Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-01-09
EVENT OF FIRE

In EVENT VI Elh1
'T guess maybe they're not smack up with
the minute in that hustiing city Of Denver.
said a Washingtonian who stopped on at
the Colorado metropolis few days ago on
his return from trip to the coast. Il got
into Denver two days after the depressing
theater tragedy in Chicago. and everybody
out there. of course. was talking about 1t.
"On the very day following the Chicago
holocaust the Denver authorities made
rigid. hne-con,b examination Of every thea
ter in Denver. to see II the building and
fire regulations had all been complied with,
and they were all found to be In Al order.
with not q single visible violation of the
ordinances in any solitary detail.
but the authorities were of the opinion
that safe as the theaters were In the mat
ter of asbestos curtains. exits and SO on,
there ought to be better way OF familiar
izing the people attending the theaterS
with the nature Of the precautions that had
been taken for their safety.
"The counciimen talked the matter over
With the theater managers. and one OF cne
former expressed the opinion that II would
be . FOOD scheme for one Of the attaches OF
each theafer to b. delekated to step before
the curtain before the beginning OF the per-
sensIbie address to the audience. INSTRUCT.
ing them as to the location of the exits.
warning them TO got proper eiutcn on
themselves In case Of q panic and 70 act
with the greatest elaboration possible In
the circumstances. informing them OF the
safeguards that had been provided In case
OF q ire ON the stage or In the auditorium
and 50 on
The managers demurred to this propo-
sition on very reasonable grounds They
stated that such q scheme would cause
needless Apprehension In the minds OF ner-
vous people. and spoil the show for q good
many Of them. It would be dimcult. tney
said. to yet theater employees suflciently
happy and reaasurfnE In manner to carry
or such a nightly program OF warning
with ease and fmpressivenes5. They stared
that in their opinion nine out OF ten oeie
gated to such q task would take II so
seriously that a lot of people In the au-
dience would almost believe that nre was
under way back on the stage before the
speaker had got out dozen words, ana
that his very appearances was liable TO
cause a panic or the markings Of one
Nevertheless. several of the councilmen
stuck to it that the audience should nave
better fund of information as to the way 70
get out in case of fire than the printing o1
facts about exits, ETC.. on the program.
aid 30 the managers got together and stud
led out plan Of giving the audiences TINS
information without spreading undue and
unnecessary alarm that they were sure
would be created by the appearance OF
man on the stage with cut-and-dried hre
talk.
ut did not take those Denver managers
long to solve the puzzle, and to solve 1t in
a very clever way. visited the largest ana
handsomest of the Denver theaters on the
second night after the Chicago theater fire,
and the house was filled as to every seat.
although nobody was permitted to stand at
the back of the theater, much less In the
aisles. Not standing-room ticket was
sold.
After the orchestra had finished the
overture something happened that puzzled
the audience a good deal. "A table, with In
visible wires attached to its legs to give 1t
wings. slid out In front Of the curtain. On
top Of the table was large monograph.
with a big brass megaphone hitched to it.
The people looked at the contraption curl
ously, and became. silent. wondering what
was going to come OF. Then 1t happened.
Ladies and gentlemen. came clear
voice from the megaphone attachment of
the monograph, the management desires
to present a few facts to your attention as
to the precautions that have been taken In
this theater to insure Its safety in case of
fire or Of a panic due to a false fear Or
alarm of fire. This theater is, so far as
human hands can make 1t, f1reproof from
top to bottom. It Is provided with q steel
curtain which completely shuts the stage
on from the auditorium in case Of fire on
the stage. It's exits are four times greater
in number than are required by the fire
ordinances. and there Is a red light to
mark each Of them. The exit doors yield
to the slightest pressure. but they are
thrown open by the ushers at the very first
alarm of fire. or Indications Of a panic. It
is desirable for the people seated to the
right to make for the exits at the right.
those on the left to go toward the exits
on the left. and II Is always a bad thing
for persons seated near the middle aisle to
make rush for that channel. Try to re-
sist the impulse. should the need ever arise,
to make for the middle aisle, which Is Tia
BILE to make clog dangerous to everybody
yielding to that impulse. and SO on, and so
nentiy sensible character. lasting for about
five minutes. and winding up with this
remark: The management will now, for
the purpose OF illustrating to the audience
the completeness Of the separation of the
stage from the body of the theater in case
OF fire. give an exhibition Of how the steel
curtain is handled
The table on which the photograph rest
ed glided of the stage. seemingly of Its
own Initiative, and then the huge steel cur
tain began to noiselessly descend 1t fitted
as pat as could be in Its grooves, and
showed the people in the audience how to-
tally 1t cut them OF from the danger of
being touched by flame proceeding from
the stage. After q moment the steel cur
tain went up again as noiselessly as It had
descended. the lights were lowered. the
ana the play began. before the nervous
people had had time to begin to figure on
the likelihood Of the fire breaking out that
very evening.
TT was a neat and in every way Ingenious
scheme, and should like to see it adopted
In the theaters of this town"
Reforming the Dyspeptics.
From the Medical Rscord