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Newspaper
Mills County Tribune
Location
Glenwood, Iowa, United States of America
Date
Jan 07, 1904
Page
1
A December 30 fire at Chicago's Iroquois Theater killed nearly six hundred, many women and children, with bodies found piled in doorways and stairwells. Fire officials and police described a chaotic rescue as spectators fled amid smoke and heat, with origin disputed and the curtain failing to contain the blaze.
Horrific descriptions unfold as rescue workers enter the theatre disaster scene. Police and rescuers confront mounds of dead and crushed bodies near doorways and balconies. The chaos shows a high body count and dire peril for attendees.
Emergency workers carried bodies to depots as the death toll from the theater tragedy neared six hundred. Morgue records proved unreliable amid chaos and overwork, while funeral processions moved through snowbound streets. Relatives waited at Rolston’s and Jordan’s morgues seeking missing loved ones. Identifications depended on careful inspection of scattered remains.
Heavy snowfall cripples funeral transport as cemeteries lie miles from the city centers. Undertakers rush early services to free hearses for later burials while some families face postponements. Coroner's inquest opens Monday into theater fire with exclusion of spectators.
W A Merriman, western manager for George H Fuller company, defends the Iroquois theatre as built with safety and fireproof workmanship citing adherence to ordinances and added safeguards. He notes the structure remains intact after the fire as fatalities and injuries mount and many missing. Chicago mourns as morgues fill and families search for loved ones amid the disaster.
In Chicago a four day wave of funerals overwhelmed the city as authorities report many who wished to bury their dead were unable to secure services. The note hints at strain on undertakers and city resources amid widespread grieving.
Simon Wolf met with President Roosevelt about preventing violence against Jews in Russia. Wolf, who could not discuss details, said the president asked U.S. consuls in Russia to report if Kishinev mass killings might recur. Early replies were reassuring and indicated Russian authorities were attentive to rumors of trouble.
Chicago testimony in the Iroquois theatre investigation details alleged negligence by stage workers and management. Joseph Daugherty testified to a prior fire on stage two weeks earlier halted by an obstructing plank used as a lantern stand, which also blocked the asbestos curtain. He said the curtain could not be lowered due to the plank, and that ventilators and skylights were improperly handled during the fatal matinee. The curtain man warned officials, but his cautions were ignored, raising questions about preventing the tragedy.
Washington hosts an international arbitration conference next Tuesday with a mass meeting at Lafayette theater that afternoon. Prominent speakers include Cardinal Gibbons, Andrew Carnegie, Rabbi Hirsch, President Wilson of Princeton, Governor Durbin, Edward Everett Hale, and Clark Howell. The forum will discuss adopting a US Great Britain treaty to submit certain disputes to The Hague tribunal.
Washington reports that Corporal James Tanner will be appointed register of wills for the District of Columbia, succeeding Louis A. Dent. The change takes effect April 1, with Dent moving to the consular service. Tanner, former commissioner of pensions, arrives in Washington from Brooklyn.
Washington report shows November 1905 internal revenue receipts totaling 20,874,834 dollars, with an increase of 1,562,524 dollars from the prior period. The monthly statement details the rise in collections across federal channels.
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