Albuquerque evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1911-1914, 1913-12-30
TEN YEARS SINCE THE
IR0QUOIs FIRE



ago today Chicago wa- the scene %
fire catastrophe that ahockcd the
whole civilized world the burning OF
the new irOauols thcatcr. In which
652 persons. mostly women uud chill
drcn lost their lives.
Today lnfFe proportion of the
city's population paused IN the pur-
suit OF their usual occupations 10 pay
tribute 20 the memory Of the dead.
Hundreds OF persons Joined IN che
program ~ memorial services held
az the IroQuois Memorial Emergency
hospital similar services were held
IN q number 81 churches In the
downtown district the flags on many
buildings were az half mast silent
pilgrimasca were made 90 the variour
cemeteries where wrcaths were laid
on the graves Of the victims OF the
disaster
The burning Of the Iroquois thcnter
was the most appalling disaster Of
its Kind IN the history OF America.
and win long be remembered hy hum
dreds of families who lost one or
moro Of their members In the catas-
trophe.
The fire originated on the stage of
the theator during the matinee per-
Torrance OF December 80. 1898, &C a
time when every part OF the house
was crowded with the usual holiday
audience OF women and children. The
thcater was practically new. having
been opened only % few weeks pre-
yious TO tho fire II was playhouse
Of the first-class and was OF so-cailed
flrcproof construction. A. matter
81 fact the house itself suffered COM
paratlveiy little damage from the
fire. The official investigation show
ed that tine great loss OF life was the
result OF panic among the spectators.
The attraction at the theater ON
the fatal day was the Chrlstmas spec
tacle OF "Blucheard" which had been
running at she Iroquois since the
opening of the thcatcr II was the
general belief that sparks from one
~ the spotlights stationed In the wings
of the stage ignited some OF the film
~ pieces Of scenery and In few mo-
ments the blaze spread upwards to-
ward the flies,
sumo OF the actors and employees
tried "a beat out the flames. but did
not succeed and the signal waB given
,o tower the frcprOof curtain. OW-
ing 10 the fact that rope. with which
the aerial ballot was manipulated.
had been so fastened that 1t obstructcC
the movements of thu curtain. the lat
ter could not be lowered for some
time.
when the curtain was finally re-
leased the fire had made such pro-
grcss on the stage that the employees
became panic stricken and opened the
large double door In the rear cot the
stage This resulted In terrific
draft that caused the asbestos cur
tain TO bulge out into tho auditorium.
In few minutes the curtain tore and
fen and an immense volume of smoke
ana flames poured into the house.
] When the curtain fell the most OF
the seats ON the orchestr0 floor had
been emptied by the nanic-strickcu
SPECTATOR and they were orowding
through The exits as fast as they
could When the smoke and flames
/ poured into the auditorium. sweeping
tho whole interior. hundreds were ov-
crcomc They ten ln heaps at the exc
! its and were suifocated by the smoke
and heat
Those on top Of the pile OF hui
mainly were scorchcd beyond rccog-
lnltiou. The situation was made worse
/ by the fact that the ushcrs had fled
al the first alarm. without stopping
long enough 90 unlock the safety cN-
It's with which every floor was pro-
I yidcd.
The spectators. finding tho safety
exits bottled and locked. were com
PEELED 10 seek their way out through
the main entrance and lobby OF tn
theater. This entrance Immediately
became damned ANA hundreds pcrish-
ed before they could reach the open
air. 4 few fortunate ones saved their
lives by way ~ plnnks stretched from
Inc upper floors OF the tneater across
an alley 20 the buildings opposite.
Tho fire was soon under control
At first f. was not thought that the
loss OF life had been great ana tho
fun extent of the disaster was not
realized until the firemcu reached
The balcony and galleries of tho house
whore they found the dead piled mp
Six or eight feet high
Tho catastrophe pluny tho entire
city boz mourning The police depart
lmcut took charge of the removal ot
the hundreds of bodies and thcy wor"
taken Geo thc various undertaking cs-
Establishments and improtiged NOR
sues where they were laid In rows
ON tho bare floors tu await dcnufich-
ton MANY of the victims were so
terribly burned that recognition was
Impossible Many Of the bodies were
not Identified until months after th'
disaster and some of them were never
Identified Tho unidentified bodies
were buried side by side boz one Of the
cemeteries ana on each anniversary
ltheir graves are decorated with flow
Tors by The lroGuuis Memorial society.
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