The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-01-06
ALL. HALLS CLOSED
Another Inspection of the
Iroquois Ruins.
A Restaurant Keeper Loses His Trade
by Throwing Open His House
for the Bodies of the
Dead.
(By the Associated Press.)

(By the Associated Press)
Chicago, Jan. 5.-As result of the Iro-
quois Theatre fire and panic at which 587
persons lost their lives, the Building Com
missioner, Williams, tonight issued an or
der closing all public halls, dance halls and
all similar places of public assemblage
until an inspection has shown that they
are complying with all provisions Of the
building ordinance. ALI 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 Chi
cago, ranging in size from those that will
accommodate fifty persons to those with a
capacity of 5CJ, this order will affect prob
ably as many persons as the theatre clos
ing order. Protests were numerous but
the building commissioner was infiexible.
He said:
MANY of these halls are worse than
any theatre in Chicago, some of them are
put up with no restrictions such as gov
ern theatres and many of them are fire
| traps of the worst kind"
Two years ago general inspection Of
halls was made before the beginning of
Building Commissioner Williams admin
istration Notwithstanding this the COM
missioner declares that he will take no
chances and that every hall must satisfy
the requirements.
Deputy Building Commissioner Stan
hope ma6e another inspection of the Iro-
quois ruins today to prepare for the ques
tons which will be asked by the coroner
and jurors when the inquest begins. Mayor
Harrison and seven aldermen, who have
been appointed members of the city council
legislation in relation to the theatre, met
this afternoon with theatre managers of
every play house excepting the Great
Northern being represented The mana
gers asked If they could not open their
houses and sell seats on the lower floor
only, but the mayor and aldermen refused
this request. 1t was declared that all
places must remain closed until the ordi-
nance reuirements had been fully met.
This afternoon attorneys for the fire de-
partment secured from five witnesses cor
roboration of the charges that wrecking
crew of the Fuller Construction Company
had destroyed the stage skylights on the
day after the disaster. Fire Inspector
Fulkerson said:
light should open automatically to allow
the escape of heat and smoke and create
draft which would draw them upwards
!. instead of allowing them to pass over the
audience. But from the information
have am positive that the opening of the
skylight was impossible, because on each
section of the lights had been placed pieces
of scantling which remained there until re-
moved by employees of the Fuller Con-
struction Company on Thursday after
noon"
| 1t has been said by Powers and Davis,
managers of the Iroquois Theatre, that
the house was not filled on Wednesday
afternoon at the time of the fire. This
| assertion was contradicted this afternoon
| by Manager Edwin H. Price, of the
Bluebeard Company. 81 should say SAID
Mr.. Price, that between 90 and 100 tick
cts were sold after the theatre was filed.
The days receipts amounted to something
more than $1,7O0"
Little result followed the examination
| of seven men of the double octet, which
was on the stage when the fire broke
| out.
1--WE kept on singing and dancing and
did not even know that there was a fire
until sparks fell on the stage and Two
| girls of the double octet tainted SAID
| William Sleek. 1t is the rule of the
stage that we are fined if we turn our
/ faces for an instant from the audience
All know is that we stuck to our work
until we had to run for our lives
Slecks story was corroborated by the
other six men.
The police today arrested George NJ.
Dusenberry, chief usher of the theatre on
a charge of manslaughter. Dusenberry
declares that he tried to hold back tho
rush OF spectators and helped to save
thirty women from the damned front ex-
it's. He is held to furnish evidence on the
statements made by many people in the
theatre that the ushers closed the doors
and that they at first refused to allow
people to pass out. Benjamin Solomon,
a boy who rented opera glasses in the
1 upper balcony, today declared that all
the ushers and attaches closed the uoors
and shouted to the spectators to remain
seated as there was no danger.
/ Coroner Traeger is looking for the
chief scrub woman of the theatre, who,
it is said, carried all the keys to the
doors and exits of the balconies. She will
be arrested when found.
In addition to the managers of the
theatre. Will ]. Davis and Harry ]. Pow
ers, every employee of the theatre has
been summoned before the inquest Thurs
day morning and many members of the
Bluebeard Company, who were not per-
| mltted to depart for New York yester-
day. will also be called on to testify
John R. Thompson, proprietor of a res
taurant which adjoins the Iroquois
Theatre. has lost the greater portion of
his business since the fire. On the day
OF the disaster Mr.. Thampson threw open
his restaurant for the bodies of the dead
and wounded. His services were widely
advertised in the papers, driving nearly