Chicago's Awful Theater Horror

had close calls for their lives. Some of the chorus girls displayed great cooln

eard an unusual commotion on the stage that I knew could not be caused by anything that was a part of t

Everybody was running from the stage. My 6 year old son, Bryan, stood in the first entrance to the stage and my first thought naturally was to get h

o the audience, 'Keep very quiet. It is all right. Do

f the orchestra to 'play an overture. Some of the musicians had left, but those that remain

e had not yet become panic stricken, and as I shouted to them they applauded me. The next minute the whole

eater or were leaving it. They were those who were nearest the door. Then

mpose the aerial ballet. They were up there waiting to do their turn, and as I sto

nery came in touch with the flames and in a second the scenery was sputtering and blazing

the last to leave the stage when the flames and

the fire over their heads and in a few moments we had the curtain run down. It would not go down the full length, however, leaving an opening of about five feet from the floor. Then the crowd out in front began to stampede and the lights we

rn street. In the meantime all of those who were in the dressing room had been warned and rushed out through the front entrance on Randolph street. There was no panic among the members of the company, every one seeming to know that care would

in going from the upper dressing rooms to the stage, was one of

the great crowd which filled the theater was una

r leading toward Dearborn street. I returned to the basement and ran down the long corridor leading toward the engine room, near which doors led to the smoking room and buffet. Both doors were locked. I began to break down the doors, assisted by other me

Gilfoil, "when the fire started. Both Mr. Foy and Mr. Gilfoil were on the stage at the time. I opened Mr. Foy's trunk and took out his watch and chain and rushed

t of Pat Shaw in the play "Bluebeard," assisted many

wooped down and out, Eddie Foy shouted something about the asbestos curtain and the fireman at

excited. The chorus girls and everybody, to my mind, were less excited than he. There were at least 50

essing room under the stage when the fire broke out, and when I found that I could not reach the stage I tried to get out through the door connecting the extreme north end of the C shaped corridor with the smoking room. I joined other

girls, with five others, were in a dressing room on the fifth floor when the alarm was raised. In their haste Miss Sidney caught her foot

uring a rain of fiery brands. These two were the last to leave the stage. Miss Quinlan's right arm and hand were painf

r from the orchestra side, hastily cleared away obstructions with an ax, and assisted in

danger. We were so far back of the orchestra that we did not hear sounds of the panic for several moments. Then the t

the company, was in her dressin

stume and was the first of the company to get out the back entrance. Some man kindly loaned me his overcoat and I hu

the evening with her. Telegrams were sent to her

luebeard" company, was not in the bui

le rushing out and knew the stage was on fire. I helped some of the girls out

s. She remained in her dressing room and donned her entire street costum

e in Chicago, and Mr. Price furnished

iry queen of the company, was dying at one of the hospitals. She was n

the top part of the stage, was so badly burned by the flames before she was able to escape that s

dived through a mass of flame and landed three stairways below. He helped a number of chorus girls to escape th

LL BLAZE TERMINATE

ing "In the Pale Moonlight." Eddie Foy, off the

ion. According to nearly all accounts, however, there was no real explosion, the sound being that of the fuse of the

k agree. As to manner, accounts differ widely. R. M. Cummings, t

e heard to question one another, "Who kicked over the

een fighting the line of wavering flame along the muslin fly borde

lin and saturated with pain

d in their work. They forgot the hand grena

s!" was the cry. "Beat

of the border fell upon the stage a

d. For a second there was a hush. The singers ha

were cries from a few, followed by the breaking, rumbl

ts, a loose upper garment, and the face was one-half made up. The man was Eddie

d called out to a stage hand: "Take my boy, Bry

e chap. Foy saw him dart with hi

l anxiety, he fa

!" he shout

" he shouted. "Do

he bent over toward

LAYS IN FAC

"Start anything. For God's sake pla

any one in the theater they knew their peril. They could look slantingly up and see that the 300 sets of the

o avoid a panic and spurring the orchestra on. One by one the mus

PROVES

saw the scenery all aflame. Dropping brands fell around him, and then he fl

topped, it swayed as from a heavy wind

LOST FO

of omnipotent could have saved t

itself in check, however, probably saved many lives on the parquet floor. Tumultuous panic prevaile