Chicago's Awful Theater Horror Part 36

[Ill.u.s.tration: JACK POTTLITZER, LAFAYETTE, IND.

The ten-year-old boy who lost his life at the fire while in company with his cousins, Miss Tessie Bissinger and Walter Bissinger. Miss Bissinger only escaped. Jack's mother died six months before.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: MRS ARTHUR BERGCH, 4926 CHAMPLAIN AVENUE. CHICAGO.

Mrs. Bergch attended the theater with her son, who was also killed. She was terribly burned, the body being identified by her rings. She left a husband and a baby two years old.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: ARTHUR J. BERGCH, 11 YEARS OLD. CHICAGO.

The boy was burned beyond recognition, the body being identified by a favorite jackknife, which was found by the father in his trousers pocket.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: ARTHUR E. HULL, 244 OAKWOOD BOULEVARD, CHICAGO.

Mr. Hull lost his wife and three children in the fire, and took the first steps toward the arrest of the proprietors of the Iroquois Theater and the formation of the Iroquois Memorial a.s.sociation.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: THOMAS D. KNIGHT, CHICAGO.

Mr. Knight is the legal representative of Arthur E. Hull in the affairs of the Iroquois Memorial a.s.sociation, organized by Mr. Hull to safeguard the interests of the fire victims and to concentrate public opinion on the question of safe theaters.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: DONALD D. AND DWIGHT M. HULL, 244 OAKWOOD BOULEVARD, CHICAGO.

Two nephews and adopted children of Arthur E. Hull 8 and 6 years of age who with his daughter Helen and wife were burned to death. Mr. Hull headed the movement for safe theaters.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: HELEN MURIEL HULL, 12 YEARS OLD CHICAGO

The daughter of Arthur E. Hull made one of a little theater party organized by his wife for the amus.e.m.e.nt of the three children. All the party perished.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: WILL J. DAVIS, One of the Theater Managers Arrested for Manslaughter.]

A UNIVERSITY STUDENT'S STORY.

Equally damaging testimony was given by Fred H. Rea, 3231 South Park avenue, a student at the Northwestern University Dental School. After telling of the scenes when "death alley" was bridged by planks and ladders thrust from the school windows he told of the death jam on the fire escapes.

Rea's story was one of the most graphic told which narrated the horrors of Death's Alley, and the narrow escape of those who were fortunate enough to be rushed over the planks thrown to them from the University building. It was not only a story, but an additional evidence of the total lack of preparation for the meeting of just such an emergency.

"At the time the fire broke out I was in the Northwestern University building on the third floor in the law school," he said. "I heard something that sounded like an explosion and all the students present immediately ran to the lecture room. There we met some painters who were repairing the ceiling in the corridor. They joined us, bringing with them three planks and ladders. These planks we placed from the back window of the lecture room across to the upper landing of the gallery. One ladder was placed across from the fire escape of the lecture room to the second landing. Across the ladder, I think, only one person came, as the flames from the exit were so hot that n.o.body could reach it.

"Fourteen or fifteen persons came across the plank, and all but three or four were badly burned. I saw at least three persons try to pa.s.s down the fire escape from the top landing, but they were unable to do so, because at the second landing from the top the doors were not swung clear back against the wall. The doors were at right angles to the wall, and through the exit smoke was pouring and part of the time flames. Several people on the upper landing deliberately climbed over the railing and dropped to the alley below.

"I saw one woman drop and strike a ladder which was placed to the fire escape and bound off into the alley. A man climbed out over and was clinging by his hands, when one of the firemen came up from below and held him until a ladder could be run up. A number of people who fell in the jam on the exit burned right there before our eyes. We could see their clothes on fire. That was on the landing of the fire escape, partly in and partly out of the exit."

A CLERGYMAN'S STORY.

The Rev. Albertus Perry, 5940 Princeton avenue, Chicago, was pa.s.sing the theater when the panic started. He ran into the vestibule and thence into the foyer, where he saw men breaking open the doors. He remained but a short time, and left, overcome by the terrible sight.

"The great marble hall was filled with madmen and hysterical women fleeing for life," he declared. "The doors, of which there appeared to be several sets, were locked against them with the exception of the center door of each set. Men were beating against the steel and gla.s.s barriers and women crowded with the desperation of death stamped upon their faces. Smoke was puffing out, filling the beautiful foyer and telling in awful eloquence of the triumph of death further in. I could do nothing to relieve the situation for there was nothing within the power of mortal man to do to stop the horror. So I left, overcome by the terrible sight that had met my eyes."

THE FLY MAN'S STORY.

Charles Sweeney, 186 North Morgan street, Chicago, "fly man" on first flying gallery, nearest point where the fire started:

"In the second act, in the 'Pale Moonlight' scene, I was sitting on a bench, and there were two or three more of the boys. About ten feet from the front of the fly gallery I saw a bright light. The other boys saw it, I guess, at the same time and we ran over there. I saw a small blaze on one of the borders. I don't know exactly which one. I hallooed across the stage to Joe Dougherty. He was the man taking Seymour's place. Seymour was sick. I said, 'Down with the asbestos curtain.' Smithey and I got tarpaulins and we slapped the flame with them. We did the best we could and then it got out of our reach. It went right along the border toward the center. Then it burned and one end of it fell down, bent like. Then it blazed all over and I saw there was no possibility of doing anything. I ran upstairs to the sixth floor and hallooed to the girls. I led them down in front of me, and I kept telling them to be careful and not to have a stampede or anything of that kind, and then I came down and went outside the building."

SCHOOL TEACHER'S THRILLING EXPERIENCE.

Alice Kilroy, 67 Oregon avenue, Chicago, a Chicago school teacher:

"During the performance I stood in the upper balcony, right near the alley; a few feet from the top exit south, about the third or fourth seat from the end. I stood right back of that. When the fire first began we thought it was part of the performance and my sister said to me, very calmly, 'Even if there is no fire, let us go out in the exit.' We knew this was an exit because we had seen it opened. An usher had been out and we stepped out there.

"As soon as we stepped out the heat was intense and we saw we could not go down the steps, so we stood there on the platform of the fire escape. I tried to get in the theater again, but the people were rushing out and I could not go against the mob. I saw that the mob was trying to get out of the exit, and so I had to stand right where I was. We stood there it seemed to me, about six minutes, and we knew we were burning, and there wasn't anything to do but to stay there. We couldn't go any other place.

After a few minutes some water fell on us. I did not see very much because I held a collarette up to my face to protect it from the hot air, which was unutterably awful. When the water came that kind of refreshed us and dampened the fire so we could stand up for a few minutes longer, and then a plank was put from the opposite building and we went over the plank and escaped to the Northwestern University building. The crowd behind us that had been fighting and pushing so hard seemed to die away and collapse all in an instant. The scrambling and pushing ceased. This crowd was at the entrance to the door. Something happened to them and they did not have any life, because they did not push when I turned back. When I first started to go in--when I turned back--there was lots of life, then I turned and faced them, the mob going out, because it was so hot out there I thought I could go back in the theater. Part of them fell on the floor and part outside on the fire escape platform. I think I was the last to escape alive over the planks across the alley. I was terribly burned; you can see by the bandages that I don't dare to take off yet."

GLEN VIEW MAN'S EXPERIENCE.

Walter Flentye, Glen View:

"I occupied seat 7 in section R, handy to the entrance. I think it was about half-past 3, while that octet was singing there in the pale moonlight, that I just noticed a kind of a hesitation on the part of the octet, and pretty soon I saw a few sparks begin to come down about the size of those from a roman candle. They were coming down from the upper left hand corner of the stage, and pretty soon the fire began to grow more and more, and I should say that pieces of burning rags dropped down of different sizes. About that time Eddie Foy came out and tried to calm the audience. I don't just exactly remember what he said, and I kept my seat.

I had no idea that there was to be anything of that kind; that the fire was to be as large as it was, and the audience down below were going out.

I had a friend beside me that left. I don't remember just what I said to him. He said he was going and he went out and a little later I got up, and, without any trouble, went through the door, and I went immediately to the check room. I had checked a valise and umbrella, and at that time I had no idea of any such a fire as that. So I thought I had plenty of time and I took my valise and umbrella and set them on a settee to the left of the foyer and put on my overcoat and hat.

"When I first came out I noticed that there were a lot of women that were almost frenzied by the excitement and they were around toward the entrance, and I noticed one man carrying a woman. That was while I was going to the checkroom, and after I had put on my coat I looked and there were two women and a man that went to the door to look in, and I kind of thought the woman might rush in, so I said, 'Don't go back, it is too late now.' And they all turned around and I looked once more and by that time it looked as though there was a ma.s.s of fire belched out, and I remember seeing it catch the front seats, and after I went out and walked across the street and I talked to a policeman who stood in front of Vaughn's store and by that time about eight or ten policemen came along from down Randolph street, and shortly after the firemen came. Then for the first time I realized what a terrible thing I had escaped and the true horror of the situation unfolded itself."

THE LIGHT OPERATOR.

William Wertz, 12024 Union avenue, West Pullman, Ill.:

"I was operating a light on the rear part of the stage on the afternoon of the fire. I noticed that the actors, eight boys, were looking up toward the right hand of their places, and as soon as they did that I stepped back one or two feet, still holding my lamp in sight so as to attend to it should it go down. I looked toward the place that the people had gazed and I noticed a small blaze there upon a little platform used for throwing a light on the front of the stage. As I looked there I saw the fireman of the house, who was back on the stage, running forward hallooing, 'Lower down the curtain!' and climb up to the little platform. He had either taken a tube of kilfyre in his hand or there was one up there, as I very distinctly saw him sprinkle it on the fire. Then the man took his hands and tried to tear down the blazing pieces of scenery.

"Then I saw one drop after another go into the flame. I saw a lot of people running up to that point of the fire, others from the balcony dressing rooms come running down, and on the side of me, or close to the door were several girls becoming hysterical, excited. That was at the stage door opening onto a little bridge-like platform leading to Dearborn street. I went up to the girls and said, 'Come on, girls, get out of here as soon as possible.' I took one by the arm and put her out.

"When I came out there the girls started to run forward, and I went in again, because I was in my shirt sleeves and I wanted to take my coat and save what goods I had. As soon as I entered the stage again I heard a lot of noise and crying and calling and I went forward to that point and succeeded in pulling some more of the young ladies out. Then when I got on the little bridge leading from the stage to Dearborn street, I noticed that the whole scenery was in a blaze, that it was falling down and I tried to get in again, but through the enormous heat, and I believe that the city fire people just had arrived there with the hose and pulled me back so I couldn't get in there any more.

"I know there was an asbestos curtain in the theater and that it was used.

During the time I have been connected with different theaters through the country I have always looked up to the curtains, and often put my hands on them. What was called by employees in the house the asbestos curtain, and also in several theaters in Chicago, has written on it, 'asbestos curtain.' When I entered this house on several occasions before the show I saw this particular curtain hanging there, a dirty white color, and on one or two occasions, in pa.s.sing by, I pushed my hand against it and it felt to me exactly like other curtains hanging in Chicago, and on which 'asbestos' is written. One, for instance, in the Grand opera house, has written on it 'asbestos,' and is the same color in the back and has the same feeling when you put your hands on it as this one in the Iroquois theater.

"It was that curtain Sallers, the house fireman, was shouting for when I heard him. The fireman said, 'Down with that curtain,' and the other voice, which I thought was Mr. Carleton's, the stage manager, said, 'For G.o.d's sake lower that curtain.' Several other voices hallooed out, 'What is the matter with the curtain? Down with the curtain.' But it didn't fall and the holocaust followed."

THE JAMMED THEATER.

The unlawful and deadly crowded condition of the theater at the time of the fire was emphasized by the testimony of Rupert D. Laughlin, 1505 Wrightwood avenue, who, although he reached the theater before the curtain went up, found the s.p.a.ces behind the seats crowded and people sitting on the steps in the aisles. Laughlin and Miss Lucy Lucas, his niece, had seats in the second balcony, or gallery.

"We went into the theater about ten minutes before the orchestra come out and had some difficulty in getting into our seats," he said, "on account of the people standing in the aisles and at the back. The people were sitting on the steps.