsuccessful at
tempt with the tube OF kilfyre to extinguish thu
flames An attempt was made to lower the
asbestos curtain. but It descended only d short
distance and became fastened. The cornmotIop
thus caused alarmed the audience. who immedi
ateiy started for the twenty-five exits the
draught caused by the rush OF the audience
drawing the flames across the stage into the
auditorium Concluding their statement
Messrs Davis and Powers hold that IL the audi
ence had listened TO the ushers, who urged then,
to remain quiet. the exits would have been
opened in time to permit the egress Of all in
safety
An official OF the Building Department Of the
city. an inspector named Curran is alleged TO
have been In the theatre and to have left IT
few minutes before the fire. and to have re-
ported that the house was in good condition and
not overcrowded.
SAY EXIT DOORS WE'RE LOCKED.
In contradiction to these statements are the
stories OF persons who were in the audience and
who barely escaped with their lives These in
sist and reiterate the accounts given last night.
They place the blame entirely the employees
of the theatre. who. they say. seemed to make
but, on tbs contrary. sought to prevent the
frightened tarongs OF women and children from
leaving the;- seats. Moreover, 1t is asserted
positively that only the exits at the main en-
trance werr opened. Those ut the sides and
rear. Il is sad. although In working order. were
not opened ny the theatre attaches. but these
were forced by men present to unfasten tbs
doors OF some. while frenzied women tore at the
great iron doors. which. 1t is asserted. had not
been opened since the Iroquols was opened TO
the public The apparent lack of discipline
among the staff of tho playhouse. whose duty IL
was to look after the audience. ia alleged to
have impeded the attempts OF the audience to
get out and to have intensified the panic which
resulted in tho mad and hopeless struggle
against death.
Then the actors the stage, too are said TO
have been more wildly excited than the lighting