Lewiston evening teller. [volume] (Lewiston, Idaho) 1903-1911, 1908-12-30
|ROQU0IS
ANNIVERSARY
THE FIFTH ANNIvERSARY a.
1ROQUOlS THEATRE FIRE =
OBSERVED BY A xONUlrEuT
DEDICATED TODAY.

eisdTy VI the lrOQuOl6 Theatre
fire In this city was observed today
by the dedication OF monumene -
ected in Montrose cemetery BY the
Iroquois Memorial Association II
memory of the 600 victims OF TIE
terrible catastrophe. The monument,
which Is handsome shaft OF grsn.
lite. marks the burial place OF IL
one unknown woman who perfe1k-
ed In the fire. The dedication wa9
accompanied by impressive ceremon-
les. Tonight the annual memorial
service for the victims takes place
In Willard Hall. with addresses ".
Rev Jenkin Lloyd Jones and Others
The Iroquis Theatre holocaust weo
the most appalling disaster Of III
kind in the worlds history. The
fire originated on the stage OF the
theater during the matinee perfor.
nance Of December 80, 1908, at !
time when every part Of the house
was crowded with the usual holi-
day audience of women and child
rem. The theater was practically
new. having been opened only 4 few
weeks previous to the IRE. The 50.
traction was spectacular piece. en-
titled "Bluebeard," (which had
been running there since the open.
ing night. It is believed that sparks
from one Of the spotlights ignitsd
some Of the flmy pieces Of scenery ID
the wings, and in a few minutes
the blaze spread upward toward the
flies Some OF the actors and stage
employees tried to beat out the flro.
but did not succeed and the signal
was given to drop the fireproof cur
tair.
Owing to the fact that q rope
with which the aerial Ballot" was
manipulated, had been 10 fastened
that It INSTRUCTED the movements
OF the curtain, the latter could mot
be lowered for some time. When &C
was finally released. the flrs had
made such progress on the stage that
the employees became panic-stricksn
and opened the large double door IN
the rear Of the stage. and leading 70
the court behind the theatsr.
through which the scenery was
brought into and out OF the Thea.
te:.
The terrific draft caused the ~
bestos curtain to bulge out into the
auditorium. In a few minutes it
fell and immense volumes OF smoke
and flames poured into the pJay-
house. At that time most OF The
seats In the house had been emptisd
by the panic-stricken spectators, and
they were crowding through the
exits as fast as they could
When the smoke and flames ,our-
ed into the auditorium, sweeping the
whole interior, hundreds were over
come. They fell in heaps right &C
the exits and were suffocated BY
the heat and smoke. Those on top
Of the lie were scOrched beyond rec
ognition. The situation was great
ly aggravated by the fact that the
ushers fed for safety without stop
ping long enough to unlock and UNI
bolt the fire exits provided for on
every floor.
The spectators. finding the safety
exits locked and bolted, were com.
PEELED to reek release from the fiery
furnace behind them through the
main exits on the Randolph street
side. While crowded around thooo
exits during the jam they were
overpowered by the smoke and flames
and persisted Only a few saved their
| lives over the fire escape which they
reached from the balcony. The fre
was soon under control. At first It
was not thought that the loss Of
tent OF the disaster was not realized
until the firemen reached the up
per floors OF the house, where they
found the dead piled six or eight
deep, all headed for the exits. and
those on top horribly burned. The
scenes which followed beggar de-
scription.
The police department took
charge Of the removal of the hum
dreds Of bodies and they were taken
to the various mOrgues and UNDER
taking establishments, where they
were laid in rows on the bare floors.
to await Identification. Many OF the
bodies were so terribly burned that
recognition was possible only
| through pieces of clothing or bits Of
| jewelry, or possibly a gold-filled
| tooth.
In the course OF time all the 500
victims were identified with the ex-
ception Of one woman, whose iden-
tity has always remained mystery.
A lot was purchased through public
subscription and her remains were
buried in Montrose cemetery. At
here grave today hundreds OF sor-
rowing people gathered to take part
in the ceremonies attending the ded-
ication of the monument. Tear
stained faces were in the crowd and
during the services sobs accOmpani-
o. -