The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1904-01-05

Chicago. December 3l.-wiA the
announcement hat one jury e rep
resentatives citizens would listen to
all the evidence regarding the Iro-
quois Theatre fire and return . sin
gle verdict for all the victims, Csro-
ner Traeger today promptly sapan-
elled q jury.
III any persons are responsible for
this fire." said Coroner Traeger."
they will be prosecuted 70 the fullest
of the fire will be thorough. We
will leave no stone unturned in our
efforts to fx the responsibility"
The ~coroner's jury In az fellows:
L. H. Meyer. secretary Of the Ken
nedy Furniture Company; DR.. Peter
Byrnes, salesman for Lyon and
Healy: Walter Clingman. salesman
for the Tobey Furniture Company;
Joseph A. Cummings. manager or
Browning. King n Company: Geo.
w. Atkins, credit man for Marshall
field and Company: John w. Finn.
salesman for A. II. Revell and Com
pany.
Continued sight Of dead bodies
lying huddled on the foors and
tables of the various city morgues
proved too much for some Of the
jurors. Several OF the members OF
the jury objected TO being forced TO
view the bodies. and n Juror.
Joseph Cummings. practically col
lapsed at Rolstone's morgue. where
the jury was forced 10 step over the
dead bodies in their tour Of inspec-
ton.
Coroner Traeger tonight conduct
ed an informal inquiry into the cause
Of the fire. His first witness was
william C.. Sellers. the fireman EN-
ployed at the theatre. Sellers did
not know just o the IRE began.
but said he saw 1t shortly after il
broke out. He threw ~extinguishers
on the blaze, but without effect He
tried to pull down the drop curtain
or to tear Dose that portion OF IL
which was blazing. but without sue
cess. The fire then spread with such
great rapidity that he was unable
to do more. Other witnesses were
examined and after they had been
heard Assistant States Attorney A.
A.. Herer. who was present said:
ct seems agreed that the asbestos
curtain was dropped. but that Il
went only to within fourteen or 6f-
teen feet Of the stage nosr. People
on the stage opened the deer lead
ing from the stage to the street on
the west side Of the theatre and this
created a strong draft The draft
blew the curtain out toward the au-
dience. This held the curtain 30
tightly that all attempts to lower IL
further were Ruthless"
This evening the corsners Jury.
which had spent the day In visiting
the various morgues, was AXE by
Coroner Traeger to the theatre. The
Jury first went to the stage and
Deputy Coroner Buckley pointed cut
the spot where the fire was discov-
cred.
The seats in the first ten rows or
the first floor were burned but back
of h the orchestra were In good
condition.
The members of the jury while
engaged I'm inspecting the stage fire.
quently remarked that the protec-
ton against fire seemed to them to
have been inadequate.
The jury then climbed the stairway
leading to the first balcony. Here
the plush covering OF the seats was
found to be burned on every seal
from wall TO wall and from the from;
row Of the balcony to the last An
inspection was made of the exits
leading to the fire a at the
north end of the building. These
doors are much too small: they
should have been three times a.
large" said Juror Finn.
The iron doors were closed and
locked and II was then seen hat the
| inner doors were SO close to the steel
shutters that they could not be open
ed with the shutters fastened. This
exit IS not sufficiently high for an
ordinary sized mar TO walk through
without STOPPING and when the ju-
rors learned this fact by personal
experience there was considerably
comment among them. The jur,
then assembled to the top gallery
where the greatest loss OF life oc-
1 CURED.
At the conclusion Of the inspection
Of n theatre IL was decided to con
tlnue the inquest until next Thurs.
i 61v nnrnfn0 a. q nsofz1l