Rosebud County news. [volume] (Forsyth, Mont.) 1901-1906, 1904-01-14
NONE OF THE EMPLOYEES HAD
BEEN TOLD HIS DUTY IN
CASE OF FIRE.
THEIR ONLY THOUGHT, APPAR.
ENTITY, WAS TO SAVE THEIR
OWN LIVES.

Chicago, Jan. 8.--By their own evi.
dence given yesterday before Monroe
Ftrlkerson, who is conducting the fire
department investigation into the
LroquOis theater horror, the proprie-
tors of the theater showed that a
worse condition of affairs existed
than had heretofore been thought pos.
sible.
Will j. Davis, Harry J. Powers and
Thomas j. Noonan, active managers
OF the IrOquois theater. were exam
ineh by Mr.. Fulkerson yesterday.
All of them pleaded ignorance of any
precautions taken to prevent loss of
life by fire at their theater. They adj
mitted failure to instruct employees in
fighting fire and failure even to pro.
vide suitable appliances for use
against flames. Their statements were
cOrrob0rated by the testimony Of
twenty employees of the theater, none
of whom had ever been told his duty
in case of fire.
Eleven Exits Were 1olted.
Noonan, who is the working man.
ager of the theater under direction OF
Davis and Powers, admitted that
elevelSof the theater exits were locked
and bolted. Two of these exits lead
ing to the front of the theater on the
ground floor we're locked, three adj
ditional exits on the north side of the
ground floor were bolted. three exits
on the north side of the theater from
the first balcony were bolted and three
exits on the north side Of the second
balcony were bolted.
The greatest loss of life from the
fire was in the first and second bal
comics, where hundreds of people were
suffccated through inability to get out
or were trampled to death while try
ing to do so. Had these three exits
in each balcony been available, &C.
cRdtng to Inspector Fulkerson, the
loss OF life would have been greatly
diminished.
Duties Were Not Assigned.
Noonan declared that no person
had been named by the theater man.
agement to superintend the operation
Of the ventflat0rs Of the theater in
case Of fire. and that in consequence
the flames had been permitted to
sweep the place instead of seeking a
natural outlet through the stage roof.
1t was said by Noonan that George M.
Dusenberry. the head usher: Archibald
Bernard. chief electrician, and the
theater engineer knew how to ope-
rate the ventilators.
1t was proven by the evidence Of
these men. however. that two of them
never went upon the stage and that
the other had never been told to as
sumo charge of the ventilators in case
of fire.
One in Three Killed.
From figures obtained by Noonan
yesterday it became evident that al.
most one in three people who attended
the matinee lost their lives. the per-
centage being trifle over 81 per cent.
The theater seated 1906 people, and,
in addition to these, 236 had been ad-
mitted after all seats were sold, MAX.
ing total of 1,842 people in the thea
ter, of whom SOL were killed.
That the employees in the front OF
the house were thrown into panic by
the fire was shoWn by the testimony
of all the stage hands examined yes
terday. Two ushers. each sixteen
years old, declared that they ran on
the first alarm of fire and did not re-
turn to the theater until the next day.
The stage hands said they all sought
safety on hearing that the place was
on ere.
Coliseum All Right.
Although the Coliseum. in which the
national Republican convention is to
be held in June, was closed by order
of Building Commissioner Williams, it
was stated yesterday that the order |
would be rescinded within forty Weight |
hours, and that no change in conyen.
ton plans viii be necessary.
the violation charged against the |
Coliseum Is purely technical and it |
was no sooner made than the matter |
Was investigated by Graeme Stewart, |
national committeeman from Illinois |
ana Senator Hanna. who were in town |
Their Investigation over. both gentle |
men expressed the opinion that there |