Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1904-01-08

clothing, flesh or bone remaining
above his waist line.
The theatre had been constructed
but a short time and all it's equip
ment was not yet in place. This was
unfortunately the case with a fire es-
cape in the rear of the building. The
small iron balconies to which the
iron ladder was to be attached were
up, but the ladder had not yet been
constructed.
Those who reached the platform
first endeavored to hold their footing
and to keep back the crowd that
pressed upon them from the rear.
The effort was utterly useless and in
few moments the iron lodges were
iammed with crowds of women who
screamed fought and tore at each
other like maniacs. This lasted but
n brief interval, and the rush from
the interior of the building became
so violent that many of them were
crowded off and fell to the granite
paved alley below. Others leaped
from the platform, fracturing legs
and arms and two were picked up at
this point with fractured skulls, hav-
ing been killed instantly.
The building in wiiicn the calamity
occurred stands midway between
State and Dearborn streets on the
north side of Randolph street.
Although all the patrol wagons and
every ambulance owned by the city
was pressed into service, they were
utterly inadequate to carry away the
dead and in a short time there was
line of corpses so feet long piled two
and three high on the sidewalk in
front of the theatre.
Doctors and trained nurses were
on the ground by the score within
half an hour after the extent of the
calamity was known, and every
wounded person who was carried
from the building receiving prompt
medical aid.
Chicago, Jan. 4.-Sunday was day
of funerals in Chicago and for the
first time in the history OF the city
all of the people who desired to bury
their dead were unable to do so. The
unprecedented demand for hearses
and carriages would have been
enough in itself to task to the very
utmost the resources of the UNDER
takers, but the heavy snow that has
fallen during the last two days in
creased their difficulties enormously.
The cemeteries were compelled to
keep men at work all through the
night digging graves, and in some of
the larger cemeteries they barely
managed to make them with suffi-
cient speed. At one time in the af-
ternoon ii burials were in progress
in Rosehill cemetery and all of them
were the interments of victims of the
fire
In the home of the millionaire man
ufacturer, Ludwig Wolff, on Washing
ton boulevard, was held the quad
ruple funeral of his daughter, Mrs.
William II. Garn, and her three chill
dren. A crowd of more than 1000
people surrounded the house, and the
police were compelled to open a
passageway for the pallbearers when
they left the house with the caskets.
y funeral conducted in a humber
manner was held a few squares from
the Wolff residence. 1t was that of
Mrs. Mary w. Hoist and her three
children, all of whom died in the ILL
fatcd second balcony. Fully as many
people were around the small frame
church in which this funeral was held
as gathered outside the Wolff
mansion, and here, as in front of Mr..
Wolff's residence, the police were
compelled to open passageway for
the caskets as they We're borne to the
hearses.
These are but instances of what
happened throughout Chicago yester-
day.
Formally charged with manslaugh-
ter, Managers VIII j. Davis and
Harry j. Powers, of the Iroquois
Theatre, with City Building Commits
sioner Williams, were on Saturday
held under bonds of $4,000 each.
Chicago, Jan. 5.--As result of the
Iroquois theatre fire and panic in
which $50 persons lost their lives,
Building Commissioner Williams last
night issued an order closing all pub
lie halls, dance halls and all similar
places of public assembly until an in
spection has shown that they are
complying with all provisions of the
building ordinance. All the theatres
have already been closed. This leaves
Chicago churches and lodge halls
alone open for public gatherings.
AS there are upwards of 400 halls
in Chicago, ranging in size from,
those that will accommodate 80 per
sons to those with seating capacity
of 800, this order will affect probably
as many persons as the theatre clos
ing order. Protests were numerous,
but the building commissioner was
infieNible.
Made Thousands Idle.
Chicago, Jan. 5.-The closing down
of Chicago theatres by order of
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