Chicago's Awful Theater Horror

pletely extinguished at the time of the fire. I am positive of this, because I was working on it. Three feet above my head was

attention of his ass

fire out,

n, reaching down, using his ha

ut it out!" sh

ther, clapping the flims

hands at this mome

d out. "Can't you see that you'r

e man who was clapping away at th

hot up and caught the drap

. It's on fire," some o

t!" shoute

did not clap hard enough or fast enough, and

guish the fire had proved futile that McMullen sho

see the cur

UNT OF THE F

operate one of the so-called calci

rformers I noticed a flash of light where the electric wires connect with the calcium light. The flash seemed to be about six inches long. As I looked a curt

lash I do not know. The light was about twenty feet from the floor. It consisted of a 'spot' light, used

RIC LIGHTS

the foyer and balcony stairs. When that awful darkness fell on the house the frenzied people did not know where to turn. They had not become fully acquainted with the turns because the theater was new. I was there and assisted in removing the dead and dying, and having been connected with lighting plants all my life I kn

DAVIS AND POWERS, MAN

funeral. A telephone message was quietly whispered to him and, after hesitatin

y J. Powers later

that one of the scenic draperies was noticed to have ignited from some cause. It was detected before it had reached an appreciable flam

would have been more than enough, if the kilfire had been effective, to have extinguished the flame at once; but for some cause inherent in the tube of kilfire it had no ef

all opening out, and ready to the hand of any one reaching them. The draft thus caused, it is believed, before the curtain could be entirely lowered,

against the proscenium wall and the friction caused thereby was so strong that they could not be overcome. The audie

e and in the auditorium to be calm and avoid any rush; that the exits and facilities

ng combustible in the construction of the house except the trimmings and furnishings of the stage and auditor

ENT AS TO WHY THE CUR

ure of the "asbestos" curtain to operate properly was John

some similar material, with a concave surface cover

tached to the stage side of the jamb of the proscenium walls with hinges. Alo

urtain, when lowered, passed over it. When used it was swung around to the desired position, an

side of the stage was not, and from this I infer that the one on the north wa

the south side of the st

rth curtain back of the 'asbestos' curtain. I saw the 'asbestos' curtain coming down soon after, but I noticed that the south end was

I tried to reach the curtain to push it off the reflector, but could just touch it. I could not get hold of it. I am 5 feet 11 inches tal

reat sheet of circular flame going out under the curtain into the audience room. I stayed on the bridge as long

u call some on

got there and no one on duty, that I co

reflector

not

it to look after

not

rtain blow

t. There was no hol

TO WHY THE CURT

the proscenium arch. He was the last man to leave the fly loft and at the time he attempted to lower the asbestos curtain he was twenty feet or more above it, so that when it caught on the arc spot li

in. The regular curtain was within a few inches of the asbestos sheet and had been operated a few minutes bef

R FIREMAN'

ter managers to look after fire protection. He wa

ge of the proscenium arch and close to the curtains. I saw the flame running up the edge of the curtain and ran to the bridge. I threw kilfire on the burning curtain but saw it did not stop the blaze and yelled to those below to lower

stage into the alley and Dearborn street. There were no explosion

ly burned about t

AGE CA

outh end of the stage. Both asserted that the draft or suction caused the asbestos curtain to stick. They said the fire spread with remarkable rapidity among the

ECTRICAL INS

rician's department declared the electric wires in the the

may have got his legs or arms entangled in the wires and broken one of them at the point of connection or he may have pulled the light too far and broken or detached the wire. The arc

s, in the Iroquois all wires were put in iron tubes. The switchboard was of marble, with the connecting wires behind it in iron conduits. The management seemed desirous of making the electri

rmit the light being moved around. The arc light was encased in a closed box to prevent sparks falling on the floor or being blown into the scenery. All the fusibl

E COMEDIA

chorus girls from the stage exits in the panic. After being driven from the building he made two attempts to

refuge in a store on Dearborn street after the fire. He was still in his

the fire and of the panic among the stage hands

ectric calcium light that started the fire. The calcium lights were being used to illuminate the

culiar sputtering of what seemed to me to be one of the calciums. It appears to me that one of the calciums had flared up and the sparks ignited the

pparatus striking the flames it went almost in the opposite direction. While the stage fireman was working the flames suddenly swooped down a

he scenes when the fire started. I assisted many of the chorus girls to get out, and some of them were only partly attired. Two of the young w

THE

hment of the electric lights. Assistant City Electrician Hyland, who was the acting h

e fire and turned on five sets of lights. Those five were in working order, but I think they controlled the lights into the foyer and halls. The lights in the theater were burned out. That I know, because when I paid my first visit to the switchboard I found the switch affecting the lights in the auditorium turned on. The terrific heat

stage what little light was used. Yet, the way I found the switchboard, with the circuit leading to the auditorium turned on, the knob melted off and the condition of the board showing that it could not have been tampered with since the fire, convinces me that th