Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1904-01-07

running down their cheeks, and the
sohs of the rescuers could be heard
even in the hall below as this awful
scene was being enacted. A number
of men were compelled to abandon and
give over to others whose nerves had
not as yet been shaken by the awful
experience, As one by one the bodies
wero dragged out Of the water soaked
blackened mass of corpSes. heart,
scenes multiplied,
WOMEN MANGLEp AND TORN.
There were women whose clothing
was torn completely from their bodies
above the waist whose hosoms had
been trampled into pulp and whose
faces were marred beyond all power
of Identification. In some places they
were piled up in the aisles three aud
four deep. where one had fallen and
others tripped over and all had died
where they lay, evidently suftocated
by the gas, Others were bent over
the backs of seats where they had
been thrown by the rush for the doors
and killed without hardly chance to
rise from their seats, One man was
found with his neck bent nearly
double, A woman was found nearly
torn in half by the back of a seat, she
having been forced over It face down.
ward
TRAMPLED TO PULP.
There were scores of people whose
entire face had been trampled by the
heels of those who rushed over them
and in one aisle the body of a man was
found with not the vestage of clothing,
waist line. The entire upper portion
of his body had been cut and carried
away by the feet of those who
trampled him. Search was carefully
made with the hope of finding his head,
but at late hour it had not been dis.
covered and all that will ever tell his
friends who he was is the color and
appearance of the clothing on the
lower limbs and this Is in such a con.
dition as to be hardly recognizable.
NO FIRE ESCAPES,
The theater was so recently con-
structed that fire escape ladders were
not yet in place, The balconies to
which they were to be attached were
up. When the panic was ut its height
great numbers of women ran for the
fire escape in the alley, only to find
themselves on small iron platform 80
to so feet from the ground, with the
fire beside them and no means OF
escape in FROM.
LEAP TO DEATH.
The crowd following pressed upon
those who reached the platform and
soon the iron lodges were damned
with women, who screamed, fought
and tore at each other like maniacs,
This lasted but a brief interval, and
the rush from the interior was so
violent that many were crowded Off
and fell to the granite.paved alley be.
low. Others leaped from the platform,
fracturing legs and arms, and two
were picked up at this point with
ila'lulSd Shulls, having pNVh hiiSh IA
stantly.
RESCUE TOO LATE.
Men occupying Offices endeavcred to
secure ladder to rescue those on tho
platforms but not finding one caught
up some planlSs at hand and construct
ed bridge across the alley, between
buildings. Before this was complet-
ed less of time ensued, the women
being pushed every instant into the
alley and by the time the bridge was
constructed 1Ut few remained to take
advantage OF 1t.
LIGHT APPARATUS CAUSE.
The management of the theater de
clares that fire was not caused by an
electric wire but by the bursting of 0
calcium light apparatus, the explosion
which blew out the skylight l'his
statement is contradicted by many
who were in the theater and who say
that before the explosion they saw {
flame near the upper part of the droI
curtain.
William O. Sellers, house foreman
says he heard the explosion i'm
mediately followed by the cry Of fire
that looking up he saw the curtain
ahlaze He attempted to lower thu
! fire curtain but when half way dowr
the wind from the broken skylight bel
| lied II out and IL could not be moved.
Herbert Cawthorne, a member o
the cast, is positive the fire was caus
ed by the calcium light II appeared
that the light fared up and sparks
ignited the curtain. lie says the hous,
fireman attempted to use the ex
| tinguisher but instead Of the stream
striking the flames he says II went II
almost the opposite direction.
SAVED THROUGH THE ROOF.
About score Of people in the sec
ond balcony were saved by the fire
men, who took them through the roo
and carried them down ladders in the
rear Of the building
NARROWING INCIDENTS.
The body OF 12.year.old girl was