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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 31, 1903)
THE OMAHA DAILY PEE: THURSDAY, DECEMI.ER 31. lf03. Telephones ails' -1M. WE CLOSE SATURDAYS AT P. M. "The nest part of a man's edoretlon Is that which he stives himself." X !v According to our usual custom of not carrying over any ready-to-wear garments from season to season we, beg to say that on Saturday," January 2nd, at 8 o'clock, we will sell all our rich and handsome stock of new coats at exactly one-half our . regular price. These garments will be on EXHIRITION in our cloak department from Wednesday on, but no cloak will be sold until Saturday. You know how welcome you A'. M. C. aT Building. Comer theae two points la something that la aim ply beyond human power Id-adequately de scribe. Only a faint Jdea of it horror could be derived from the aspect of the bodies as they lay. Women on top of these masses of dead had been overtaken by death as they were crawling; on their hands . and knees over the bodies"' of those who had died before. Others lay with arms stretched out In the direction toward which lay life and safety, holding In tholr hands fragments of garments not their own. Thoy ' were evidently torn from the clothing of others whom they had en deavored to- pull down and trample under foot as they fought for their own lives. As the police removed layer after layer of dead In these .doorways, the sight be came too much even for police and fire men, hardened as they are to such scenes, to endure. The bodies were In such an Inextricable 'mass, and so tightly were they Jammed between the sides of the door and the walla, that It was Impos sible to lift them one by one and carry them out. The only possible thing to do was to seise a limb or other portion of the .body and pull with main strength. Awful Scene in Bnlldlng. Men worked at the task with tears run nlng down their checks, and the cries of the rescuers could be heard even In the hatl below where this . awful scene was being enacted."'- - '. A few men .'Were compelled to abandon their task and give It over to others whose nerves had as yet not been shaken by the awful experience. As one by one the bodies were dragged out of the water soaked, blackened mass of corpses the spectacle became more and more heart rendering. There were women" whose cloth ing was torn -completely from their bodies above the waists, whose bosoms had been trampled Into a pulp and whose faces were marred beyond all power of Identifi cation. Bodies Plied In Aisles. In the first and second balconies bodies were piled up In the aisles three and four deep, where one. "had fallen and others tripped over the prostrate forms. All had died where they lay, evidently suffocated by the gas. Others were bent over backs of seats where they had been thrown by the rush of people for the doors and killed without hardly a chance to rife from their seats. One man was found with his back bent Dearly, 'double hie syiiak.eQjurna, hav ing been f factored gg'tis thrown- back ward." A women wafound cut nearly. In half, by the-back of the seat, she having been forced over It, face downward. In, the alalea nearest te the doors ; the scenes were harrowing In the extreme. Bodies lay Jo every conceivable attitude, half naked, the look pn their faces reveal Ing some portion ot the agony which must have preceded their death. There were scores and scores of people whose en tire faces had been trampled completely off by the heels of those, who rushed over them.', and ,ln one aisle the body of a man ' ' VM found with not a vestage of clothing above his waist line. The entire upper por tion. of his. body had been, cut into mince meat a,nd carried away by the feet of those who trampled on- him. .A search was made carefully with a hope of finding his head, but at a late hour tonight It had not been discovered and all that will ever tell his friends who he waa la the color and appear ance 'of the clothing on the lower limbs, and this is In such a condition as to be hardly recognisable. '. , - ( Fire Escapee Met In Place. The! theater has been constructed' but a short time end all Its equipment was not yet hi place; ' This . waa unfortunately the case 'with a 'fire escape tn the rear of the building. The small Iron balconies' to which the iron ' ladder was to -be' attached were up. but Jhe ladder had not yet been -constructed. When 'the panic was at Its height a great number of Women ran for these fire escapes, only to Bud, 'as they emerged from the Coorway Upon the little Iron plat form, that they were forty to fifty feet above tle ground, a fire behind ' and no method of escape In front.' Those who reached the platform first' endeavored to hold , their : fooling and to keep back the crowd that pressed upon them from the rear. The effort was utterlyruseleas, and In a few moments the iron platform was Jammed .with crowds of women who screamed, fought and tore at each other like s maniacs. This lasted but a brief interval, and the rush from the Interior of the building be came so violent that many of them. were crowded off and fell .to the ground below, Others leaped from the platform, fracturing lege and arras, and twe were picked up at this point with fractured skulls, having been killed Instantly. George )l. Elliott, secretary of the Ogden Qas company, was In a building dlreetly across the alley from' the theater and noticing smoke went down to ascertain its cause. When he reached the street two men were already dropping Into the alley and Elliott Immediately rushed for a lad der In the effort to save as many as pos stble. No ladder was available and the only method of assistance they, were able to devisee was to hurriedly lash aome planks together and throw them across to the frightened women on the platforms with Instructions to place the end firmly on All mantle are not WeUbachs. 5e that tha mantle" you buy has tha Shield of Qual ity on the box. ' AH DealeraT ! V r ss " Tlo Shtold ngjEl ea tha Box J$ ft WtUBACH B yimn h u vv& Bee, dm. a, Announcement nre when you visit our store, Sixteenth and DougU JBfi the Iron framework". Before this could be dohe a fearful loas of time ensued, the women were being puahed every instant Into the alley, and by the time the bridge was 'constructed byt few remained to take advantage of it. However, about two dosen. It la believed by Elliott, made their way across this narrow bridge. Five Cnrtala Falls to Work, Members of the theatrical company, be ing on the first floor, had comparatively little difficulty In reaching the street, al though their situation was for a moment highly critical, because of the flamea which swept through the mass of scenery In the files and on the stage. Eddie Foy, the comedian in the play, was one of the last to escape, by getting out through a rear door after assisting the women members of the company to safety. He went Into the Sherman house In his stage costume and with his face covered with grease paint in order to secure surgical attend ance for some burns which he had sus tained. Tn describing the Commencement of the fire, Foy attributed the extent -of the catastrophe to the failure of the fireproof curtain to work properly. Because of this he said, the flames readily obtained access to tho main part of the theater and were by the draft carrying with It gas as well as Are, swept up to the two balconies, where the less of life was greatest "The Are began In the middle of the second act," said Mr. Foy. "An electric wire broke, was grounded, and from this the flames were started ln'threar of the stage,. The stage Is unusually, wide and there was so great a draft that the flames srfread rapidly. They soon attacked all the scenery In the rear of the house, nover believed It possible for fire to spread so quickly "When it started I went to the footlfljht and to prevent alarming the - audience. said that' there was a slight blase, and that It would be better for all to leave quietly. Then I stepped back and called for - the asbestos curtain to be lowered, This, when about half way down, refused to go farther, and thus an additional draft was created. Thlg, swept the flames out Into the auditorium and I knew that the theater was doomed, "I hurried back to the stage and aided In getting the women members of the com pany Into the alley. Some of them were In their' dressing rooms and were almost overcome by smoke when"" they got down to the. et age and to the-d&Kre. r-ThQ slmjjl tact ' that the curtain did not -descend in Urely 'was what saved the lives of he company, although It caused such a hor rible catastrophe In the front of the house After the curtain had refused :to' descend, there came the explosion of the gas tanks, and with the curtain down, all the fire and gas would have been confined between tho rear wall of the theater and the Are, proof curtain In front. Under these clr cumstances, it would not have been possi ble for a single member of the company to escape alive unless he or she had been standing Immediately In front of the door leading Into the alley. As It was, the draft carried all the gas jid lire out beneath the curtain and the company was saved, al though their salvation was the death of so many people In front" Calamity Appals City. Rarely In the history of Chicago has It been so ctrrred as by the calamity Joday. ai iu me A-nicago nre it is the greatest catastrophe that has ever occurred here, and the speed with which It came and went seemed ror a brief period to appg the busi ness section of the city. The' hews spread wn ai-emi rapiauy and In a short time nunareds or men, Women and children were uV..iuB iu v u ins ineaier. fne building in wmcn me calamity occurred stands mid way oetween State and Dearborn streets on the north side of Randolph street. jiunougn every . available policeman Ithln call of the department Mas Imm. fliately hurried to the snot and the. men placed in lines at the end of the block, ai owing notKKly to enter Randolph street irom euner Dearborn, or State streets, it ivunu ior a iime almost impossible to hold back the Trended crowd that oresked lorwara, many of them having Jrlenda or relatives In the theater and anxious to learn something of them. The conduct of the ponce was beyond all praise. The officers held their ground firmly and gently pushed back all those 4ho sought to gain en trance to the theater, although tn some In stances frantic men. anxious to look for meir loved ones, actually fought the offi cers in their rage at being prevented. in spit of the efforts of the twitlne a large number of people succeeded In bnak. Ing through their line and entering the theater, and In many cases did heroic work in rescuing the Injured and carrying out tne aead. Among these was Alderman William H. Thompson, who unaided car rled to the street 'the . bodlea of eight women. The first newspaper men upon the I ground alao carried out many of. the dead and Injured. The building was so full, of smoke when the firemen first arrlvsd that the full ex tent of the ' catastrophe was not Imme diately grasped, until a fireman and a newspaper man crawled up the stairway leading to the balcony, holding handker chiefs over their mouths to avoid suffoca tion. , Women riled Higher Thau Heads. As they reached the . doorway the fire man, whose vision was better trained In such emergencies, aeittd his companion by the arm, exclaiming: "Oood God, man, don't throw water pn their faces." The men tried vainly to get through the door, which was jammed . with dead women, piled higher than either of their heads. All the lights in the theater were neces sarily out, and the only illumination came through the cloud of smoke that hung be tween the Interior of the theater and 'the street. The two men immediately hurried to the floor below and Informed Chief Muaham of the fire department that the dead bodies were piled high In the baloony and prompt assistance must be rendered If any of them were tQ be saved. . The chief at once called upon all of hla man in the vicinity to abandon work pn the fire and come at once to the rescue.. The build ing waa ao dark and the smoke so thick that it was found Impossible to accom plish anything until lights had been se cured. Word was at once sent to the pre Lockttt Hardware company, two door east of the theater, and that firm . r,1DMAy4 It. .nflr- .Irv nf llintPrnB at the service of the department, Over 200 llghta were qulrkly carried Into the building-, and the work of rescue com- menced. 80 rapidly were the bodies brought down that for over an hour there " I were two streams of men passing In and out of the doorway, the one carrying bodies, the other composed of men return ing to get more. They were carried into Thompson's restaurant, which adjoins the theater on the east, where all the available space was given by the proprietor. The dead and wounded were placed upon chairs, tables and counters, one woman evert being placed, for lack of a better spot, on top of a cigar case. Because of the tremendous throng which surrounded the block in which the theater building stood It was not possible for the police to carry the dead and wounded any dis tance, and they were compelled to wait for ambulances at the theater. . AMbiltnrea All Inadequate. Although the patrol wagons and every ambulance owned by the city were pressed Into service, they were utterly Inadequate to carry away the dead, and In a short time there was a line of corpses fifty feet long piled two and three hlfh, on ha side walk In front of the theater. It was found 7. necessary In order to convey the bodies .,,-.. . . ,,.,. rapidly to the morgue and to the various undertaking establishments to press trucks Into service, and In these, upon costly blankets furnished by the dry goods stores ln the vicinity, and covered with the same material, the dead were hauled away prac tically like so much cordwood. The mer chants in the vicinity of the theater rose to the emergency ln splendid fashion. Mar shall Field & Co., Mandel Bros., , Schles- Inger & Meyer, Carson, Plrle, Scott & Co. and other large dry goods stores sent wagonload after wagonload of bUnkets rolls of linen and packages of cotton to . . , u . . - 1.-1 be used in binding up the wounds of the Injured and to cover the dead. The drug I stores furnished their stook to anybody that asked for it in the name of the people hurt ln the fire. Doctors and trained nurses were on the ground by the score within half an hour after the extent of the .nlamllv warn lrnnwn and even armmded nerson who was carried from the building ladder from the hed to a Window 1 feet higher than the top of the curtain, ex !. 'IM ..T bull1,nK ,he rear of the building at which a mass I ?"""d the audience, was a swinging plat- received prompt medical aid, A number of doctors waited at the en trance to the theater with stethoscopes ln hlLnd, and as soon as a body which looked as though It might possess life was carried out It was at once examined, and If dend placed on the pile lying on the sidewalk. The others were at once' placed In ambu lances and whirled away to hospitals or to the offices of physicians ln the Immediate neighborhood. One large truck ordinarily used for con veying freight to depots was so heavily loaded with dead ln front of the theater that tha two large horses attached to It were unable to start and the police were compeuea 10 asxisi oy tugging at tne wheels. When the need for. trucks to re- move the dead was more pressing a huge electric delivery wagon owned by Mont- gomery, wara ft uo. was nailed oy tne police. The automobile headed for the scene, dui at mate street encountered so great a press or people that it ceuld not get through. The chauffeur clanged his gong repeatedly, but the crowd refused to pari ana me auiomoDiie was nnaiiy turned away. ' nniiiin. of pmii.ii Wkll. . ., a . Ing out the dead and Injured Will J. Davis, one of the proprietors of the theater, was Indefatigable ln his efforts to alleviate all suffering and to assist in caring for the dead.' Hq said: A There was no need, ai far as I know, of a single life being lost. There were over it ThAF wen . . lorty exits 19 tne tneater.ine omtding .,la fireproof, and If somebody had not screamed "fire" I. think that all, as far as those killed In the panic are conoerned, could have reached the street In safety. And of those who were suffocated by the gHa nearly all would have been out by the time the explosion occurred If order had been preserved in making their exit. As far as we have learned, everybody on the first floor except three escaped, althouxh some sustnlned bruises and other minor injuries. The great loss of life was In the flrat and second balconies. These combined will seut about 900 persons. The sale of seats had been good, but was not up to the capacity, and as rar as I can estimate the balconies between them held between 7f0 and 800 people. The top balcony, where nit) ciioHi'eai Belli piB meiiru, whs ine most crowded, and It Is here that the crowd found most difficulty in struggling toward the exits. It was declared tonight by the manage ment of the theater that the fire was not caused by the grounding of an electric wire or to any defect In the equipment of the. theater. It started, they claim, ;by the bursting of a calcium light apparatus. The concussion was so great that it blew out the skylight over the stage and audi torium. This statement of the theater management Is contradicted by many peo ple who were In the theater and who de clared that before the explosion occurred they saw flames ln a narrow streak creep ing along the wall near the upper part of the dress curtain. Story of Survivor. , William C. Sellers, the house fireman, who was severely burned In trying to lower the asbestos curtain, describes the scene upon the stage and the cause as follows: I was standing ln the wings when I heard the explosion and then Immediately afterward a cry of fire from the stage and all over the theater. Looking; uo. I saw that the curtuln was ablase and at once Ol IIIBJ IUUUIII WBI lUUBB ailU Ml UIIl'O n for the fire curtain. We got it, half iiy down when the wind rushing in from e broken skylights bellied it out so that ra wu the It caught and we could cauKht and we could not budire It. with the stage hands I climbed to where It was suspended and together we tried to push It rt.,n riur BffnriM w-r. .,tn ..i.. that no human power could move the fire curtain and that the stage was a mass of names, 1 lurneu my aiieuuon 10 warning ih. Jinr. nri tpvlna in auu ii,nu -,v, were in trouble. The women were frantic ana tne men not mucn oetter. 1 stood at iiiti aianwajr imiiiii8 u uitbbiiij rounia ihun Ik. Khrinia ninna Biara lralurf mwiA kept some from going up to get their street clothes. As the others came down J forced them to leave the bullrllng. I do not know how they got those girls and men out who came crowding down the stairs, for the s'age entrance was blocked by a mass of flames. Among the hundreds of', persons' who rushed to the rescue when the call of fire was heard on the streets waa Bishop Fal- Inn kn h a r.nana.l tn ha nau.lna k. ikJ wuhBiii n n..tinn - roaue nis way inroygn tne aaraness mat was Intensified by the volume of smoke .v,. u .k ii.-i., . " ' w .... a -v.- lery and assisted in carrying out the vie tlms. Ic.se Worse Than Battledeld. Bishop Fallows said: God forbid that I will ever again have been tn warn and tiuuu th blood v Asa tlirh M heartrending sight. - I fir Id of battle, but ln all mv experience a. iha aicht that met mv avea aa with th. aid or a tiny lantern, i waa nnaiiy aula to penetrate the Inky darkness of that bal- i',myJ. Tter.e wa." . ,,ll.t twLei, ond bleeding bodies, ten feet high, with black. ened faces and remnants of charred cloth- ing clinging to them. 8omewere alive and moaning in their sgony. cithers, and y . , , re',,,er numoer, were oeaa. 3"-. 7. '.'"T ".-"'. v. "V'.i.. ij i.ii.i.ii" w ..u kuuiu. H was the presence of tne cnuaren, hun- dreds of whom were In the audience, and the efforts or their frantic mothers, tm pelled by their first thought to seek the safety of their young, that caused much of the pandemonium. Alexander H. Revell, who had sent his little daughter Margaret, with a little friend, in1 charge of a maid, to see the Mrforroante. five mfnutea after the fir. started beard of It In hi. store and nastuy caning a carnage arovv maaiy tj the burning building. By the greatest good formed htm IhRt th A Children nftfl Dn saved without Injury. Mr. Revell thru hastened Into the theater and participated In the rescue. He said: ! workel In the tipper balconies. The sight of thoxe poor women and their little .nfri I Mran tl K nlannKol flat a Ti I oad n I children, with clenched fists rlsed ns and ; rlrkVn'dnwn Tn th. verV aJt. Is too nnrrinle to attempt to desrrnie. mui i thounht of how my own little one had all I could to save th.me who were not so 1 1 rui Biiu i luiatrt tiunwi nim um i fortunate. I aerated the police and firemen In carrying down more than twenty bodies. sheriff's Force at Work. Sheriff Barrett and a score of deputies from his office assisted in carrying out the Injured people and In keeping order among the mob of frantic relatives, "Who thronged the streets In front of the building, vainly seeking Information that none could give them.' The sheriff said:- I have never before witnessed such a scene In all my life. On all slues were heaps of manaied and charred humanity We carried out so many Injured and dead that at last they grew so numerous that we were unatue to Keep, count 01 tnem oucri a areaaiui siem 1 iruBi l win never be called to witness .gain.. Crazed men 2uKil?...S""-.?,r:Sl S-n"AV.5 ahfhia tnJLr J ?M Ji .v ear-bllmletl ees of corpse that filled every a sDHce. Etronar rrwn with tern rt"V" V"..li,B""lrWB"l.a"aP"'J5a. "'""7. " , . , , . . , . , - i ' jj w. . . ZP. f. ,eJVVJgK,Wr.h in. could to leawn their grief, but such scenes ca never be t,)rgotten ln a lifetime inrn ivvtu uiien ns inoiiKii uitit wm E. Leavltt, the ticket taker at the theater, was at the main entrance and realising the gravity of the situation at a glance, he burst open the three donble doors and then ran to turn ln the alarm, He said: I heard the cry and saw the mob rushing ror the aoor. 1 could not see the nre irom where I stood and I thouaht that it was noi so naa as u reany was. vvnen tne nrxt of the frenzied audience reached the out side door I tried to calm them, but in leas than a minute I saw it was no use and I burst ouen the doors. Then I ran for the alarm box. Coming back I agisted In 1 i rnLuo m i 1 1 1 , i v 1 1 a.1 1 lull I, uul WHI overrun bv th. terrified nrnwd that ,,hH and shoved each other out of the rioorwav. na 1 wa" ought in the mass of struggling iiu.mvi.ii. wiiu ,wwicu vui iu me viivci, iiiuiiimuiB uie piHKe in ne inner inn ui llerolo Work of Cook. the second act, when the song "In the Pnle ... .... Moon Light" wus being sung. I was stand Walters and cooks from Thompsons res- Ing behind a wing on the. left side of the taurant. which adjoins the theater on the tag", when my attention was attracted by east, rescaed fifteen people by raising .. , , , . . , i of screaming women and children were congregated. C. Little, the head cook, I mounted tn tha ton nf tha ladder and tnid I (ll , . . . ... , them to Jump Into his arms. Fifteen women ana cnuaren aid tnrs ana were passed by I out ana mat many or the actors and nc r.uti. dnn h nk. .v.. i.,u.. I tresses had not vet discovered the blase, ZZ rL ' Z L IZ . a . 4 . - ....... ,,i o.icwijjLu in jump 1 Into his arms before he was ready to take! hold of her and she fell to the allev. frae- turlng her skull, dying Instantly. D. A. Sfratton of Alpena, Mich., was In the theater with' his 15-year-old daughter Mattie and his ' niece, ' Louise Bushway of Chicago. In the rush for the door he be came separated from both girls, and at- empted to fight his way Wk in order t flniJ th,mi but wag buffeted aside by the LrUBn of maddened people. He-was knocked down, trampled on. and his head cut in a doserf places. Not for an hour after being carried out did lie learn that the two chll dren had also escaped, both of them being burned badly, his daughter having inhaled flame and being unable to speak One of the marvelous escapes that was made by the members of,a theater party which was given . by, Mlss Charlotte E. Plnmondon of Chicago. The party was made up of a number of prominent, society People of ths city Miss Elsie L. Moore of Adtorio, Ore., MISS Mary. Peters of Colum- bus, O., and Miss Jospptyne Eddy of Evans- ton, 111. Mss Plarpondon was the first of her party, to. notice the fire, which crept along tne top or tne drop curtain. Bhe canea tne lilientvm' or otner members of .or . iha hla and thav at.,d it I. - - ' J MJss Plamondon and:. v, r Frst. Sljtht, ( Flames I could see the llctle' girls and boys In u bct tiiw uiuo gins hiiu wiya in hestra halre pointing upward to tt'W ofveflranse;ap0pear.Ci tne orcnestra nairi the Blowl tha atna-a before the footlights and requested the au- dlence to keep thetr eeats as there was ho danger. Eddie Foy then hurried to the frnnt fit tha ataa-a and enmmanded tha nan. nla tn panHiln ralm, Mvlnff that If thair would keep their seats the danger would oe averiea. mi curiam, nowever, ami knvnad nlniBB nt tha' imnuMnHnv e'fith falling Into the orchestra pit. An effort was made by the stage hands to arrange '""..,CdU"""d:"nM,hDa,;Ttl,'' "" I looked over the faces of the audi- ence and remarked how many children were present. 1 couia nee meir nits nuru .. . .downtown earlv In the evenina nHth fnteraat and their avea wlrta nnen. as I "nea "nowntown eariy in tne evening. they watched the burning curtain. Just then the people In the balcony rose to their reel ana urowueu lurwmu to obtain better view of the fire. Eddie Foy rushed to the center of the stage agnin and waved his arms In a gesture meaning ior tne people to oe seateu. ji mm iiibibui a wiman in tha mar nf tha nlace screamed "fire," and the entire audience rose v,.i. nd lth nenntrolahla t reniv. tn an Inatant there was a confused roar made Dy a tnounana people as iney ruancu madly rrom tne impenaing uangcr. rin tha ataa-a the cherus alrls who had aroused my admiration because of their exhibition of presence of mind, turned to flee, but many of' them were overcome ZU?to:J "saw the men In the cast and the stage hands carry them orr tne stage, miss r-mie - .., "r,t MenTrampui'poa 1'hlldrea. . ,K ;ln UP"lPwTVe .lcomoel eS To brush fragments of the burning curtain from our clothing In order to prevent them catching z&ti&wvs over the parquet of the theater until It AAmA,l tn ma aa though they must reach ... . ... . ipl... the very front " of "H,I"' 1,,? t were but few tnen In the "Jten re, but ! saw several of them pulling and Pining I women ana cnuaren namo like maniacs to reach the exits. 1 saw a number 01 lime cnuaren uimiii ' (i nnna nf them arose again. In the balcony the scene was beyond my I power to describe. There was a big black 1 crusn or numan iiein, m v.,.p..- I.' v,u u.rvh,,Hv jae. The balcony was so steep that many fell before they had left the first lour rows m ""V" . J i exits to tne nre eci-a . .U .r . i- .L.. M . ,uhad with all the Strength they possessed on those who were I nearer the doorway. .... lA wa". a'moM lnfih,t?,,.h .hi icenTrv and I although I was only a second after Miss Kllmore in jumping orrr imj our box to tne aiaie in irom -"b- a mass of flames. As I started up the aisle man ruahed Into me and knocked me down I was so ttrror-strlcken that I grew I i, .u,ik into one of the orchestra .,l,.lra anri aftoP that I hardly rllmlr anything. In wme way I reached the main entrBnce. where men were Kiemiig against i the doors and shattering me giaas aim panels ln their attempt to afford a jtyerr space of exit for the people. Many fell as i tney reached tlje doors, anere a rew steps more would have carried them to fresh air and safety. As I look at It now I must kiiia hean walk In nn prostrate bodlea as I atruaaled through the opening. All of our , ,u rt v tfiu'lLDMI In anout tne same niailBtvr ..-"- . - . I - f did, but ail of them suffered so terribly In the matter of clothing that the first thing they did waa to rush to the stores to ouy I wrap to cover them I I Flret, Blconr WlllUm R. Hyer, an usher In the first balcony, said tonignt: Uy balcony was crowded and there were a number of people standing when the fire .ri,u niit It all came- so sudden that I yMrey hud time to open the fire exits before ,h. auditorium was In flames. I tried to I auet the crowd but It was no use. The i m. screamed and the men Yought to get i ' doors, tramp ing oa women ana cn.i- i dren. IT tney wouia nave peen quiet every, i byjy cjaid Uave got out of my balcony. Mr, r A Morgan of Chicago was to the thellter ,1, hor ,ter, MUs Marie Ella - warren of Detroit, and her son. years old xb. Darty waa ln the first balcony and wnen tn. nr,t .parks were seen arose t I depart. All of them had reached the Aral noor when the panto came and the rush for I the doors commenced. Although they has. I w-ned as rapidly as possible they were I Unu kwl Anmn and auntaiaed avera brulaea A man selxed th. little boy by the head attempting to throw mm Irora ms patn. ana th. little boy's scaio waa practically torn -".i nri lu cuiiuivu. V tiiu i " "- "I'l1' " nrsi n .or una gra-.,.ina .... 'wu '"B,r ,ne nana" m""ra Ior l"e u"r - " J" reacnea me entrance hen the crowd ruahed on her, bore her .a .a . . a a . down and trampled her Into unconscious Bhe knew nothing more until she was revivea in me tsamaritnn noepitai, wnen ghe at one, begged for her children. While Bn" w" asning ior tnetn one 01 mem was ... .. .... brought to the hospital seriously burned. The other escaped uninjured Deaths Caaaed by Falllna-. R. W. Wilson, who assisted In taking the Injured from the theater to the hospital. said that many of the deaths were caused by falling from the balcony steps In the ef forts of the crowd to reach the exit, say ing: The first evidence of the fire was a thin column of smoke which floated from the stage This was followed by a sheet of name Which mounted to the celling and enveloped the hnnaines about the-front of the, stage.. The people In the parquet started for the door In an orderly manner. tk. ... -a . ' mbrn? inec t a t or a nriUa "Their" feet .. pouted for order and did everything XMr V0" t0 Prevent a panic. Then somebody sereametf and everybody appar- entv n.t all control of themaelvea and ran ,or tne door- 1 W"B Knocked down twice rill iv it mi nn for the door. 1 was knocked down twice liv man whn o,l . l,..t Ih.lp men wno seomea to have lost tneir mlnd- M'n Irang to the stairs appar- entiv rea-ardleaa nf the wnmen and children who wefriohig down a72 flm. M.Sy women and children were knocked down In 'his way who might have been saved had they not been punned to one side by men wno mougnt or nothing but themselves Herbert Cawthorn, a member of the cast, assisted rnahy of the chorus girls, from the stage exits In the panic. AfteV being driven from the building he made two attempts to enter his dressing room, but both times was driven back by the firemen who feared he would be overcome by smoke Mr. Cawthorn said: Blames Calcium Lights. I was in a Dtwltlon to see the origin of clectile ralelnm 1 hi that atarted tha Maze tne nre and 1 reel pusltlve that It whs an The calcium lights were being used to a peculiar sputtering of one of the cal clums. About the stage, perhaps twelve iorm irom wnicu twelve caiciuuis were onerated. It annenred tn me that mm of the. calciums hud flared up and the sparks Ignited the lint oh' the curtain. Instantly I turned my attention toward the stage an,i i HW that the Bns WRB beng carrief Ju8t then the fireman who slept behind tne fcanes rushed up with some kind or a fire extinguisher. Instead of the stream fr,,m the apparatus striking the flames It went almoHt In the opposite direction. - Up to this time the flames hud not been ln sight of the audience. While the stae fireman was Working in an endeavor, to-use the chemicals the flame" suddenly swooped down and out. Eddie Foy shouted some thing about the asbestos curtain and the fireman attempted to use It, and the stage hands ran to hla assistance. The aabestos curtain refused to work, and then the stage nanus and players began to hurry from the theater. In my opinion, the ntage dromon might have averted the whole affair if he had not become so excited. The chorus girls and everybody else to my mind were lens exciivu man nr, inerr were ni icnm 500 persons behind the scenes when the fire started. I asslated many of the chorus girls from the theater and some of them were only partially attired. Two of the young - women ln particular were naked from the waist up. They had absolutely no time to throw on clothing. . Sickening; Scenes In Pit About a score of people in the second balcony were saved .bv firemen, who took them through the roof and carried them dnwn ladders In tha rear nt tha Tmlldlna- Two Bodies tightly locked In each other's arms,, young ladles apparently, were found In one end of the orchestra pit- They must have fallen there from the balcony above. . The bod of a dark haired elrl waa found impaled oh-the iron ratling 'of the first baloomJV she -having evidently been thrown over the second balcony above. With all of Its clothing torn from It but ...... v. . .u... a pair of baby shoes, the body of a child corner ' the second balcony. It had evidently been knocked from Its mother's arms and ., trmiH hd .11 ... n. I ' ., ...... 'va"'t, J'" Local Interest Intense. T.l lntn.l ln h a.. 1.1.... I woo iii.ciibh, m ee teiepnones were kept in constant use by anxious outsiders wanting to know "the latest from that fire In Chicago. News of the conflagration spread with lightning rapidity and the street were well seemed that the fire might have been ln this city, so great was the anxiety. On a , . ... v . .... . . wrC..i.y, aqrruw ana syra painy tor tne .unionunate victims ana tnei families attended the Inqulsltlveness. IMPLEMENT DEALERS AGREE 1,1 ' 1 UttlW MUnCC 1 1 nose irom i-iatte valley m a I'nllorm Scale Prices. of LINCOLN, Dec. ao.-(8peclal Telegram.)- The South Platte implement dealers thl evening adopted a schedule of prices on machinery which lowers the prices on sonie and Increases It og other Implements. The schedule will not be mad. public at this time The "Blaine Canal" from the Dakotas to thd?"p 'T??, ,n,a Jerome 8,h'mS and C. P, Russell of Lincoln were re-elected Dretddent and secretarv.. J. If Tavlcaafinrv ' ' ' was elected vice president. Mr. Shamp was chosen as a delegate to the Iowa- amo cnosen as a oeiegaie to tne lowa- cuibi nau.-iauim murium ai Omaha ftn(j to the jy,,,,,! Federation o of Jmplo- m,.t rjeu'era to b held later ment uea.ers to oe neia later. The sheriffs this afternoon decided to no5a tnell, next mestlng In Omaha and . . ., , John Po war Omaha eiecteg inese ornters. jonn rower, umana, president; C. IS. Schrader, Nebraska CUy, 1 vice proeldent; Nicholas Ress, Lincoln, sec, relarv and traaaurer relar mna treasurer. I It Was reported that some of the counties were taking up the claims of the sheriffs against the state, which the auditor re fused to pay, and would present them to me legislature. DEATH RECORD. Mrs. rbrlstlna lehaab. PAPILLION, Neb.. Deo, 80. (Special Tel egram.) Mrs. Christina . Schaab, wife of John Schaab, an old pioneer" of Sarpy oounty, died this morning of heart failure at her home In South Papllllnn. Her hus band and two children, Christina, wife of C, Vx Brown, and Charles, clerk ln the Q..lk V. , I...L I I buuiu viuaiia hbuuiibi imua, BumiT iicr. xne funeral will be held Friday afternoon at I olock. ' Frank Forde, 8IOUX FALLS, S. D , Deo. 80. -(Special Telegram.) Frank Foide,, a pioneer settler of Sioux Falls, who came to this part of Dakota In 186$ and the owner of a cattle ranch weet of Chamberlain, died at hla hom. i .hi. ctty this afternoon of stomach nom" ,n ,n'" f,ty ln """noon or siomaon I trouble, wnicn aeveiopea last summer, lie waa well known throughout the state. Wllllaw QUI. . BIOUX FALLS. S. D., leo. tO.-(Speclai Telegram.) William Gill, a retired Minn. haha county farmer and old soldier, died at the family residence here today. He was g pioneer resident of the county. e Air Uae President NEW YORK. Dec. ). At the meeting of tha directors of the itealoard Air Una to I of orealdant of the company and Vice proal day J. Kkelaon Williams Tesigned the office In Jj.nt Bar. wag $fJ "S," I cauirman ut the board of directors, DEAD, INJURED OR MISSING Ontlnued from First Page.) nnv Iniured while aavintt his daughter Mildred, I years old. arren . Morgan, ournea wnna Tra iling his S-yrAr old son. Miss Mftrcolla Morgan, tjetrou, severely urrvd. may die. William ratten; will die. Mrs. C. Kimball; will die. Susan Beahl. 18 years old; Will die. Jessie l'holln; will die. Margaret lluehrman: will die. Richard Emeland, stage hand; will die. Mrs. M. Iyehman; serious. Mrs. Francis Lehrmnn; will die. Miss Carrie Anderson; fHous. Mrs. Mabel Mldmlllnti: fatal. Fred. Crawford and William Patterson, oung sons of C. Patterson of the Pullman alace Car company: all seriously injureu. Adelaide. Baker; serious. Pomeroy; serious. Eddie Fov. comedrnn; slight. Verrlle clnrk; unconscious.' IbIbb Tint v 7 venra old. son of It. V. Doty of the illlnol's 8teel company. Mi's. Hetirv Miller, Ontonagon. Mien. tl. H. Chester, wife and two children: Severely burned about head and body; taken to hotel. Earl Hennessey, severely burned; taken to hotel. ' . H. 8. Vnnlnre shd wire: severely nurnea taken tn Rherman house. Pridmore; severely burned; taken to Sherman house. . . Chauman: severely burned shout arm ar.d legs; taken to Shrrma house. M. 8. Hchalk; will die. L. E. Reld. J. Everett. Mrs. Oeorge Everett. Miss Stewart. William Swlck: Mrs. James Hennlng. Miss D. Seelev. taken to hospital. Mrs. J. J. Johnson, taken to hospital. Mrs. John Holmes, taken to hospital. Iialsv Oarland, taken to hospital. John Kerwln. taken to hospital. Affy Trevlller. at hospital. DlfTemlorff, at hospital. Lewis Hiishback, burned and crushed. D. A. Stratton. Alpena, Mich. William C. Sellers. Nellie Stranger. Mrs. L. Nlms. Mrs. Lena Mueller. Helen Mueller. Mrs. William Mueller. Cora Fartcher. C. C. Berry. B. B. Stevenson, Madison, Wis. J-'.mes Schneider, Adolph Weber. ' Alma Llnchusky. Emily Hervllle, Pittsburg. Miss C. H. Pelr: serious. - Miss Livingston. W . Relnhart. Miss Muler; serious. S. A. Muler and wife. Ralph Comper. Miss Nellie Wise. Mrs. Stratton. Mrs. McQIII and daughter Jane. Mrs. Stelnlnger. S. A. Kllrov and daughter. Mrs. Bessie Cllnger, In hospital. Missing;. Following Is a partial list of the missing: Frank Doolev. son of Magistrate Dooley. Joe Klngslcy. His mother was seriously injured. . . y ' Mrs. LUiu ureenwaia ana son. Henrv Boehl. Mrs. C. E. Erlckson. son and daughter, of Aurora, III.; were In balcony. Florence uxnam, nosemona Bonmiat, ki vlra Olson, Helen McCaughan, Helen How ard, Lily Powers, a club of high school gins wno were on tne uaicony. ai ins k an a. mnaer. William Ounsatilus. nephew of Dr. Frank w. uunsauiua. Edna May Swift, daughter of, L. A. Swift Mrs. Arthur Rereh and son. Mrs. Henry O. Foreman, wife of presi dent or the county board. John Fltzglnhr.ns. Mrs. M. Stark, Des Moines, la. Mrs. O. J. Tuthlll. Des Moines, la. Mrs. M. Frederlchs. Anna Olsen. Mrs. Charles Page. Mrs. Spetke. Mrs. Mary Meade. Lena and Anna Moak, Watertown, Wis. Irma Werkoff. Edda M. Farnam. E. T. Boyce, wife and daughter. A. F. Oartx. (1. V. Breckner. sunnosed to have been one or a dox party. D. Russ, address snknown. Mrs. Frank Berg, eon Victor and dnugh ters Oarla and Rosalind, were in balconv. Mrs. John Uuthardt and daughter Ellas, were In balconv. " ' Mrs, 'Kavanagh. supposed to be' among unidentified dead at morgue. M Mrs. M. Relss and two children. Mrs. Rose Bloom, . Hazel Brnwn. . Mrs. Bailey. Mrs. McKanna and son. Belle Prlnney. . Florence Hutchlns. Waukegan, In. Marv and Barbara Oartx. children of A. F. Qarts, treasurer of the Crane Elevator company.. Colored nurse of Oartx children. Miss Jennie French of Klrkvllle, Mo. Miss "Datly" Reld. Miss Reld. Edna Torney. aged 21 years. Mrs. - Thomas A. Cantwell, mother of Atorney Robert Cantwell. Mrs. A. E. Hull and three children. Miss Mary Forbes, Mrs. Hull's maid. To Core a CoM In Una Day Take Laxative Bromo Quinine Tablets. AU druggists refund the money If It falls to cure. E. W, Drove's signature Is on each box. ISo. ... WAR NOW IN SIGHT (Continued from First Page.) It Was true, as asserted by the Lokal An- xeiger of Berlin, that Japan had notified the powers that the Russian-Japanese sit uation was desperate and that an Imme diate reply would be required from Russia, falling which Japan wbuld strike, the fol lowing statement was made by the Japa nese legation tonight: Jaoan ha communicated to the powers confidentially the circumstances under wh h tha negotiations nave neen rarriea on hitherto. Justifying her action, but not at all in the sense In which your query in. dlcatcs. , Russian Press Fears War. ST. PETERSBURG, Dec. JO. The foreign dispatches received here yesterday after. noon are reflected today In more pessimis tic editorials. The Novoe Vremya begins Its leader with "There la no war today; to morrow there may be war." The paper rather fatalistically directs at tentlon to the fact that wars marked the opening of the seventeenth, eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The Novoe Vremya nevertheless still pro. f esses' faith in' a peaceful settlement, say Ing: "We believe Japan will not place Russia in a position where to yield would appear to be a renunciation of the defense of Its vital interests In the far esst. Russia does not desire war; but nobody In Russia will permit the Japanese or other friends to execute a diplomatic dance upon Russia's spacefill disposition. In firm consciousness of Its power Russia will await events. Ia illness and in temporary upsets of the stomach, beef tea mode with Liebig Company's Extract of Beef will be relished and digested by the weakest stomach be cause it i entirely free from (at. It nourishes while it stimulates. The genuine he blue signature. 1 BEIUTIFUUW0I11II a anaa aluuian. by Oi.y a. Si.ixaa. Hair, im kill fce ana ahMav. II U buqualtd Braid at Muaiada. OH 8 AtTL.it ATION LASTS MOHt Ha. SaaapMia.lialr uaalMlSaa. rflaaay aaaiaart. Scaa Im paaaahlal. IMPEKUL CUEXKAL MPO. CO lit W. IM St., K Vark. aberman McConneU Drug Co., Omaha, ?gTV Pitst saieaireara, rvuaaral. ail ,-au:U vi aiiucw falllni uaaiwuo. Srali,., ioac. .id luac f bo; aik:iiiiuas rnaiaMi :M Imperial, Hair Regenerator , .? to tha Mir aura B4kfalaM . I U fl U Jaoiuu!. aafc.aalil. Illka1.laa U MEM liT niar aui.i EVIDENCE Furnished by tha People Them selves Who Have Been Cured of NERVOUSNESS Dyspepsia ant Catarrh and Sleeplessness by PAW-PAIR? Interesting words from an Insur ance man: Mr. W. B. Law, a well known and prom nent citizen of Cincinnati, who has been n the Insurance business for nearly fifty years, and Is now connected with the Royal Insurance company, at Hft) East Third street, says: "Munyon's 1'aw Paw Is a remnrkable remedy. I have been taking It now for less than a week, with the most beneficial results. My appetite Is Improved. 1 sleep better and feel better than 1 have for years. Mv dvsneitsia Is cured, and now I cannot praise Paw Paw too highly, and I advise all sufferers from stomach trouble and nervousness to give it a careful trial." hat a distinguished chemist says: Ross L. Wallace. A. M. and A. C. Is one of the most distinguished analytic and con sulting chemists In the east. His home Is In Haddonfleld, N. J. After a careful analysis of Munyon's. Paw Paw he writes as follows: "The sample of Munyon's Paw Paw sub mitted for examination shows that it Is a highly concentrated vegetable compound of exceptional merit as a digestant and tonlo for both the stomach and nervous centers. It contains nothing Injurious to the most aeiicttte organs. (Signed) . ROSS L. WALLACE, A. M A. C. Paw Paw will drive out all Dolsons and Impurities of the blood snd consequently is more Denenciai m khki matil', uvtK and KIDNEY COMPLAINTS. If you are overworked, use It. If rou are weak and run down, use It. If you nave no appetite, uae It. If you feel "old." use It. If you are depressed and feel the need nf new, life and good cheer, use It. If you have rheumatism, use it. ir your blood is thin or Impure, use It. If your kidneys are ailing, use It. If your heart is weak, use It. you can't sleep, use It. If your liver or stomach la out of order, use It. If you have catarrh, use It, Raw Paw Is natures own remedy Im proved by man's scientific skill. Munyon's Paw Paw (large bottles), price $1. Paw Paw Laxative Pills, 2Sc per box. At all druggists. ATHLETES, to keep in good trim must look well to the con dition of the skin. To this end, Hand Sapolio should be used in their daily baths. It liberates he activities of the pores and aids their nalural changes.x ', , A tin of beauty it a Joy torevtr, .T.FELIX GOURAUD'S ORIENTAL CREAM, OR MAGICAL BEAUTIFIES R.diotm Tan. Pimple, a-Tackle. Moth Patchoa, Haab and Skin Uli- anaa. and avary VS'lbUmilh on baauty, .?,rand daflea datection. lt hat itood th tut ot nftjr-ali yaara, and la o htralw w Uit It lo tx r It I prowl? ma. Acoepi ao counterf.lt ot ttml- Mr nam. Dr. L. A. Sairra aald ta a Il4r ot th baut tiin (s patlant): "A jrou ladln artll uaa Iham r VuomiBl4 "OODKAUD'B rREAIi' u th tMat harmtu or i th tain DreDirationa." War aa bv II druiil.ta and fancy good dealers In. th Unlt.d State and isurop. rURU. T. HOPKINS, Pro. . 17 Great Job St., N. T. aK Insorss Pnrt,Soft,Whlu SUa . , t'lFX). sua BaauUfaiCompIcxioa h JjdJ ' enra Kosams sad Tatter. Ab- -.aTw. v tolalely snd Permauentlr if remove 0icineaa, srao- kl, Pimple, ItadnaM, Boa . doM and Taa. Vmi. Vim I x'i Darma-Korala Soa a La tot kia i. In.ured. . ... SeW by OruoeliU, at atajbeerdarsa Ireot. . DerBBav-Boyale, tl per IwtUa. i,ih paleV Parma, If y ale Hoap, as eenta, by aaali. Botk tm mmm patrhairo, fLSti. aarees aM. TUB DERM A-BOV ALB CO., Cincinnati. O. SCHAEFER'S CUT PRICE DRUG STORE Omaha, Nebr., and South Omaha. Nebr. AMl'IKMENTI. BOYD' S wVLliySFm TONIGHT 0!l,V. The Distinguished Actor, CHARLES B. HANFORD In " RICHARD III." The best production since Keene's time. Frldar and Saturday Mat. and Rlaht. SPECIAL NEW YUAR'g MATINCE. "QUINOY ADAMS IAWYKR." ' Beats on sale. TELEPHONE 1BS1. Mat.To(laV25c Children 10 Cents. . , TONICHT 8:IS PRICKS-Wc. ac, tuo. Seats boot oa sale for . Rew Year's Mails and nisjnt. Tonight at 8:15 Orau Opera Company, "The Wlsard of tha Nile " New Year's Matinee "The .Wlsard of the Nile." New Year's Night and But. Mat. "Kl Capltan." Saturday Night "lle of Champagne Sunday Matinee Oeo. Bid. ney, In "Busy lisy." ..' MORAND'f , NVw Veur's Day Matitie, Grand CREIQHTON HALL. V . Dancing, 'i to it p. in. AdininHn. fM. KKSOBTS. HOT SPRINGS. ARKANSAS, i Haall. gwraatinil aud llau.a Auoal ( THE PARK HOTtL. High Claifs- Amencan i.nd European Plan. Plnest Cafes and drill Hooin west off. Y. Marble itath House. Complete Uymnaaluipaj Open Dec. 1st to May JSth, I. K. HAVKS Leaaee and Utufgtt. lVALKiCa. Autodate Man Jar. fortune one of the first peraons he yi-(from his head. . . 1 tuiiarea taxe ruw s ture reauiiy. u i nuviin d l-jtt auwer a.-,iJ. !.' I countered was the hysterical maid, who In-L lira. wniiun Mueller of Chicago was In I a sovereign remedy for Utile folks' colds. Ishartnsn it McConn.U Drug Co., Omaha. I ..... - - -