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Show FLOYD GIBBONS GIBBONS"The GIBBONS4t 4t e Adventurers eAdventurers ' Club Club"The "The The " Theater of 0/ 0 0Death / Death " By FLOYD GIBBONS GIBBONSFamous GIBBONSFamous GIBBONSFamous Famous Headline Hunter . SOME S QOME OME of you older oldc.r oldcr old .r r < . . boys and girls of the Adventurers ' Club wiJlrecall willrecall will wiJl recall Chicago's Chicagos Clucago's Clucagos ' Iroquois Theater disaster of 1903 1403 . I remem remem- remember remember remember - - ber it very ' well " eJI I remember standing standmg horror stricken in m thestreet the thestreet thestreet street , , that cold December afternoon , as the " victims "ictlms ictlms were beIng beIngcarried beingcarried beingcarried carried out of the burning theater . Five hundred and seventy-five seventy five - - persons lost their lives in inthat inthat inthat that terrible ternble catastrophe and 90 40 per cent of them were women womenanel womenand womenand anel and children chlldrcn who had come to attend the opening matinee matlnce of ot the musical musicalshow musicalshow musicalshow show , " "Mister Mister " Blue Beaid Bealel " As the shocked shod.cd shodcd . firemen and police carried out outthe outthe outthe the chirred cl1'lrred cl1lrred ciirred ' victims Ictlms sictims \ they piled the bodies one on top of the other othcr on thesidewalk thesidewalkOnce the thesldewak ldewalk sldewak : ; ] ldewalkOnce sldewakOnce Once In a while white someone would see a thin vapor rising from fromthe fromthe fromthe the lips of one of the still stili forms In the heap That meant one of ofthem ofthem ofthem them was still stili alive and the vapor was the breath showing as it itfroze Itfroze itfroze froze on striking the zero air arr . Over would go the pile of bodies Into the street as the frantic res rescuers rescuers rescucrs cuers pulled the living person from bcncith benc'lth benclth beneath ' the dead and rushed the sull still sullbreatlllng stillbreathing stillbreathing breatlllng breathing form Into a nearby restaurant reqtaurant for medical aid nld . Every IJvery table tnble in inthat inthat Inthat that restaurant held Its load of ot dead and dying 1Fatal I 1 ! IFatal Fatal Panic of the Iroquois Theater Fire Fire.Inside FireInside . Inside the theater " , witnesses Itnesses said salll the scenes of horror were Indescrib IndescrIb- indescrlb IndescrIbable Indescribable - able . , Panic had followed foUowed the discovery of ot the fire and women and chil chIl- chIldren chil- chil children children - - dren were being trampled to death in ! the be mad rush for the exits . , These TheseexIts Theseexits Theseexits exIts were l locked < > : ked and before each closed door the firemen flremen found bodies bodiespiled , piled to the celling ceIllng ceiling , where wbere they had died so near nenr , an and yet so far , from fromsafety fromsafety fromsafety safety . - Miss Alpha Jackson of Franklin Square , N . Y , was In that thatfire thatfire thatfire fire . . Alpha Is a big girl now but she was a little girl then and a amember amember amember member of a famous child ballet baliet which was on the program that thatfateful thatfateful thatfateful fateful afternoon . Mother IMother 'Mother I ' " FoUIs Follis was in chirge ch'lrge chlrge charge ' of the ballet banet and in the business of oftraining oftraining oftraining training children for stage work and , according to Alpha , " was 38 quite qulte a acharacter acharacter acharacter character . Her children were al\\ al always alays \ ays well trained and could be depended dependedon dependedem em on to do their part . Alpha savs says sa ; ) s the kindly kmdly old lady was a strict discipli discipli- disciplinarian disciplinarlan disciplinarian - - narian narlan and nnd demanded Implicit obedience , but on the other hand she treated treatedeach treatedeach treatedeach each child as though it were her ownBallet ownBallet own ownBallet Ballet Girls Flattery Fluttery Before Their Cue . "Back Back "Bacl Bacl " . stage " as the show started , Alpha siys S1YS says , all aU v w . was as confusion , the theconfusIon theconfusion theconfusion confusIon that alwa always s attends the opening performance of a new show show.There showThere . There was wns a very large cast and much scenery to handle The scenery scenerywns scenerywas scenerywas wns was very fluffy and not fireproofed the way it is tod-iy tod iy tod'lY todlY today ' - but tile tUe the new thea thea- theater theater theater - ter boasted i 1 . t fireproof steel stecl curtain and was considered the last ' \ word ord In insafety = aety afety ! . Alpha with 11 other little girls was seated before a make up upmirror upmirror upmirror mirror in the dressing room . They were nervously waiting their theircue theircue theircue cue to go on stage and had no thought of the tragedy that was wasabout wasabout wasabout about to unfold before their eyes . . Suddenly a scream , followed by a loir 10'lr 10lr co'ar coar ' that shook the theater , startled startledthem startledthem startledthem them Ihey Thep hey jumped to their feet In ' ilaim 'llalID llalID alarm and looked lool.ed looled . anxiously anxlOusly around aroundThe , 'the the ' he door opened opcned and Mother Follls I'ollis Iollis rollls ' stood before them She was v . as pale butcalm butcalm"Sit but butcalm butcalm calm calm"Sit calm"Sit "Sit Sit " In your chairs ' " , , " she commanded , "and and " don't dont ' you move moveuntil moveuntil moveuntil until I come back " & The little girls , Alpha savs sa\s sa s sass \ , obeyed obeycd as usual like l1he soldiers Mother Motherr011ls MotherPollls MotherFollls r011ls Pollls ' orders \ were ssere ere alwa always s obeyed to the letter . , But the awful sounds of ofpanic ofpanic ofpanic panic and confusion confuslOn that came cnme to the children through the thin walls ofSTAGE of r rs STAGE STAGENTRANCE STAGENTRANCEThe _ s NT11ANCE NT11ANCEr 1 r N ; ; \ N1IR N1IRThe r The Little Dancers Marched Coolly Out of the Inferno . their dressing dresslDg room made them rigid with terror . Wh1.tas Whit Wh1.t Wh1t . \ was \\as as h\ppenlng h ppenlng happening hppenlngClut happeningout hippeningcut ' \ Clut out there ? Why had the music stopped1 stopped ? ' Ihcse These hese and other unansweredquestions unanswerell unanswered unanswerellqnestlons unansweredquestions qnestlons questions nearly Dearly drove droe drone dro\ dro \ e the little girls h historical hysterical sterical but they kept hept their seats seatsMother seatsMother seatsMother Mother Follls rolIls rains had ordered it . Death Was a Member of the Audience . And outside ontslde , on the stage and in the audience Death was already tak tah- tah tak- tak - - ing 1Dg taking tah1Dg its grim toll . Had the girls known J.no\\n J.non J.no Jno n . \ \ what was'happenlng washappenlng was'happening washappening was'happening washappening ' around them themthey themthey thei they themthei would certainly certninly ha\ ha have hae base \ e stampeded stamiJeded and been trampled to death in the themad themad themad mad rush for the doors They could hear screams of terror and pain and andthe andthe andthe the tramping of ot miny m'lny mlny many ' feet on tlie the steel staircases back bach stage . Now and andthen andthen andthen then a crash as of a body falling came to their frightened frlghtcned ears . Meanwhile , Mother Follis was having her share of anxiety . Caught anxiety.Caught anxietyCaught In the mad rush , as she went to Investigate , the ballet balletmistress balletmistress balletmistress mistress was borne with the fear crazed crowd right through the thestage thestage stage age door to the alley in back of the theater . With her mind onlyon only onlyon onlyon on her girls who waited for her to come back she fought to re- re reenter reenter re-enter re enter - - enter the theater . But by then the firemen had arrived arnved and no noone noone noone one was allowed to enter . The stage was already a burning inferno In- In Inferno in.ferno inferno . - ferno and unless help came her girls would die for obeying her her.Firemen herFiremen . rIremen firemen and police poUce held her bick b1ch back but Mother J\Iother J Iother niother . \ Follls Follis would not be held heldback heldback heldback back . . She was used to being obeyed and fought for her way . She screamed screamedthat screamedthat screamedthat that her children were trapped in their dressing room . , ' Firemen I'lremen Ilremen said they theywould theywould theywould would get them . But Mother Follls FollIs was a afraid n-raid n raid ' - raid trey t1"ey t1ey tley " would \ not 1\ot 1 ot know hnow where whereto whereto whereto to look . . She Sbe would not direct them unless they let 1et her go . Mother Follis Folhs Makes a Dramatic Dramatc : Rescue Rescue.And RescueAnd . And , as usual . , Mother Follls F0lIls Follis had hnll her way . Back into the burning the the- theater theater theater - - ater she went with a fireman at her side The door suddenly opened , Alpha Alpha.says Alphasays Alpha.eays Alphaeays .says says , . , and a bla&t blat blabt blast & of ot smoke swept E.wept Ewept . In In . . The ballet girls screamed in terror . terror.One terrorOne One spark and nnd their flimsy 1lImsy ballet dresses would burst into lime fI'lme fIlme flame ( ' . . Butthrough But Butthrough Butthrough through the smoke smohe Mother Follls Follis Fouls ' orders cime C'lme Clme came ' cleir cle'lr clelr clear ' and distinct . "nrst nrst "first first "nrstpositlon "firstposition "Firstposition Firstposition " positlon position . , . " Twelve 'welve welve ' pale little Httle girls stood In line Une . I ' 'Forward Forward rorv.ard rorvard Irorv.ard 'rorward rorward . , , mar march h ! , one- one onetwoonetwo one-two one two - - , two--one-two- two one two-one-two- - - one-two one two - - - - - " twoonetwoAnd And 12 little girit girls , looking neither to right norto nor to left , marched marchedout marchedout marchedout out behind their beloved "Mother Mother " . . " The stage . , Alpha says 3YS , was wasnON wasnov waxno// waxno waxnoclear nON nov , / / clear of the frenzied crowd . . Flames crackled around them themand themand themand and emoke smoke made their eyes water but not a fluffy skirt was dis- dis disarranged disarranged dis disarranged - - arranged safetylThe as a the little tittle ballet marched out to open air and safety safetyl ! The crowd sent up a cheer as the glils gills girls marched out the stn stage e door doorIn , in perfect formation Not a dancing pumped foot w ' \ wis 1.q 1q . i out of step 'then then 'thenas ' Thenas hen henas as eager hands bands reached for the children chlldren something somlthmg Ii h ippened Illpened tint th'tt thtt that ' DID DIDbreak DIDbreak DIDbreak break up np their formation.MOTIILR formationMOTHCR formation formationMOTHER MOTHER .MOTIILR MOTIILR MOTHCR . ' FOLLIb I'OLLI IOLLI I'OLLIS IOLLIS ' r FAINTED AINTr.D AINTrD PAINTED . I ! IWNU AINTr.DW'lU -W'lU W'lU WlU @ - -WNU WNU - WNU ' Scrvleo Scrvlco 6ervico |