The Cairo bulletin., 1904-01-01
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
Chicago. Dec. 3l.4-For the first time
since Chicago has possessed bells 10
peal. whistles to shrek, and horns to
blow the old year out. it was allowed
to silently take its place in history
and the new year was permitted to
come with no evidence of Joy at its
birth.
In a proclamation issued this after
noon by Mayor Harrison. he made the
suggestion that the usual New Years
eve celebration be. for this time. omit
ted. The idea found ready response
in the hearts of the people.
The appalling calamity OF yesterday
IN the case Of the Iroquois theatre
disaster. has cast Chicago into deep
est grief and gloom, and for the time
being at least. SENS to have chilled
and deadened all ordinary ambitions
Of life, Business today was performed
with the sole view to actuate neces
sity and even that much was carried
out In q profunctory manner.
Ordinary ON New Years eve. the
streets are filled with merry makers
but tonight the only throngs to be
found we're those around morgues
ordinarily, numbers Of fashionable re
sorts In the heart of the city are filled
with light hearted reveIers who toas,
the year that passes and hail the year
tina comes
Usually among these gay people
are found many members of the tkeat
rical profession. Tonight not single
one Of them were In evidence
For the second time in her life. Chi
cago has been stricken to the heart
Not only have many of her sons ant
daughters met death in variety ol
horrible and torturing forms, but the
blow has fallen almost as heavily upor
the strangers within her gates. There
is hardly village or town within {
radius of one hundred miles of Chi
cago whose people are not directly o.
indirectly interested In the piles O
dead or injured. which fill the hos
pitals, or In the fate of those wht
seem to have passed from human
knowledge, of in the fact that 1t i,
believed they were In the iII-fater
structure. and of whom no word la,
since been heard.
The list of dead continues as IL wa.
given last night--in the neighborhoo(
Of $50. 1t Is generally accepted at this
time that the most accurate estimat,
Is 564. This number will. be increased
somewhat as there are people in hos
pitfalls who cannot survive. It is gen
orally believed, however. that the tota
number of dead will not in any even
exceed SIS. Including the missing
its total casualties is approximate,
1000 There are among the missing
names Of many who are at their home.
and of some who were not at tht
theatre at all. In the first excitement
following the calamity these people
were reported by their relatives al
missing and a number of them have
since returned to their homes and M
report of this fact has been made t.
police headquarters. Their names
however. still swell the list of missing
II Is probable that the extent of the
catastrophe will be fully revealed.
There was an animated discussion
I. today among the firemen, theatre EN-
ployes and architects as to what caus
cd the fire. The theatrical people
practically unite in declaring that tht
fire started with an explosion, bu
scores Oh people IN the aud1ence de
clare they saw fire creeping alon:
the Edges of the curtain several min
utes Aefore the explosion occurred
The litter stories are substantiatet
by, stsries of people who left theiI
seats after they saw the blaze ant
were yell on their way to the stree
when the explosica occurred.
Miss Annie Woodward, lady whit
occupi6 seat in the second balcony
gave trong evidence today on thi
point. fShe said she saw the fire AMI
made b her mind to leave the thea