The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-01-01

nHICAGo, Dec. 31.-For the first
L. time since Chicago has possessed
bells to peal, whistles to Shrek
and horns TO blow. the old year was
allowed silently to take its place in
history and the new year permitted to
come with no evidence of joy at its
birth. All Chicago mouned for the
600 persons who died yesterday in the
IRE. panic and sudocatioE at the Iro-
quois theatre.
In an official proclamation issued this
afternoon Mayor Carter Harrison sug-
gested that the usual New Years eve
celebration be omitted. The idea found
2 ready response in the hearts of the
Deosle, and the mayors words seemed
. only to give utterance to universal de-
sire.
Sorrow and Gloom.
The calamity Of the Iroquois theatre
has cast Chicago into gloom. Business
! today was performed with a view to
necessity. Ordinarily on New Year s
eve the streets are filed with merry
makers, but tonight the only thrOngs
were those around the morgues. Or
dinarily fashionable restaurants are
toast the year that passes and hail the
year that comes Tonight these places
were deserted, while IN some DOORS were
locked and curtains drawn.
Mourning for Loved Ones.
For the second time Chicago has been
strlcken' to the heart. Not only have
many Of her sons and daughters met
death in variety OF horrible and tor
turing forms, but the blow has fallen
almOst as heavily on strangers within
her gates. There is hardly a village or
town within a radius Of 100 miles of
NKlcagO whose people are not directly
OF indirectly interested in the piles of
dead, or in the injured which iii the
hospitals or in the fate Of those who are
missing; probably dead. likely burned
o. trampled beyond recognition. Cities
FAR distant in america are mourners
and sympathy has come from across
the seas.
Death List Growing.
The list OF dead continues as it was
given last night in the neighbOrhoOd
of 500. A widely accepted estimate is
Boz dead. This Eumber viii likely be
increased, as there are persons in hos
pitfalls who viii probably die. il is be-
leved. however. that the total number
Of dead viii not exceed 500. Including
the dead, missing and injured, the total
number Of casualties Is approximately
600. There were about 2, 800 spectators
end actors in the theatre at the time Of
the fire In the excitement following
the calamity many persons were report
ed missing who have since returned
home. Nc report of these returns had
been made to the police and their names
still swell the list of the missing. When
the names Of the dead, who are still
q be identified, have been subtracted
4Aosr- the ~ of MISSING if & h
able that the extent Of the catastrophe
viii be fully revealed.
Cause of the Accident
There was animated discussion today
among 6remen, employees of the theatre
and architects as to the cause of the
fire. Accounts differ today as widely as
they varied last night The theatrical
people are a unit in declaring that the
IRE started with an explosion, and in
this they are fatty contradicted by
scores of people IN the audience who de-
clare that they saw the fire creeping
along the edge of the curtain for sew
eral minutes before the explosion took
place. A number Of people left their
seats after seeing the blaze and were
we'll on their way TO the street when
overtaken by the frightened rush of
those they mad left behind them.
Plainly Saw the Fire.
Miss Alma woodward, who sat in the
s second balcony, today said: i plainly
saw the FIRE 1 am a large woman,
weighing close TO $50 pounds, and 1
made up my mind that if there was to
be q panic il would be wise for me to
beat If 10 the street. I left my seat in
the balcony went down the stairs TO
the fiLst balcony, and from there start
ed to pass out through the very door
In which so many people were killed
Ia
closed, and a man on The outside re-
fused to open il for me- Whether it
was an emplOye of the theater I DO
not know. but he had evidently deter
Y,liued that no one should leave the the
afer. and ID so doing started. a panic
was leaving quietly up 10 this time.
but when he refused to allow me TO
Dase ostt. peaceably i determined to get
out if had 10 make al sorts of noise.
I went along the balcony about ten feet
10 a glass partition, and smashed il
with the point of my umbrella. went
out and down the stairs. When I was
about half way down ] heard the roar
Of the crowd as IL came after me and
hurried with all the speed I had.
They overlook me, however. knocked
rn. down; and but for the fact that I
Was close 10 the door I think my
chance for life would have been almost
nothing. AS il was ] think ] must have
walked the last ten feet of my passage
~ the exit on the bodies Of those who
had fallen.
Started by Sparks.
The best evidence at present obtain
abfa Il that the fire started by sparks
frona an are light striking the edge
~ the drop curtain, but this has not
hon proved. There are 50 many state
Tnents as 20 the cause at present, and
they differ so widely that 1t Is impos-
efbie 10 ascertain the exact truth of
the matter.
Although the IrOquoie theater was as
safe as any theater in Chicago, it be-
oan,e evident today that the city build
ING department had not strictly en-
forced one or two sections Of the build
ing ordinances.
wns. CurTau. a building inspector.
xsas In the theater only 8 few moments
before the catastrophe, and went away