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MOURNS JROQUOiavitfw£ChicAsjo Grieves for: 'Xheater UeaiS 6«*''y Aiojui-reraary of .DLja^fcer...\ . raernbry:. : the , J roquets: theaterffire laid its shadow’ on Chicago;Friday, that being the first ahniversaryv of-.the.'' disaster- In Willard Hah'-gathered. telaO1 lives of victims, members of the Iroqnpfc Meniorial' Association, v/h ieh proposes‘.to erect an emergency hospital- andsumt-; ors of the fire and panic itself A^Thefer.-■ were men whose hair has withered ' in the last twelve mouths of . suffering; women in whose faces furrows were, implanted- by. the horror of- a- year agO;: children on whom the loss of; brother or sister had laid a lifelong.' sadness...Firedn th'e Iroquois theater,-b* which, ' according to ^ the coroner’s records, 575“ persons - were killed,- broke out .at 3;33rp. m. Dee. 30, 1003. The holiday: audir * cnee was composed ehiefiy of women and: children. In the latter-, part of the sec-:.' ond. act, as the octet ot the (,Mr; BIlie- beard” company was singing uin tli©; Fale Moonlight,,r a* part.of the hanging^' scenery caught fire, supposedly .from au unprotected light. .With the opening ©£; a stage door to permit the actors: to.;.es---cape a tremendous draft: poured iutothe;.lit enter. It carried with it into the fa c V -of the. audience a vast sheet of Same. • ;The asbestos curtain was started downyVbut stuck on the “spot light-V- ' Tfcen:be^;gan the panic. The audience rose to: Its:;fee t a lid staricd to rush put/.'-TTVempper^exits were choked . wnth 'the . bodies .. ofstruggling victims. Many-; of the exitsiyere found closed and'..bolted.- .Nearly.all the people oii the main floor managed'-to force, their way outl- About-seventy-•uve on this .floor lost. their- lives. Ofthose on the first balcony about 200 per-’islied and of those. who were' in the gal^lery about, 300 were; killed:-. Most of•these victims wore supposed to have' diedfrom sntfoeation. .Several - of • the doorsin the foyerwere found locked.- • After sitting for about two weeks acoroner's, jury returned its verdict as to.responsibility in,, the loss' of -''ko many’lives.^ The. jury’s verdict recommendedthat The .following, be lield to the grandjury: Mayor HarrisOn, Fire MarshyMushara, Building - Commissioner Wifliams, Will'J. Davis; one of 'the proprie1’tors of the theater; Stage Oar pouter Kd-wara Cummings, Treasurer Thomasj.Noonan, ..Operator- Willi am MeMuilpu-,operator of the. “spot light,” and -Buiia-ing Inspector Laugliliii. The grand juryindicted Daris, .Noonan, and Cummings,irliose eases, arc pending before .IfuelgeKersten, and Williams and Laughlic.The eases of the -latter . hare not. boeacalled. . ' 'v i ;' • lt;■'
Newspaper Details
Ireton Weekly Ledger
Ireton, Iowa, US
Fri, Jan 06, 1905
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
Patricia B.
USA 23 Dec 2022
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