DEATH SWIFT
..Hundreds of Livos Lost in a
Fire at the Iroquois,
in Chicago.
T-Maiiy Suffocated hy Gas ' and
J- Scores Trampled to Death
by the Frenzied Crowd.
Chicago, Dec. 31. About 550 peo
:.plo were killed In ten minutes yes
terday afternoon during a ilro in, tho
Iroquois theater, tho newest, tho larg-
"est and, as far as human power could
.snake it, tho safest theater in Chicago.
Estimates of tho dead and injured
vary. Tho police count of dead is 53G.
' Tho cstimato of tho newspapers is 5G0.
"Besides this there were 55 people miss
i ing at midnight, the majority of whom
. aro probably among tho dead in tho
xnorguo and various, undertaking es
i iabllshments. Eighty-six of the dead
.3iavo been positively identified and
92 others aro known to bo injured.
A few of those peoplo wero burned to
'death by fire, many wero suffocated
iby gas and scores wero trampled to
death ' in the panic that followed tho
mad plunge of tho frightened audience
"for the exits. It will bo many days
before all of them will be Identified.
There w'ero bodies lying by tho dozens
last night in tho undertaking rooms,
'in the police station and. in tho hospi
tals, from which nearly everything
that could reveal their identity to those
twho knew them best was gone. Their
clothing was torn to rags or burnod
to cinders and their faces mashed Into
an unrecognlzablo pulp by tho heels
of the crowd that trampled them down
.as they fled for safety.
How tho Firo Originated.
The fire broke out during tho sec
i ond act of the play, "Mr. Bluebeard,"
which was the first dramatic produc-
tion produced in tho theater since Its
erection. Tho company, which was
very large, escaped to the street In
safety, nearly all of them, however,
' being compelled to fleo into tho snowy
-streets with no clothing but their stago
costumes. A few members of the com
pany sustained minor injuries, but
nono was seriously hurt.
Tho accounts of tho origin of tho flro
are conflicting and none of them cer-
tain, but the best reason given is that
an electric wlro near tho lower part
of a piece of drop scenery suddenly
broke and was grounded. Tho fire
' spread rapidly toward tho front of the
stage, causing tho members of the
chorus, who wero then engaged in tho
performance, to fleo to the wings with
screams of terror. The fire in itself
' up to this time was not serious and
possibly could have been checked had
.not the asbestos curtain failed to work.
As soon as tho fire was discovered Ed-
die Foy, tho chief comedian of the
- company, shouted to lower tho cur-
tain and this wa3 Immediately done.
It descended about half way and then
stuck. Th-3 fire thus was given prac
tically a flue through which a strong
diaft was settling, aided by tho doors
which hau been thrown open in tho
front of the theater. With a roar and
. a bound tho flames shot through the
opening over tho heads of tho peoplo
on tho first floor and, reaching clear
tip to those in tho first balcony, caught
them and burned them to death where
'thoy sat. Immediately following this
rush of flames there camo an explosion
'which lifted the ontiro roof of tho
- theater from its walls, shattering tho
great skylight into fragments. As
soon as tho flames first appeared be
yond tho curtain a man in tho rear of
tho hall shouted, "Firo! Flro!!" as the
entiro audience rose as one person and
made for the doors. It is believed that
the explosion was caused by tho flames
coming into contact wtih tho gas reser
voirs of the theater, causing them to
burst. Will J. Davis, manager of tho
theater, said after tho catastrophe that
If the peoplo had remained in their
seats and had not been excited by tho
cry of firo not a single life would have
boon lost. This is, however, contra-
dieted by tho statements of tho fire
men, who found numbers of people sit-
ting in their seats, their faces direct
ed toward tho stago as if tho perform
ance was still going on. It is tho opin
ion of tho firemen that these persons
had been suffocated at onco by tho
flow of gas which camo from behind
tho asbestos curtain.
A Slckenlntr Slcht Inside, tho Untitling.
When tho firemen ontered tho bulld
' ing tho dead wero found stretched In a
pile reaching from tho head of tho
stairway at least eight feet from tho
v door back to a point about five feet
in tho rear of the door. This mass of
dead bodies in tho center of the door
reached to within two feet of tho
passage way. All of the corpses at
- this point were women and children.
1 Tho fight for life, which must have
taken placo at theso two points is
something that is simply beyond hu-
man power to, adequately describe.
Only a faint Idea of its horror could
' be -derived from tho aspect of tho
AND AWFUL
bodies as they lay. Women on top of
theso masses of dead had been over
taken by deatli as they wero crawling
on their hands and knees over tho
bodies of thoso who had died before.
Others lay with arms stretched out In
tho direction toward which lay Hfo and
safety, holding in their hands frag
ments oi garments not their- own.
They wero evidently torn from cloth
ing of others whom they had endeav
ored to pull down and trample under
foot as they fought for their own lives.
A3 tho police removed layer after layer
of dead in theso doorways tho sight
becamo too much oven for police and
flromenhardehed as they aro to such
sights, to endure. Tito bodies wero in
such an lnoxtricablo mass and so
tightly wero they jammed between tho
sides of the door and tho walls that
it was imposslblo to lift them ono by
ono and carry them out. The only
posslblo thing to do was to seize a
limb or some other portion of the body
and pull with main strength. Men
worked at tho task with tears run
ning down their cheeks and tho sobs
of tho rescuers could bo heard even in
tho hall below where this awful sccno
was being enacted. A number of tho
men wero compelled to abandon their
task and give it over to others whoso
nerves had not as yet been shaken by
tho awful experience. As ono by ono
tho bodies wero dragged out of tho
water-soaked, blackened mass of
corpses tho spectacle became more and
more heart-rending. Thcro wero wom
en whose clothing was torn complete
ly from their bodies above tho waist,
whoso bosom had been trampled into
a pulp and whoso faces wero marred
beyond all power of Identification.
Chicago Stirred hy tho Calamity.
Rarely in the history of Chicago has
its people been so stirred as by tho ca
lamity of yesterday. It is next to tho
Chicago Are, the greatest catastropho
that has over occurred, and tho speed
with which it camo and wont seemed
for a brief period to appal the business
section of the city. Tho news spread
with great rapidity and In a short timo
hundreds of men, women and children
wero rushing toward tho theater. Tho
building in which tho calamity oc
curred stands midway between State
and Dearborn streets, on the north sldo
of Randolph street. Although every
available policeman within call of tho
department was immediately hurried
to tho spot and the men placed In linos
at the end of the block, allowing no
body to enter Randolph street from
either Dearborn or State, it was found
for a time at first impossible to hold
back tho frenzied crowd that pressed
forward, many of them having friends
or relatives in the theater, and anx
ious to learn something of thorn. Tho
conduct of the police was beyond all
praise. Tho officers held their ground
firmly and gently pushed back all
those who sought to gain an entrance
to tho theater, although in some in
stances frantic men, anxious to look
for their loved ones, actually beat tho
officers wth their fists in their rage at
being prevented. In spite of tho ef
forts of tho police, however, a largo
number of peoplo succeeded in break
ing through their lines and entering
tho theater and in many cases did he
roic work in rescuing tho injured and
carrying out tho dead.
Dead "Women IMIed In it Heap.
Tho first newspaper men upon tho
ground also carried out many of tho
dead and injured. The building was
so full of smoke when the firemen first
arrived that tho full extent of tho ca
tastropho was not Immediately grasped
until a fireman and a newspaper man
crawled up tho stairway leading to tho
balcony, holding handkerchiefs over
their mouths to avoid suffocation. As
they reached tho doorway tho fireman,
whoso vision was bettor trained in
such emergencies, seized his compan
ion by tho arm, exclaiming: "Good
God, man, don't walk on their faces."
Tho two men tried vainly to get
through tho door, which was jammed
with dead women piled higher than
either of their heads. All tho lights
in tho theater wore necessarily out
and tho only illumination come through
tho cloud of smoko that hung between
the interior of tho theater and tho
street. Tho two men immediately hur
ried to tho floor below and Informed
Chief Musham, of tho flro department,
that tho dead bodies wero piled high
in the balcony and prompt assistance
must bo rendered if any of .them were
to bo saved.
Moines .Imvolor Itohhml of 88.000.
Des Moines, la., Dec. 31. Burglars
dynamied tho safe of 0. Cohen, jeweler
and pawnbroker, and secured $8,000 in
cash, diamonds, watches and other
property. Tho theft was discovered in
tho morning when Cohen opened his
shop.
SwIftN Huy Sioux City IIHiIkc
Sioux City, la., Dec. 31. Swift & Co.,
who own tho stock yards and half in
terest in tho street car system hero,
havo bought control of the $2,000,000
combination railroad and wagon bridge
across the Missouri river.
raaaBmnniMMmMaaHamiaManBam
MANY" ARRESTS MADE
Chicago Officers Trying to Place
Blame for Iroquois Theater Fire.
Mnyor IlurrUnu Cloo II) I'lityliotiflrn In
tho City Which Hiiro Upon Violating -tho
Ordinance Compelling Vno
of Asbestos Curtains.
Chicago, Jan. 2. Such a day. of
mourning Chicago never witnessed as
that which ushered in tho Now Year.
In every portion of tho city almost it
seemed ns though thoro were fu
uorals going, or undertaker wagons ar
riving with dead who wero being
brought to their homes for tho last
time. While tho funeral processions
woro moving through tho snow-cov-ored
streets to various cemeteries tho
throng about tho various morgues and
undertaking establishments seemed al
most as largo as over. .
At midnight only 21 unidentified
dead remained in U10 sovoral morgues.
Tho total number of bodies that havo.
been accounted for is 582. Of thoso
501 havo been identified.
Tho liverymen were simply over
whelmed by tho demands made upon
them and earnestly irged that as far
as possible tho relatives ' should con
tent themselves with a carriage for
tho pallbearers, tho hearso and ono
other carriage for tho family. Whoro
there woro more family than could,
conveniently ride in tho singlo carriage
they wero compelled to mako their way'
to tho cemetery by other methods of
transportation.
Chicago, .lan'. 2. Mayor Harrison
yesterday, in company with Building
Commissioner Williams, Alderman
Mayor and several architects visited
tho Iroquois theater building and wont
over it thoroughly. As they stepped
into tho building tho mayor accidental
ly trod on a largo lock of human hair,
which had been torn from tho head of
some victim of the disaster. Ho shud
dered and, removing tho hair from his
shoo, placed it on ono sldo of tho hall
way and passed in.
Mayor Carter Harrison yesterday
took steps to provide as far as possi
ble against a repetition of Wednesday's
horror at tho Iroquois theater. As a
result of an investigation made at his
orders and lasting but a fow hours 19
theaters and museums wero ordored
closed,, some of them being among tho
loading and most popular playhouses
of tho city. Tho action of tho mayor
was based on ono singlo violation of
tho ordinances which are intended to
protect tho patrons of theaters from
Just such an occurrence as that which
cost so many lives on Wednesday.
This was that everyone of thoso places
had omitted to supply an asbestos cur
tain. Tho police yesterday vigorously
pushed their inquiry into tho causes of
tho fire and made several other ar
rests of stago hands, among them Wil
liam McMullen, the operator of tho
light which started tho firo. Ho was
locked up at tho Central station and
Wilson Kerr, a fly man at tho theater,
was also placed in a cell. Fifteen
members of tho double octette, which
takes part in tho song, "In tho Palo
Moonlight," havo been placed under
arrest by tho police, Miss Romalno be
ing tho solo one who has so far eluded
tho detectives. They aro wanted as
witnesses and thcro Is no charge
against any of them.
FATAL FIRE AT A HOTEL.
Throo 1'crsons KIIIimI ami Four Injured at
tho Ijoiivto In Chicago Tho Guests
I'anlc-Strlckon.
Chicago, Jan. 2. Three persons were
killed by smoko and four others in
jured in a flro last night that destroyed
tho Louvre hotel, 3G11-3G23 Lake ave
nue. Nearly 100 guests wore in tho
hotel at tho time tho flro broke out,
several of whom had retired for tho
night. With tho remembrance of tho
Iroquois theater horror fresli In their
minds everyone in tho place became
panic-stricken and rushed madly for
tho streets as soon as it becamo known
that tho hotel was on lire.
Mitlrili'toii'M Diiiiclitrr I'oriNhuil.
St. Louis, Jan. 1. Ono member of
a St. Louis family whoso loss of lifo
in tho Chicago fire lr recorded, is Kath
leen, tho 13-ycar-old daughter of John
A. Middleton, general freight agent of
tho Frisco system, who was spending
tho holidays there with a family named
Folz. A -visit to the Iroquois theater
was planned as a farewell entertain
ment for tho St. Louis visitor.
Two Victims from Dim Moines.
Des Moines, la., Jan. 1. John Hol
land, of tho firm of Holland & Now,
wall paper and paints, and daughter
Lillian, aged 35, wero both killed In
tho Chicago fire. Mr. Holland and his
daughter went to Chicago two weeks
ago to spend tho holidays.
Knits AVI 11 Soon He Ilnc'k.
St. Louis, Jan. 1. Chief of Police
Klely received a telegram yesterday
from tho Amorlcan chargo d'affaires,
Sonton R. McCreary, stating that ar
rangements had been perfected to turn
Charles Kratz over to the United States
authorities.
THE BLOOMMGTOtt STRIKE.
ttlntonft Si'unrn Mnrlioil tho Attempt to Hill
tho Street Cum Wntorihiy Two
.Men Madly Jl on ten.
Bloomlngtnn, 111., Jan. 4. Riotous
scones marked tho street car strike
yesterday. Windows in six cars wcra
badly smashed by missiles thrown by
strike sympathizers, who congregated
several hundred strong at various
points along tho lino. J. Knocks and
G. R. Morris wero dragged from their
oars and severely beaten. Tho mayor
admits that lie Is not able to copo with
the situation and President Domongo,
of tho street car company, announces
that to-day he will appeal to tho mayor
to ask for militia to protect tho street
car property. Throo arrests woro
made during 'the day. After 4:30 p.
m. tho company abandoned ail efforts
to run ears.
INVESTIGATE NEW "GRAFT."
Treasury Department Ksperts Aro Now
Looking Into tho Accounts of tho In
terstnto Commerce Commission.
Washington, .Inn. 3. Treasury de
partment experts havo instituted an
investigation of tho accounts of tho
Interstate Commerco commission. Tho
action is taken at tho instanco of Act
ing Chairman Clements, of tho com
mission, as result of rJcrslstont rumors
of irregularities in tho drawing of
vouchers, etc. AVhen tho expert ac
countants reached tho comisslon they
scaled tho safe and examined Secretary
Edward A. Moseloy, H. S. MHstcad,
the cashlor.and other employes, Mil
stead lias not been suspended.
lliiiuiuot to Hr.ru ti .lunuury I 8.
Lincoln, Nob., Jan. 3. In an Inter
view signed by T. D. Worrall, Bryan
democrats nsk tho faithful to a banquet
January 18. After tolling of tho hon
ors conferred upon Mr. Bryan abroad,
tho call declares: "Loyal democrats,
therefore, deem it only fit and proper
that this splendid American citizen and
great democrat bo honored by his. fel
low democrats upon his return homo
and to that end aro arranging a 'dollar
dinner to be held at tho Lindell hotel,
Lincoln, on January 18, 3 001."
JitelcHonliin HiiiHiuot lit Oniithu.
Omaha, Nob., Jan. 3. Tho eighty
ninth anniversary of Andrew Jackson's
victory over tho British in Now Orleans
was celebrated hero by GOO democrats,
who attended tho thirteenth annual
banquet of tho Jacksonian club of Ne
braska. Tho speakers Included Senn
tor Frauds G. Nowlands, of Nevada;
Congressman David DoArniond, of
Missouri und Congressman Hitchcock,
of Nebraska.
War Itumors Ivxcllo Wheat.
Chicago, Jan. 3. Complications in
tho far east has caused a rush of buy
ing orders in wheat and tho market
was excited and extremely strong.
There was absolutely no wheat for
sale nt the opening Saturday and ini
tial sales showed an advance of VI to
2.
Don't Soo 11 Curo for Consumption.
Moscow, Jan. 3. United States Con
sul Smith lias issued a statement deny
ing Hint ho Is co-operating with Klsol
Zlcgerasnski in treutlng consumptives
and saying that tho cases brought to
his notice "have not demonstrated thq
possibility of curing tuberculosis.
Cannon lloomcd for VI en I'rcsldont.
Chicago, Jan. 4. Republicans aro ex
pected to look to this state for a vlco
presidential candidate If they do, the
talk of ex-Speaker Cannon being tho
favorite is increasing. Tho main ob
jection to this seems to bo Mr. Cannon,
who so far has not agreed to tho plan.
A Secret Circular Against Itnosovnlt.
Chicago, Jan. 4. A secret circular,
it is reported, lias been issued by tho
Chicago union of bookbinders an
nouncing a wholcsalo labor union con
spiracy against tho re-election of Presi
dent Roosevelt as a result of the Mil
ler case.
, A ICovolntlon In Uruguay.
Buenos Ayres, Jan. 4. A dispatch
from Montevideo says that a revolution
has broken out in tho department of
Maldonado and Hint a stato of siege
has boon proclaimed throughout the
entire republic of Uruguay.
.Moilorn Woodmen to Celebrate.
Kansas City, Mo., Jan. 3. Tho Mod
ern Woodmen of tho two Kansas Citys
will celebrate tho twenty-first birthday
of the order this week. Tho anniver
sary will lie observed by every camp
in tho United States.
An Overheated Furnace Iluru? 11 Church.
Indianapolis, Ind Jan. 4. Tho First
Baptist church, ono of tho finest in tho
city, was burned to tho ground yester
day morning at eight o'clock. Tho loss
is ?S0,000. It caught from an over
heated furnace.
(tov. Wright Jlvo ropiilar Itcccptlnn.
Manila, Jan. 3. Tho Now Year re
ception given by Acting Gov. Luke
Wright, was a brilliant social affair.
About 3,000 persons woro present.
I'rlnoosH Miithlhlo Dead.
. Paris, Jan. 2. Tho Princess Mathil
de, only daughter of Prlnco Jerome
Bonaparte, died at seven o'clock Satur
day eveniug.
BELLS TOLL DIRGE.
All Chicago Mourns While Hundreds
of Dead Are Laid Away.
Lout Itltrn Uriel from Karly Morning Until
Nlcht, with Ttiroo or Four Hearses
In it lllook All Chicago The
atom Cloned.
Chicago, Jan. 3. Church bells toll
ing at noon, business activity checked,
many celebrations postponed and long
lines of funornls making their way to
the outlying districts where- tho com
ctories aro situated theso circum
stances evidenced Chlcngo's outward
grief Saturday for the victims of tho
Iroquois theater disaster. Priests and
ministers of the gospel wont from
funeral to funeral, as thoy will Mon
day. Tho unidentified dead will bo kept
as long ns possible nt tho morgues.
If no ono then comes to lay claim to
tho bodies thoy will bo burled at the
city's oxponso. By common assent of
tho clergy "Lend Kindly Light," the
hymn written by Cardinal Nowmnn,
was sung at all tho funerals.
Tho city hall, excopt absolutely nec
essary departments, was closod. Tho
board of trado closed an hour earlier
than usual and a number of mercantile
and manufacturing establishments also
closed early.
From tho largo numbor of complaints
received of tho Iobs of porsonal offecta
from tho bodies of tho firo victims,
coroner's ofllco clerks cstimato that
$1 00,000 worth of diamonds, watches,
jewelry, furs and other porsonal prop
erty was lost in tho firo. Many of tho
victims had money in. their possession
which could not bo found when tho
bodies woro examined at tho morgues.
Much of tho property of valuo was un
doubtedly lost, but a largo amount may
havo been stolen by ghouls. Hundreds
of tho bodies woro carried away in
trucks and express wagons, nnd thoro
was no way of proventlng porsons from
searching tho victims nnd taking tholr
valuables.
A thorough analysis of tho composi
tion of the "nsbestoB" curtain of tho
Iroquois Is being in ado by tho city
chemist. Tho curtain was consumed
by tho flames, although tho ordinanco
requires a flrc-proof curtain, such as
gonulno' asbestos material.
From tho stage hands Coroner
Traeger has learned tho cause of the
mysterious explosion which occurred
shortly after tho flro was discovered.
It was caused by tho falling of tho 'big
fan sceno which contained 80 inenn
descont electric lights. This sceno was
not in uso nt tho timo of tho flro, but
was sot in tho rear of tho stage. Tho
opening of tho double doors in tho
rear of tho stngo created a draft
which caused tho big fan sceno to top
plo over and break tho Incandescont
bulbs. This produced a nolso like nn
explosion. Tho stago hands deny tliat
thoro was a calsium tank on tho stngo
at tho timo of tho fire. Coronor Trae
ger has learned that each of tho 180
drop scones in tho theater was hung
on now, oily, Manila rope. It is esti
mated that thoro woro 750 lineal feet
of tills Inflammablo material used in
supporting tho drop scones nnd that
It added fuel to tho flames in tho rig
ging loft.
Mayor Harrison lias ordered tho
closing of every theater in Chicago
without exception until it has been
definitely ascertained that thoy aro not
violating any city ordinance. This is
supplementary to tho mayor's order of
last night which closed 17 theators,
about half tho total number of play
houses in tho city.
CLAIM TQ BE "CURED."
At Galena, Kun., Neveral People. Furnish
Testimonials uh to tho Work
of Dr. l'arham.
Galena, Kan., Jun. 3. Rov. Mr. Par
ham, tho dlvlno healer and evangel
ist, who hnd been holding a six wooks'
session of meetings hero, finished bap
tizing by immersion tho remaining 250
converts Now Year's day. This was tho
third baptizing, tho wliolo number ag
gregating over 000. Many profess to
havo been cured of their diseases and
infirmities by Rov. Mr. Parham'a
powor. Life-long cripples, partial
blindness and cancer In many forma
havo furnished testimonials of com
plete restoration.
Texan of 11!) Marries.
Toxarkana, Tex., Jan. 3. R. A. Cain.
99 years old, was married near this
placo to Miss 1211a Keller, aged 33.
Immediately after tho ceremony tho
couple had their photograph taken and
left for their future homo in Limo
stono county. Cain was born in Madi
son county, Tenn., In February 1801,
and came to Texas In 1835. Ho was in
San Antonio during tho Alamo massa
cro, and is tho last surviving veteran,
of tho Mexican war who fought Santa
Ann.
SJJ'-i.OOO Monument to I'npo T,en.
Rome, Jan. 3. Tho design for a
monumental tomb for tho lato Pope
Leo XIII. inside tho church of St. John
Lateran has been approved. It repre
sents Popo Leo wearing tho triple
crown, sitting on n throno supported by
tho world, each hand oxtondod in tho
act of blessing, the whole symbolizing
ono fold and ono church. Tho cost oC
the monument is estimated at S32.QQCL.
