The Savannah morning news., 1904-01-06
THEATERS DOOMED
SOME OF THOSE CLOSED WILL NOT
BE REOPENED.
THEY MUST BE FIREPRooF.
THIS MEANS MANY WILL HAVE TO
BE REBUIIT.

Alderman of the Chicago Investigate
ing Committee Thinks 1t Doubtful
if 30 Per Cent. of the Play Houses
Ever Open AGain-MOre Men Ar
rested in Connection with the
Observation-Disclosures Regarding the
Roof Lights.
Chicago, Jan. 5.-The special COM
mittee, composed of members of the
City Council, appointed last night to
investigate the condition of the local
theaters and to report upon what al
terations are necessary to make them
conform to the building ordinances,
held it's first meeting to-day.
According to the statement of AL
derman Friestadt one of the members
of the committee, it is doubtful If 35
per cent. of the theaters ever reopen
| their doors. Strict adherence to the
building laws would require that every
one of the play houses in the city be of
! freproof construction, and this would
require the demolition and rebuilding
of the majority of the theaters.
Late this afternoon the attorneys of
| the fire department caused the arrest
| of four employees of the Fuller Con-
struction Company, David Jones,
masonry foreman, and Angus Mckay,
| Otto Rausch and John Kingston, iron
| workers.
Attorneys for the Fuller Company
| took Jones, who had been sought by
the police for several days, to the fire
! department. 1t had been charged that
Jones and his men broke the sky
lights on the theater after the fire in
order to destroy possible evidence. 1t
! developed to-day, after the arrest of
Jones and his men, that the skylights
were blocked by scantlings and tied
with wire to prevent their opening,
and that neither of them had been
opened since the theater was built.
Lights Blocked and Fastened.
Jones. in making his statement to
the fire department. said:
Il took the three iron workers with
me up through an adjoining building
and out upon the theater roof over
the stage. First 1 removed the wood
en- scantlings. which blocked the sky
lights. Then / found the lights TIED
with wire inside and broke two panes
of glass to get at the wires to unite
them l finally got the wires off and
opened the lights"
Jones was asked why he went to tht
roof of the theater, and replied that
he had been told that the north wall
had been cracked in the fire and went
to see if it was true. He declared he
had loosened the skylights because ne
feared they might fall through and in
jure somebody on the stage.
"Why did you take three iron work
ers with you to inspect brick wall?'
| asked Attorney Fulkerson of the fire
department.
Jones was confused, but finally an
swered that the men went with him
through curiosity. He admitted that
| the iron workers helped him open the
skylights and worked with him about
the roof for half an hour.
VIII BE No Verdict.
Coroner Traeger said tonight that
| he was almost ready TOT the ihquesI
| which will commence Thursday morn
| ing.
Il wish 1t understood" he said
that this is not trial, but simply
an inquiry to determine the facts OF
| the fire as far as we can. The coro-
ners jury will not attempt to fix the
blame of the fire upon anybody nor
| will it recommend the punishment OF
anybody It will simply report on
| the facts as it has been able to gath
er them, and the rest of the work will
| be left for the states attorney, If II
| is found that there is anything fol-
him to do"
| Life insurance companies object to
/ the statement of the coroner that nc
verdict will be rendered after the in
quest, claiming that large sums OF
money in insurance on the lives OF
those who persisted in the theateF fire
| depend for their payment on the YER
/ - . 10 ~