The Tupelo journal., 1904-01-15
STORY OF DEATH
AND CR|MNALITY
Coroner Examining Witnesses AT
the Iroquois Fire Inquest.
TWO MORE DEATHS ADDED
Testimony shows That the Theater
Was Practically Destitute of
Protection Against Fire ana
No Precautions Taken.

No Precautions Taken
Chicago, Jan. 9.-Two more names
were added Friday to the list of the
victims of the ~Iroquois fire, when Mel
lie Dawson, II years old, and Estelle
Muir, 81 years old, died in hospitals.
The deaths Friday make a total Of 5GS
fatalities due to the fire.
No Protection Against Fire.
The most important witness of the
day was Robert E. Murray, stationary.
engineer of the Iroquois theater, tes-
tifying at the inquest over the victims
of the %iroquois fire, and whose testi-
mony showed that the theater was
practically destitute of protection
against fire, that no precautions had
been taken and that no instructions
had ever been given to any of the
attaches. He declared that there was
one standpipe on the stage, two in
the basement and one in the smoking
Dol There was no hose attached to
any of them, although there vas hose
in the building on a reel. Nobody
had ever been instructed how TO use
it. The hose in the building consisted
of one coil and was located in the
smoking room. at the front of the
building. 1t was not his business, he
said to look after fire protection. The
only way in which an alarm could
reach the fire department was by use
of the telephone or by going two or
three blocks to the nearest fire sta
ton.
Made Them sit Down.
Ruth Michel, a schoolgirl. testified
tnat when she and members of her
party noticed sparks dropping from
above the stage. one member remarked
that they mad better get out. They
started to do so. but a gentleman sit
ting in the front row rose and said
he would knock their heads off if they
did not sit down. The girls sat down
and remained there until a mighty
draught of air blew flames directly
over the audience. Thereupon she
and her party rushed to the north side
of the building, crawled out onto a
fire escape and dropped to the alley
below.
The first witness of the afternoon
was Frederick H. Rea, a student in a
law school directly north of the Iro-
qouis theater. He told of placing lad
ders and planks from the windows
OF the law school to the platforms of
the fire escape and a number of peo-
pie were rescued in that manner.
Got Tangled in Her Evidence.
Madeline Dupont, one of the girls
In the double octette which was on
the stage when the fire broke out, was
positive in her statement that the
curtain that was lowered was the as
bestos curtain, which had on it an
autumn scene, and which previous wit
neSses had declared was the curtain
lower and the curtain that burned.
Miss Dupont was emphatic in her evil
dence that the curtain which was low
cred did not burn up. She became
badly tangled in the latter part of her
evidence and finally admitted that she
did not know whether or not there
was an asbestos curtain in the the
alter, but supposed there was.
Edith Williams, another member of
the double o~ctette, who tainted on
the stage at the outset of the fire, was
called, but after taking the oath faint
ed again, falling from the stand and
rolling to the floor before she could
be caught. She was removed from the
courtroom and did not testify.
No Instructions Given.
Ethel Wynne, of New York, a mem
Der of the "Bluebeard" company, de-
scribed the commencement OF the fire
and told of Stage Manager Plunkett
ringing the bell for the curtain to fall.
: Willard Sayles, q former usher at
the %Iroquois. testified that the exits
on the north side of the theater were
always closed. They caught with a
spring lock, and during his time at
the theater he had never seen any of
them open. AS far as he knew none
of the ushers had any instructions
concerning their duties in case of fire.
Gilbert Macrane, one of the stage
hands, who was in the theater since
its opening, swore that he had never
known of any protection providing
against fire, with the exception of
some tubes of fire extinguishers. He
said no instructions had been given,
as far as he knew, as to the duty Of
the employees in case of fire or panic.