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Newspaper
The Indianapolis Journal
Location
Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America
Date
Dec 31, 1903
Page
5
A crowd of women fleeing a fire at a newly built theater rushed toward a rear fire escape that lacked a usable ladder. Iron balconies and ladders were incomplete, leaving exits thirty to fifty feet above the ground. The crush jammed the iron ledges and inside, people screamed as the panic spread and some were crushed on the granite alley.
Weather forecast across states shows fair and warmer Thursday with rain or snow possible Friday. Indiana and Ohio expect warmer Thursday, with Friday rain or snow in the north. Michigan and Wisconsin forecast varying precipitation, while Illinois and Kansas note warmer Thursday and possible snow later. Local observations list clear conditions and wind patterns as Blythe outlines monthly departures.
Eddie Foy the comedian escaped amid flames that swept through the Iroquois Theatre killing and injuring numerous performers and patrons. Fireproof curtains failed, causing flames to race and trapping many on balconies as workers, police, and merchants aided in rescues and morgue operations.
Mr Foy recalls a theater fire in which an electric wire sparked a blaze during the middle act. A weak asbestos curtain left a dangerous draft that fed flames into the auditorium, trapping many in front while saving the company members backstage and in the alley.
Chicago December 31 The owners Will J Davis and Harry J Powers released a formal statement detailing the Iroquois Theater fire. They describe a stage drapery ignition detected early and extinguished with Killfire tubes that failed to stop the blaze. They recount the rapid assembly of twenty five wide exits and the consequent panic and injuries as audiences evacuated. They stress that no costly precaution was spared and aisles were widened to aid egress.
Dec 9 Chicago recounts a theater calamity rivaling the great fire as hundreds rush to Randolph Street near State and Dearborn. Police actions quell crowds while rescue workers haul the dead and injured, with Alder man Thompson among heroes lifting eight women to safety.
Chicago report details a deadly theater blaze where Will J. Davis, a proprietor, aided victims and asserted no lives were lost. He blamed panic and gas suffocation on exits, noting 900 capacity with 7 to 000 per balcony and heavy crowds in the top balcony.
Theater management blamed a bursting calcium light for a blaze that blew out skylights and sent patrons fleeing. Fireman William C. Sellers, severely burned, described the chaotic scene as flames raged along the wall near the drop curtain while actors and chorus members escaped through crowded stairways.
BE Leavitt a theater ticket taker at the main entrance acted quickly when a fire alarm was triggered He opened three double doors and alerted the crowd warning that the danger was greater than initial impressions He described the mob rushing for exits and his effort to calm them as the alarm was turned in to evacuate the theater.
Chicago dispatch describes Bishop Fallows aiding in evacuating victims as fire roared through a theater. He recalls a towering pile of mangled bodies, many dead, while rescuers including Alexander H. Revell and Sheriff Barrett worked through chaos amid frantic crowds seeking missing family members.
Chicago December 30. Grief stricken crowds besieged morgues awaiting identification of missing persons after a disaster. Police struggled to control thousands outside Jordan Co. and Rolston's morgues as hundreds entered. by 2 a.m. about one fifth of downtown deaths had been recognized.
Herbert Cawthorn, a chorus member, aided by stage crew, fled the blaze as electric calcium lights on the stage allegedly sparked the fire. He described a sputtering calcium unit and a swinging platform above the curtain, with asbestos curtain failing to contain the flames while actors escaped.
Eyewitness accounts describe a blaze at a theater with at least 500 backstage witnesses. Firemen rescued about twenty in the second balcony while lingering chaos uncovered two young women in the orchestra pit and a young girl impaled on a railing. A baby’s body was found trampled in the second balcony.
Miss Charlotte E. Plamondon of Chicago led a society party through a theater fire on December 1. The blaze spread along the top of the drop curtain as spectators and cast struggled to the exits. Panic surged, many were trampled, and several chorus girls were overtaken by flames. All in the party escaped in varying peril, but clothing was ruined and they rushed to stores for wraps.
Miss Millie Overlock of Virginia and her escort Remington Thomas escaped the theater after a deadly fire. Irene Humphrey and cousin Helen Wall also fled in costume and later suffered temporary derangement. Two young Woodlawn Park children, Joe Graham and Dorothy Boar, were saved by Brit. Several victims, including the daughter of W R Davis and the daughter of Harry Parker, perished amid crowd confusion as exits collapsed and panic spread.
Dec 2 reports confirm ten year old Jack Pottlitzer son of Max Pottlitzer a leading Lafayette citizen died in the Chicago fire while visiting relatives. The tragedy ends a brief stay and details note the boy was with family at the time of the blaze.
Relatives in Chicago accompanied by two cousins Jessie and Walter Birringer attended a theater visit. Pottlitzer died from suffocation after a fall, his body later found. A young companion remains unidentified as officials list Lafayette victims with families pursuing closure amid the disaster.
Special to the Indianapolis Journal from Chicago. A theater party from Laporte Ind led by Mrs Charles F Lefmann Mrs Ella Wachs and Miss Mae Dickhut attended a matinee at the Iroquois The three women had advance tickets secured by a Chicago friend and were present but attempts to locate them have failed by 11 pm Also feared missing are Mr Beard a young businessman who came to Chicago this morning and was to attend the play efforts to locate all continue The wives daughter and millinery worker are named with social ties noted
In Chicago a wealthy brewer Patrick O'Donnell identified his wife among about a hundred corpses in an undertaking place after a theater fire. He kissed her hand and recognized a ring he had given her. A girl, eleven, escaped with her mother, climbing from chair to chair to reach the door as the crowd surged out.
William A Brady, the New York manager, described arriving minutes before a Paris theater blaze. He witnessed a calcium light failure, panicked exits, and hundreds fleeing as smoke poured through skylights. He helped remove bodies amid a deadly crush, noting many victims were women and children.
Coroner Treager inspected the theater noting the asbestos curtain might have limited spread, an iron railing hindered swift egress, and steep seating worsened evacuation. He described charred plush seats, blistered ceiling, minimal first floor damage, and destroyed second tier boxes while first floor boxes survived in spots from falling embers.
Chicago reports the Iroquois Theater cost half a million dollars and opened Nov. 2% with Mr Bluebeard. Distinct French renaissance design emphasizes classic lines. The 1700 seat hall includes a balcony for 47, with fireproof construction meeting all legal requirements.
An old newspaper fragment advertises Piles treatment promising a guaranteed cure for itching burning and bleeding piles with a money back guarantee if not cured in six to seven days. The text repeats refund terms and urges purchase from a druggist.
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