ix. Chgo Times prediction: D.B. McCurdy, ed., Lest We Forget, 317–324. In 1861, editor of the Times, Wilbur F. Storey, stated, “It is a newspaper’s duty to print the news, and raise hell.” Quoted in George Seldes, The Great Thoughts, 401.
1. “Never seen anything like it”: Author’s interview with Charles Collins. “Event of Chicago’s century”: Chgo Tribune, Sunday, Nov. 22, 1903, p 4. Vehicles used at time: Author’s interview with Susan Green, Librarian, Carriage Museum of America. “It was a fairly lush time”: Tony Weitzel, “Christmas Week, 1903: Horror at the Iroquois Theater,” p 25. “Splendidly attired”: Drawn from accounts and newspaper sketches of Iroquois opening in Chicago newspapers, Nov. 24, 1903.
2. “On the make”: Lisa Fine, The Souls of the Skyscrapers, 5. “No resident of Chicago”: Chgo Tribune, Nov. 16, 1903, p 4. John Shedd: Chgo Tribune, Nov. 24, 1903; Author’s interview with Faith LaSure, Shedd Aquarium Public Affairs Dep’t.
3. Alexander Revell cottage: Chgo Tribune, Nov., 1903. Plamondon’s business address: Chicago Telephone Directory, 1903, Municipal Reference Collection (MRC). R. Hall McCormick and Mrs. Edward Leicht: Chgo Record-Herald, Nov. 24, 1903, p 3. Auction of seats: Chgo Tribune, Nov. 17, 1903, p 3. Collins’s salary, substitution for Bennett: Author’s interview with Collins. “A strong, silent man”: William C. Boyden, Jr., “Chicagoans”; additional information from a phone interview about Collins with publicist Danny Newman. Collins’s undergraduate jobs: Author’s interview with Collins.
4. “Charlie knows his theatre”: Chicagoan Magazine profile.
5. Description of Loop: contemporary photos, 1903-04, Chicago Historical Society, and the NY Times, January 26, 1904, p 28. “Rialto of the Midwest”: Edgar Lee Masters, Levy Mayer and the New Industrial Era, 69. Tribune headline, Amy Leslie review: Chgo Tribune, Nov. 24, 1903, p 5. “The marvels had been wrought”: Chgo Journal, Nov. 24, 1903.
7. “Buildings in Dearborn”: NY Times, May 2, 1903, p 1. “Chicago to Have a Palatial Theatre”: San Francisco Chronicle, July 29, 1903, p 3.
8. Theatre location: photograph, probably spring/summer, 1904, showing intersection of Dearborn and Randolph, the Iroquois Theatre, renamed as a vaudeville house, in relation to the Delaware Building on the corner and Northwestern University in the rear on “Death Alley” (Couch Place). Courtesy Chicago Historical Society. Iroquois construction description: NY Times, Nov. 24, 1903, p 5; F. J. T. Stewart, Chicago Underwriters’ Association (preliminary report), issued as Bulletin #54 to the National Fire Protection Association, Jan. 9, 1904. The bulletin contains two drawings of the theatre at variance with one another, apparently rendered by two different sources. “Ground Plan” drawing indicates no scenery stage doors on the Couch Place side, but the second drawing, “Rear Elevation, Showing Emergency Exits,” does, the latter plan conforming to a news photo taken on scene, late afternoon, Dec. 30, or more likely the morning following the fire, showing a fire engine, open scenery doors, smoke still issuing from the theatre, and the rescue ladder and board “bridge” in the background still in place between the theatre and the Northwestern building. Photo courtesy Chicago Historical Society. More accurate renderings of the theatre are contained in Louis Guenzel, Retrospects: The Iroquois Theater Fire, 610. Cost of theatre: NY Times, Nov. 24, 1903, p 5.
9-10. Theatre interior details: Charles E. Nixon, Iroquois Theatre Opening Night Commemorative Brochure, 16-33. Marshall lauded by Davis: Chgo Tribune, Nov. 24, 1903, p 6; Chgo Chronicle, Nov. 24, 1903, p 1.
11. Gold-embossed, red brochure: Theodore Remer, “Terror at the Iroquois,” Panorama, Chgo Daily News, Dec. 30, 1967, p 1.
12. “Marshall studied every disaster”: McCurdy, p 120. William Clendenin, Fireproof Magazine (Aug., 1903), quoted in McCurdy, 248. After the fire, Clendenin called the theatre a “firetrap.”
12-13. Personnel of Chicago Building Dept., Chicago Fire Department Bureau of Explosives: Payroll Records, City of Chicago, 1903, MRC. Building Commissioner’s report to Harrison: Nov. 2, 1903, MRC. Aldermen’s response to report: Chgo Tribune, Jan. 1, 1904, p 6. Patrick Jennings, testimony transcript: Ibid., Jan. 26, 1904, p 6.
14. Kilfyre: Author’s examination of Kilfyre tube and label, Oklahoma City Fire Museum, 2000. Kilfyre was owned and manufactured by the Monarch Fire Appliance Co., 247-9 Pearl Street, New York City, established in 1895. The product had received awards at expositions in 1889, 1901 and 1902. The company called it “The Original Fire Extinguisher.” Price: $3 per tube. “They will lynch you”: Jennings testimony, Chgo Tribune, Jan. 26, 1904, p 6. Chief Hannon’s response: Ibid. Collins saw no danger: Author’s interview with Collins.
15. “A sinister omen”: Chgo Sunday Tribune, Dec 28, 1952, p 6.
17. Opening night reception: Chgo Journal, Nov. 24, 1903, p 3.
18. “Theatre is the talk of the town”: NY Clipper, Dec. 5, 1903, p 974. Plamondon and Revell daughters attend: McCurdy, 210, 214.
21–22. Record-Herald circulation: Chgo Record-Herald, Nov. 25, 1903, p 6. Competition with Tribune: Author’s interview with Collins. “A curtain”: Chgo Tribune, Nov. 24, 1903, p 6.
22. “A dazzling collection”: Chgo Record-Herald, Nov. 24, 1903, p 6. “Fuller Company second to none”: Nixon, p 18.
22-23. Fuller Construction labor problems: NY Times, 1903, Nov. 12, p 5; ibid, Nov. 18, p 16; ibid, editorial, Nov. 20, p 10; ibid, Nov. 24, p 2.
23. Fuller strike: NY Times, Nov. 14, 1903, p 9; ibid, editorial, Nov. 20, 1903, p 10; ibid, Nov. 24, 1903, p 2; Chgo Tribune, Nov. 16, 1903, p 1.
23-24. Klaw and Erlanger: Arthur Hornblow, A History of Theater in America, 319; Joseph and J. B. Csida, American Entertainment, 131; Armond and L. Mark Fields, From the Bowery to Broadway: Lew Fields and the Roots of American Popular Theater, 175. In addition, an extensive review of the business of the Theatrical Trust can be found in: Jack Poggi, Theater in America: The Impact of Economic Forces, 1870–1967, Chapter 1, “Theater Becomes Decentralized.”
24. “From freewheeling competition”: Ron Chernow, Titan, 227.
24-26. Theatrical Trust: Fields and Fields, From the Bowery, 112, 116, 123, 138. New Amsterdam Theatre: Ibid, 200. Klaw and Erlanger: J. Anthony Lukas, Big Trouble, 577. “Corruption of Christian morals”: Chgo Tribune, Nov. 23, 1903, p 1.
26-27. Harrison Grey Fisk and anti Semitism: Fields and Fields, From the Bowery, 175. Life magazine: John Tebbel and Mary Ellen Zuckerman, The Magazine in America, 1741–1990, 151, 219; Pamphlet, John Ames Mitchell: Sinclair Lewis, Thomas L. Masson, John Ames Mitchell and James S. Metcalfe. John Ames Mitchell: The Man Who is Responsible for Life; Edward S. Martin, “Life after Fifty Years,” 22. James S. Metcalfe joined the magazine early and stayed with it for most of his career. Most famous of Life’s contributors was the artist Charles Dana Gibson, creator of “The Gibson Girl,” who became the magazine’s owner after Mitchell’s death. Cartoon, “The Drama”: Life cover, Mar. 29, 1900, p 1. Cartoon, “Of the Jews”: Life centerfold, Sept. 12, 1901, pp 210-211. “The Jewish Mind in These States”: Life, June 20, 1917–1983. The author of this piece and the subsequent response to an objecting letter, “More About the Jewish Mind,” was Edward Sandford Martin, who briefly headed the magazine following Mitchell’s death. Born in Willowbrook, NY, he was a cofounder of the Harvard Lampoon, graduated Harvard, Class of 1877, admitted to the Rochester, NY, bar in 1884, helped found Life and wrote for Life and Harper’s Weekly. He and Metcalf were not the only anti-Semites among Life’s early contributors. In an April, 1900, piece, Joseph Smith wrote: “The American theatre is a building devoted to exhibitions of filth, folly, froth and frippery, under the direction of Hebrew foxes for the education of Gentile geese…. Only the success of Zionism, with the return of the chosen people to Palestine, will render possible the restoration of the American theatre and drama to a condition when it will be possible to visit the one without disinfectants and view the other without blushing.” “They are not Jews of the better class”: Lukas, p 578. Klaw-Erlanger troubles with Shubert Brothers, et al.: Lawrence Bergreen, As Thousands Cheer, 50; Fields and Fields, From the Bowery, 178, 181, 192.
27-28. Oz, undisputed hit: Bruce Watson, “The Amazing Author of Oz,” pp 112-113.
28. Eddie Foy hired: Armond Fields, Eddie Foy: A Biography of a Great American Entertainer, 142. Klaw-Erlanger investment: NY Times, Nov. 24, 1903, p 1. Seamstresses and English women: NY Times, Jan. 8, 1903, p 26.
29. “Theatre will not be opened”: Ad, Chgo Tribune, Nov. 11, 1903, p 7. Chicago railway strike: NY Times, Nov. 8, 1903, p 2; ibid, Nov. 11, p 1; ibid, Nov. 13, p 2. “Delayed by labor”: Fields, Eddie Foy, 144. “Trouble with marble finishers”: NY Clipper, Jan. 9, 1904, p 11.
30-32. “Turn Car Barn” Chgo Tribune, Nov. 15, 1903, p 1. “Free tickets”: Chgo Tribune, Jan. 3, 1904, p 6. “Davis’ summer”: NY Clipper, Oct 17, 1903, p 802. “Goddam mess”: Author’s interview with Collins. “Labor War” in Chicago: NY Times, Nov. 1, 1903, p 6; ibid, Nov. 8, p 2. “Industrial armament”: McClure’s magazine, quoted in NY Times, Nov. 1, 1903, p 6. Walkout begins: NY Times, Nov. 13, 1903, p 2. Strike spreads: ibid, Nov. 14, 1903, p 9. No crowds allowed: ibid, Nov. 15, 1903, p 5. Mob rioting, aldermen demand police: Ibid, Nov. 16, 1903, p 1. Additional police assigned, police to board mail wagons: Ibid, Nov. 17, 1903, p 1. Police fire over heads: Ibid, Nov. 22, 1903, p 3. Mobs in streets: Ibid, Nov. 25, 1903, p 7. Strike settled: Ibid, Nov. 26, 1903, p 2. “Living in a powder magazine”: Ibid, Nov. 26, 1903, p 2.
32. “Business not on capacity”: NY Clipper, Dec. 5, 1903, p 974. “Business not up”: Ibid, Dec. 12, 1903, p 999. Chicago’s coldest day: Chgo Tribune, Dec. 14, 1903, p 1. Weather headlines: Ibid, Dec. 13-17, 1903, p 1; Record-Herald, Dec. 14, p 1. Small attendance at theatres: The Billboard, Dec. 12, 1903, p 5.
33. “Plunder to police”: Chgo Tribune, Nov. 2, 1903, p 1. Chicago crimes: Chgo Tribune, Dec. 6, 1903, p 1; ibid, Nov. 25, p 7; Record-Herald, Nov. 24, p 1; NY Times, Nov. 28, p 1; ibid, Nov. 29, p 9; ibid, Dec. 29, p 9; ibid, December 1, pp 1, 6. Alderman Mavor on lawlessness: Chgo Tribune, Dec. 13, 1903, p 2. “Teddy bears”: News of the Nation, no. 30 (1901-1906), p 2. Christmas advertisements: Chgo Tribune, Nov. 3, p 14.
34. “Haute monde preps”: Chgo Tribune, Dec. 12, 1903, p 2. “Building OK”: InterOcean, Jan. 1, 1904, p 2; Chgo Daily News, Jan. 14, 1904, p 1.
35–38. Foy’s family reunion: Eddie Foy and Alvin Harlow, Clowning Through Life, 274. Foy’s early life: Fields, Eddie Foy, 3. Foy and the Chicago fire: Ibid, pp 31-44. “I savored the joy”: Ibid, p 231.
38. “Everyone in Chicago”: London Daily Mirror, Jan. 5, 1905, p 4.
39. Technological Improvements: Irving Fang and Kristina Ross, The Media History Timeline/1900s: The First Decade (via internet). New lexicon: Ads, NY Clipper, week of Nov. 20, 1903; Billboard Magazine, Mar. 19, 1904. Coon shouters and race records: Kohn Edward Hasse and Ted Lathrop, Jazz: The First Century, 13. Phonograph records: Peter Copeland, Sound Recordings, 5-15. Caruso and Sousa: Sanford Mirkin, When Did It Happen?, 86, 229. Scott Joplin: Hasse and Lathrop, 13; Advertisement, NY Clipper, Oct. 3, 1903, p 791.
40. “Alice in Wonderland”: Lewis Beale, “When the Camera Goes Behind the Looking Glass,” p 15. Indian stagecoach attack: Museum of the American West, Cody, Wyoming. The yellow stagecoach is on display at the “Buffalo Bill” section there. “Twenty-five percent”: Daniel Blum, A Pictorial History of the American Theater, 1860-1960, 73. “Chicago came closest”: Donald J. Stubblebine, Early Broadway Sheet Music, 2. “The modern American musical”: Lehman Engle, The Musical Theater: A Consideration, 5; Gilbert Chase, America’s Music, 628, 629.
40-41. English pantomime: Barbara Cohen-Stratyner, Popular Music 1900–1919, 1.
41. Cost of Act Two: Fields, Eddie Foy, 142. Drury Lane Theater: John Russell Brown, Oxford Illustrated History of Theater, 337. Pony Ballet: Gerald Bordman, American Musical Theater: A Chronicle, 190.
41-42. Nellie Reed: Fields, Eddie Foy, 143.
42. Babes in Toyland: Clifton Daniel and John Kirshon, America’s Century, 19. Harry Von Tilzer: Bergreen, 18.
43. Bluebeard characters: Bluebeard playbill, Iroquois Theatre, 1903, Chicago Historical Society; Fields, Eddie Foy, 142, 143. Foy in “drag”: Ibid, 55. Foy’s bustle: Bordman, 190.
44. Bluebeard tableau effects: Fields, Eddie Foy, 143.
44-46. Newspaper reviews listed (with the exception of the Chgo Tribune), collection of Armond Fields; Jan. 31, 1903: NY Post, Herald, Telegraph, Telegram; Pittsburgh Dispatch, Sept. 29, 1903; Indianapolis News, Oct. 29, 1903; Chgo Evening Post, Chgo American, Chgo Tribune, Chgo Journal, Nov. 24, 1903.
47. “Clear and cold”: Ruth Thompson McGibney Ms., p 1, CHS. Weather Report: Chgo Tribune, Dec. 30, 1903, p 1. Dorsha Hayes: Dorsha B. Hayes, Chicago, Crossroads of American Enterprise, 244–246.
48. Ludwig family: Chgo Tribune, Dec. 31, 1903, p 3. Caroline Ludwig’s wardrobe: Chgo Tribune, Jan. 5, 1904, p 4. Arthur Hull: McCurdy, 198. John Thompson identification as “grocer”: Chicago Telephone Directory, 1903, MRC. Thompson’s restaurants were at 75-77 Randolph, 81 Madison, 175–177 Madison, 151 Dearborn, 165 Adams, 118-120 Jackson, 107 Van Buren and 254 State.
49. Thompson family story: McGibney Ms. Charlotte Plamondon: McCurdy, 129–130, 214; NY Tribune, Dec. 31, 1903, p 1. The young woman’s story was picked up by virtually every Chicago paper and reprinted in New York and London papers. Revell: Chgo Tribune, Jan. 1, 1904, p 1; McCurdy, 210.
50. Eddie Foy on the size of crowd: Foy and Harlow, 274. Collins’s assignment on ticket scalping: Author’s interview with Collins. Distance from Sherman House to theatre: paced off by author, 2001; also based on location maps of Loop district at turn of the century, Frank Randall, Views of Chicago: History of the Development of Building Construction in Chicago; Bird’s Eye Views and Guide of Chicago, 167, 197, 207.
51. Seating capacity: National Fire Protection Ass’n, Stewart, 1.
52. Box office receipts: Chgo Tribune, Jan. 6, 1904, p 1. Audience represented thirteen states: Paul Ditzel, “Theater of Death,” 52. Lula Greenwald: Chgo Tribune, Jan. 5, 1904, p 1.
52-53. University of Chicago students: McCurdy, 87. Clyde Blair, captain of UC track team: Ibid.
53. William McLaughlin: Chgo Tribune, Dec. 31, 1903, p 3; NY Times, January 1, 1904, p 1. “What a death trap!”: McCurdy, 380 (photo caption). Myron Decker’s fear of fire: Ibid, 377. Harriet Bray: Chgo Tribune, Dec. 31, 1973, sec. 2, p 17. Henry Van Ingen family: McCurdy, 212; Milwaukee Journal, Dec. 31, 1903, p 1.
54. Cooper Brothers: Milwaukee Journal, Dec. 31, 1903, p 1. Edith Mizen: Chgo Tribune, Jan. 1, 1904, p 1. D. W. Dimmick: McCurdy, 92-93.
54-55. Baseball players Dexter and Houseman: McCurdy, 260–263; personal histories, author’s e-mail correspondence with Brett Smith.
55-56. Dorsha Hayes: Hayes, 244–246.
56. Bryan Foy: Fields, Eddie Foy, 147.
56-57: Warren Toole: McCurdy, 209–210.
57. Collins meets Powers: Author’s interview with Collins; Charles Collins, “The Tragedy Chicago Will Never Forget,” Chgo Tribune, Dec. 28, 1952, pp 6, 7, 12.
59. “Life of an American Fireman”: Charles Musser, The Emergence of Cinema: The American Screen to 1907, 325, 327, 329.
59-60. Currier & Ives: Author’s correspondence with Scott Currier, Chairman, Currier & Ives Foundation.
60. Operations of firehouse, alarms: Paul Ditzel, Fire Engines and Fire Fighters, 165. Musham’s background and management style: Ditzel, “Theater of Death,” 52. James F. McQuade, Synoptical History of Chicago Fire Department, 1908.
61. Chicago Fire Department companies and staffing: 1903 CFD Annual Report, MRC. Age of the automobile: Peter Furtado, The New Century, 1900-1914, 160. Condition of Chicago streets: Lyle Benedict, Ellen O’Brien and Shah Tiwana, A Milennium Bibliography, Chicago in 1900 (via internet).
62-63. Engine Company 13 Roster and Payroll: City of Chicago Payroll Records, Dec. 1903, MRC. The roster and monthly salaries: John Hannon, Chief, First Battalion, $229.17; Patrick Jennings, Captain, $137.50; Pipemen Michael Corrigan, Frederick Klockting, John Millar, Christian Peterman, John Murphy (driver), $94.50; Pipeman William Schultz, $70; John Stahl, Lieutenant, $107; Mathias Blaney, (driver), $115 and William McMahon (assistant engineer), $95.83.
63-66. Fire Department operations and description of Engine 13 station house: Author’s interviews with Father John McNellis, Ass’t Chaplain, CFD, and historian Kenneth Little, CFD, April, 2000, and Author’s tour of Engine Co. 98 (built in 1903) with Kenneth Little, May, 2001. The 1903 Engine 13 station house no longer exists. Fire engine: Author’s interview with Don DeSteffano, American La France Co., 2001. Fire horses: Paul Roberts Lyons, Fire in America, pp 100-108. Harness and preparations: Author’s interviews with Kenneth Little and Dr. Peter Molloy, Director, Hall of Flame Museum, Phoenix, AZ, August, Sept., 2000. Another key source is a book written by the chief of the New York City fire department at the beginning of the century: John Kenlon, Fires and Firefighters, 128, 279, 280. Engineer’s duties and fire engines: Ditzel, Fire Engines, 113, 128, 131. Standard operating procedure: Author’s interview with Little, April, 2000. Engineer and after-action reports: Kenlon, 279-280. Fire alarm boxes: Ditzel, Fire Alarm!, 5, 7. Timing and departure from firehouse: Kenlon, 280-281.
67. “Are All Our Theaters Safe?”: Theater Magazine, Jan., 1904 (unsigned editorial).
69. Edginess backstage: Author’s interview with Foy’s biographer, Armond Fields, June, 2000. Daniel Frohman’s postponed honeymoon: NY Times, Nov. 24, 1903, p 9.
70. “Belasco Declares War”: Ibid, p 6. Belasco sues Klaw-Erlanger: Ibid, Dec. 3, 1903, p 8. Babes cast adopts orphan: Ibid, Nov. 22, 1903, p 22.
70-71. Bluebeard cast may disband: NY Clipper, Dec. 26, 1903, p 1046.
71. Foy talks of big crowds: Foy and Harlow, 274. Usher estimates overcrowding by 500 people: Manchester Guardian, Jan. 2, 1904, p 5. Ushers lock doors: McCurdy, 44, 300-305. Carbon arc lamp: Ibid, 109.
71-72. Act One scenario: Nixon, 1.
73-74. Swinging electrical reflectors: Louis Guenzel, Retrospects, 13; McCurdy, 147.
74. Bluebeard double octet: Blum, 57. “Moonlight” girls’ names: NY Clipper, January 9, 1904, p 1101. Ruth Thompson sees costumes “glisten”: McGibney Ms., n.p. “Pale Moonlight” number: McCurdy, 34. Conductor Herbert Dillea sees fire: Ibid, p 102.
74–75. McMullen’s account: Ibid, 105-106.
75-76. Fire begins: Chgo Tribune, Jan. 2, 1904, p 1; Foy and Harlow, 276, 277; Fields, Eddie Foy, 148-150.
76. “Pale Moonlight” double octet reacts: McCurdy, 34.
76. “William Sallers”: Sallers’ testimony, Iroquois Fire Investigation Report to Mayor Harrison, Jan. 8, 1904, MRC, pp 33, 34; McCurdy, 111, 112.
76-77. Actor Herbert Cawthorn’s account: McCurdy, 113.
77. Dancer Jack Strause sees fire: Chgo Daily News, Jan. 9, 1904, p 1.
77. “Walter Flentye”: NY Times, Dec. 31, 1903, p 1.
77. “The curtain will fall, the bells have rung”: McCurdy, 307. Double octet keeps dancing: Ibid, 308-311.
78. Herbert Dillea, Ernest Libonati: Author’s notes, CHS, 1962. Mrs. James Pinedo account: McCurdy, 257-259.
79. “Those girls remaining”: Ibid, 267. “If you don’t look out”: Ibid, 92. Ruth Michel account: Chgo Daily News, Jan. 5, 1904, p 4; McCurdy, 269. Willie Dee leaves: McCurdy, 103, 104.
80-81. Charles Sweeney account: Chgo Daily News, Jan. 9, 1904, p 1; McCurdy, 290, 291. “Canvas the size of bedsheets”: Sallers’ testimony, Stewart, 36. Grigolatis aerialists: McCurdy, 100. There is confusion about whether the member of the aerial troupe who plunged to the stage was a man or woman. In some accounts, the performer is identified as “Florine,” in others, “Floraline.” Evidence based on the New York performance of Bluebeard suggests that it was an all-female troupe. Also confusing is that this person was not counted as a member of the company who perished; only Nellie Reed is cited in official reports. One explanation may be that the Grigolatis were a performing unit working independently of the Bluebeard company and so were not included in the count.
81. Violet Sydney rescued: McCurdy, 81. “The women were frantic”: Sallers, quoted in Albuquerque [NM] Journal, Dec. 31, 1903, p 2. Joe Dougherty confused: McCurdy, 110, 111.
81-82. Foy’s reaction: Foy testimony, Iroquois Fire Investigation Report, Jan. 8, 1904, p 22, MRC; Fields, Eddie Foy, 149; Foy and Harlow, 274, 277.
82. Keith Pickerell: Milwaukee Journal, Dec. 31, 1903, p 2.
83. “A wreath of flames”: Lloyd’s Weekly News, Jan. 3, 1904, p 2; McCurdy, 131.
84. Eddie Foy and Bryan: Foy and Harlow, 279-280. Madeline Dupont account: McCurdy, 306. Foy attempts to calm audience: Foy and Harlow, 280, 281. “I saw the men”: McCurdy, 129-132.
84-85. “Would burn like cinder”: Annabelle Whitford Buchan, “I Was in the Iroquois Theater Fire,” 133.
85. Josephine Petry account: Chgo Daily News, Jan. 7, 1904, p 4. Lester Linvonston: Author’s notes, Ms., Iroquois Theatre Fire, 1962, Chicago Historical Society; no source noted; unrecoverable in 2001.
86. Foy recollections: Foy and Harlow, 281.
87. Ruthie Thompson: McGibney Ms., n.p.
87-88. August Klimek: Chgo Tribune, Jan. 1, 1904, p 1.
88. Ella Churcher: McCurdy, 259.
89. John Massoney: Ibid, 109. Robert Murray: Ibid, 268.
90. Buchan, 133. Fuller Construction’s subcontractor: Chgo Tribune, Jan. 4, 1904, p 4; January 7, 8, 1904, p 1. “A back draft”: Chgo Daily News, Jan. 1, 1904, p 4. “A great sheet of circular flame”: McCurdy, 109. “It felt like a cyclone”: Ibid, 223
91. Mrs. Pinedo: McCurdy, 257. Scenery loft collapses: Foy and Harlow, 283. “A human whirlpool”: NY Times, Dec. 31, 1903, p 1.
92. “Asbestos” curtain: NY Times, Jan 3, 1904, p 2. Chgo Daily News, Jan. 1, 1904, p 1; January 8, 1904, p 3. “I got out as quickly as I could”: Foy and Harlow, 287. “A scream of terror I shall never forget”: McCurdy, 214.
92-93. August Klimek: Chgo Tribune, Jan. 1, 1904, p 1.
93. Robert Smith: Foy and Harlow, 283. Archie Bernard: McCurdy, 99.
93-94. Smith rescues girls: Ibid, 99, 100.
94. Usher Willard Sayles: Chgo Tribune, Jan. 26, 1904, p 1. Clyde Blair escapes: McCurdy, 87.
94-95. Winnie Gallagher: Chgo Daily News, Dec. 30, 1903, 9 p.m. Extra, p 2.
95. “I felt my face burning”: Von Plecheki interview, Chgo Tribune Dec. 31, 1962.
95-96. D. W. Dimmick escapes: McCurdy, 92-93.
96. Georgia Swift: NY Times, Jan. 2, 1904, p 3.
96-97. Forensic science: David C. Thomasma, “Somatic Death.”
97-98. “Flight or fight” syndrome: author’s interview with Patricia J. McFeeley, M.D., Medical Examiner and Assistant Chief Medical Investigator, State of New Mexico, Albuquerque, 2001.
98. “Delayed death”: C. J. Polson, D. J. Gee and B. Knight, The Essentials of Forensic Medicine, 323. “Pugilistic attitude”: Ibid, 327. “The right arm was stretched”: London Times, Jan 1, 1904, p 1. “Crush asphyxia”: Polson et al., 470.
99-100. Peter Quinn: Chgo Daily News, Dec. 31, 1903, p 2
100-101. Michael Corrigan: author’s interview with Corrigan, Chicago, 1961. Author’s interview with Little, 2001. There is some question about who pulled what alarm and when. Because Corrigan was credited for pulling Box 26, he played a prominent role in the annual memorial services for the victims. But Chief Musham, interviewed by the Record Herald the day of the fire, said that two or three minutes after arriving at the scene he ordered “someone” to pull Box 26. Some minutes later, he added, he himself ran to the box to signal a “4-11” alarm, bringing more companies to the scene. The exact time he pulled the box, said Musham, was 3:41 p.m. Record Herald, Dec. 31, 1903, p 1.
101. “It was approximately 3:33”: McCurdy, 66. Musham and O’Neill leave City Hall: Chgo Daily News, Dec. 30, 1903, p 2; McCurdy, 66.
101-102. Galvin account: McCurdy, 252.
102-103. Anna Woodward: NY Times, Jan 1, 1904, p 2. Street clothing: Thomas C. Reeves, Twentieth-Century America, p 15.
103. Fred Brackenbush testimony: Fire Investigation Report to Mayor, Jan. 8, 1904, pp 60-61.
104. Sallers testimony: Ibid, p 37.
104-105. William Grover: NY Times, Jan. 3, 1904, p 1.
105-106. George Dunlap: Letter to author, Oct. 30, 1963. “Run it out”: Ibid.
106. People on fire escape, Hortense Lang: Manchester Guardian, Jan. 1, 1904, p 4. Sister Rachel Gorman: InterOcean, Dec. 31, 1903, p 1.
106-107: “We tore those people loose”: Dunlap letter to author.
107. View from university windows: InterOcean, Dec. 31, 1903, p 1. “‘Crawling things’”: Chgo Daily News, Dec. 31, 1903, p 4.
107-108. Mrs. Baldwin: McCurdy, 217.
108. “A smoking, flaming hell”: Ditzel, “Theater,” n.p. Saller’s testimony: Fire Investigation Report, Jan. 8, 1904, p 38. “Firemen heard pounding”: Ditzel, “Theater,” n.p. Nets unseen: NY Times, Dec. 31, 1903, p 1.
108-109. McGibney Ms.; Dunlap: Letter to author. 109. D. A. Russell: NY Times, Dec. 31, 1903, p 1.
110-111. Frank Houseman: McCurdy, 260-264; Manchester Guardian, Jan. 1, 1905, p 5; Record-Herald, Dec. 31, 1903, p 4.
111. Harriet Bray: Chgo Tribune, Dec. 31, 1973, Sec. 2, p 17.
111-112. Captain Buckley: author’s interview with Little, 2000.
112. “Tell me he is safe”: InterOcean, Dec. 31, 1903, p 2.
113-114. Arthur McWilliams, “smoke so thick”: Chgo Tribune, Dec. 30, 1903, pp 2, 3; Ibid, Dec. 21, 1958, p 10; NY Times, Dec. 31, 1903, p 1.
114. William Corbett: McCurdy, 74.
114-115. Chief O’Neill: Ibid, 51, 52, 54, 55.
115. Public response: Chgo Tribune, Dec. 30, 1903, pp 2, 3; NY Times, Dec. 31, 1903, p 1.
115-116. J. B. Evans: InterOcean, Dec. 31, 1903, p 1.
116. “The estimate of those”: Edgar Lee Masters, Levy Mayer, 71. 116-117. Dorsha Hayes: Hayes, 244-246.
117. “Corrigan worked”: author’s interview with Corrigan, 1961. “Have mercy on their souls”: Chgo Tribune, Dec. 31, 1903, p 1.
118. “Don’t walk on their faces”: London Daily Mirror, Jan. 1, 1904, p 1.
118-119. Musham and weeping fireman: Chgo Tribune, Dec., 31, 1903, p 3.
119. Deputy Chief Campion: Ibid. “From the galleries”: AP story, Santa Fe New Mexican, Dec. 31, 1903, p 1.
120. “Through some mischance”: Manchester Guardian, Jan. 1, 1904, p 4. “The victims looked”: Chgo Tribune, Dec. 31, 1903, p 3.
121-124. “The bodies,” Thompson’s interior, father and daughter reunion: author’s interview with Collins. (122. Record-Herald phone number: Chicago 1903 telephone directory.)
123. “Some bodies were charred beyond recognition”: Arthur Sears Henning’s famous description, Chgo Tribune, Dec. 31, 1903, p 1.
124. William McLaughlin: Chgo Tribune, Dec. 31, 1903, p 3. Bishop Muldoon: Chgo Daily News, Dec. 30, 1903, p 2.
125. Dr. H. L. Montgomery: McCurdy, n.p. “Ghouls”: NY Times, Jan. 3, 1904, p 2. Police empty pocketbooks: Dunlap letter to author. Eddie Foy “hysterical”: author’s interview with Collins. “I never saw anything”: Toronto Star, Dec. 31, 1903, p 3.
126. Foy in alley: Foy and Harlow, 287, 288. Collins returns to Record-Herald: author’s interview with Collins.
126-127: Walter Howey: A. A. Dornfeld, “Hello Sweetheart, Get Me Rewrite,” 78-82. Associated Press network: Oliver Gramling, AP: The Story of News, 146.
127-128: Frank Moore: Moore letter to author, 1962.
128. Weary telegrapher: Manchester Guardian, Jan. 1, 1904, p 4. “With tears in their eyes”: InterOcean, Jan. 1, 1904, p 1.
128-129: Ruthie Thompson’s family: McGibney Ms.
131. “The greeting for the day”: author’s interview with Collins. List of dead: Chgo Tribune, Dec. 31, 1903, p 1.
132. Bells toll: Ibid, Jan. 1, 1904, p 4. New snowfall: Ibid, Jan. 2, 1904, p 1. “Wheeled traffic”: Author’s interview with Collins. “Lonely vigils”: Colliers magazine, Jan. 9, 1904, p 10. Official mourning: McCurdy, 137, 138, 139.
132-133. Liverymen return to work: Albuquerque Journal,Jan. 1, 1904, p 1.
133. “Thousands of carriages”: Author’s interview with Collins. “This frightful thing”: Chgo Tribune, Jan. 1, 1904, p 1. “Chicago enters”: NY Clipper, Jan. 9, 1904, p 1101. Telegrams of condolence: Chgo Daily News, Jan. 1, 1904, p 1.
134. “Shrieking headlines”: Gramling, 146. “Death’s Rich Harvest”: Albuquerque Morning Journal, Dec. 31, 1903, p 1. Overworked clerics: Chgo Tribune, Jan. 9, 1904, p 1.
134-135. Party of twelve wiped out: Ibid, Jan. 3, 1904, p 3.
135. Clinton Meeker: NY Times, Jan. 1, 1904, p 1. “Men showed less hope”: Ibid.
136. William McMauglan: InterOcean, Dec. 31, 1903, p 1. “Have you heard anything”: Chgo Tribune, Dec. 31, 1903, p 5. “Dead” man revives: Chgo Daily News, Dec. 30, 1903, p 2.
136–137: Rita Wild: Chgo Tribune, Jan. 5, 1904, p 4.
137. Little Aurora girls: Chgo Tribune, Dec. 31, 1903, p 3. Shabad children: Chicago Tribune, Jan. 2, 1904, p 5. D. W. Alexander: Chgo Daily News, Dec. 31, 1903, p 4. John Dryden: Chgo Tribune, Jan. 1, 1904, p 1. Myron Decker: McCurdy, 377. Barbara Reynolds: Ibid, 380. Clyde Blair and friends: Ibid, 87.
138. Willie Dee: Ibid, 103. Edith Mizen: Chgo Tribune, Jan. 1, 1904, p 6. Harry Ludwig family: Chgo Tribune, Dec. 31, 1903, p 3. Henry Van Ingen family, Cooper brothers: Milwaukee journal, Dec. 31, 1903, p 1.
139. Alexander Revell: InterOcean, Dec. 30, 1903, p 4. “The first thing we did”: Manchester Guardian, Jan. 1, 1904, p 5. Lula Greenwald plot: NY Times, Mar. 23, 1904, p 2.
139-140. Ethel Blackburn: Chgo Tribune, Jan. 3, 1904, p 3.
140. Grove Avenue trolley incident: NY Times, Jan. 2, 1904, p 1. People filing past dead: Collier’s magazine, Jan. 9, 1904, p 10. Six bushel baskets, McCurdy, 43. Placer mining methods used: Chgo Daily News, Jan. 7, 1904, p 1.
141. “Just think! I bought the matinee tickets”: Chgo Tribune, Dec. 31, 1903, p 3. “We had only been married a year”: Ibid, p 5; McCurdy, 76. Tragedy told in telegrams: Chgo Tribune, Jan. 1, 1904, p 7.
141–142: Postmaster Freer’s family: Galesburg (IL) Republican-Register, Dec. 31, 1903, p 1.
142. News reaches Lucania: Gramling, 163; London Daily Mirror, Jan. 2, 1904, p 4. Ralph Taylor sails: Chgo Tribune, Jan. 2, 1904, p 2.
142-143. Foy calls fire “miracle”: Foy handwritten note, Jan. 5, 1905, Armond Fields collection; Foy testimony, Report to the Mayor, Jan. 1904, p 27.
143. Harrison closes theatres: Chgo Tribune, Jan. 3, 1904, p 1; NY Clipper, Jan. 16, 1904, p 1120. Coroner’s inquest launched: NY Times, Dec. 31, 1903, p 1.
143-144. Max Remer: Remer, “Terror at the Iroquois,” 1.
152. “I came from Apple River”: McCurdy, 92.
145-146. Lincoln Steffens, The Shame of the Cities, 192-193.
146. Everleigh Club brochure: Stevenson Swanson, Chicago Days, 78. Overnight clerks: Ibid. “Amusing Recreational Reading”: Lloyd Wendt, Chicago Tribune: The Rise of a Great American Newspaper, 354. Press corps numbered 600: InterOcean, Dec. 28, 1903, p 6. Harrison on reporter Charles Powers: Carter H. Harrison, Stormy Years, 278.
147–148. Harrison and aldermen’s salaries: Chicago City Payrolls, 1903. “Motley crew”: Chgo Tribune, Jan. 1, 1904; Harrison, Stormy Years, 156. “A human swamp”: Reeves, 12; “Nearly everything was a lie”: Edgar Lee Masters, The Tale of Chicago, 281. “Petty grafting”: NY Times, Oct. 1, 1903, p 1. Harrison assigns blame: Harrison, Stormy Years, 236-239; Chgo Tribune, Jan. 1, 1904, p 1.
148. The “Free List” payoffs: Chgo Tribune, Jan. 3, 1904, p 4.
148-149: Davis and Powers defend themselves: Chgo Tribune, Dec. 31, 1903, p 2.
149: Jessie Bartlett Davis: Chgo American, Jan. 3, 1904, p 1.
149-150. Alderman’s warning on fire “apparatus”: Chgo Tribune, Dec. 31, 1903, p 4. Johns-Manville manager: Chgo Tribune, Jan. 3, 1904, p 1; ibid, Jan. 5, p 8. “It was not one of ours”: advertisement, NY Clipper, Jan. 16, 1904, p 1126. “Curtain was not asbestos at all”: Chgo Daily News, Jan. 1, 1904, p 1. Robert McClean: McCurdy, 120;
150. Fire underwriters blame city: Chgo Sunday Tribune, Jan. 3, 1904, p 3.
151. Marshall defends no exit signs: Chgo Tribune, Jan. 1, 1904, p 1. Klaw-Erlanger blamed: Csida and Csida, 75; Chgo Tribune, Jan. 26, 1904, p 2. Life cartoon: Csida and Csida, 131. Musham’s defense: Santa Fe New Mexican, Jan. 14, 1904, p 1.
151-152. Musham contradiction: Chgo Record-Herald, Dec. 31, 1903, p 1.
152. “Learning the trade”: Chgo Tribune, Jan. 3, 1904, p 8. “Bribery and graft”: McCurdy, 116. “Virtually a death trap”: Ibid, 116.
152-153. Fuller Company tampers: Chgo Tribune, Jan. 5, 1904, p 1.
153. Merriman defends Fuller: NY Times, Dec. 31, 1903, p 1; InterOcean, Jan. 26, 1904, p 1.
153-154. “The theatre had just been built”: Chgo Tribune, Dec. 31, 1903, p 6.
154. “Not since the burning”: NY Tribune, Dec. 31, 1903, p 8. “From the living”: InterOcean, Jan. 6, 1904, p 6.
154-155. “In all justice”: Chgo Tribune, Jan. 10, 1904, p 6.
155. “Tardy zeal”: NY Times, Jan. 3, 1904, p 8. “The more the Iroquois”: Santa Fe New Mexican, Jan. 11, 1904, p 4. “The [Iroquois] was new”: Life, Jan. 14, 1904, p 40.
155-156. Facilities padlocked: InterOcean, Feb. 5, 1904, p 1.
156. “It is stated”: London Times, Jan. 1, 1904, p 3. Globe, Pall Mall Gazette, Daily Mirror quotes: Chgo Tribune, Jan. 1, 1904, p 1. “A government of monkeys”: Chgo Daily News, Jan. 4, 1904, p 6. “Let no guilty man escape”: Manchester Guardian, Jan. 1, 1904, p 2.
157. Rabbis, ministers, “man’s greed”: Chgo Tribune, Jan. 4, 1904, p 3. Performers out of work: Billboard, Jan. 30, 1904; NY Times, Feb. 4, 1904, p 1.
157-158. “Frosty reception”: NY Times, Jan. 3, 1904, p 1.
158. Davis and others arrested: Santa Fe New Mexican, Jan. 1, 1904, p 1. Arthur Hull: Chgo Tribune, Jan. 1, 1904, p 3; NY Times, Jan. 3, 1904, p 3.
158-159. “Trod on a lock”: Ibid, Jan. 2, 1904, p 1.
159. Marshall on exit signs: Ibid. “This theatre was opened”: Ibid.
159-160. Marshall on stairways: Author’s interview with Collins.
160-161. “A paper in this city”: NY Times, Jan. 5, 1904, p 8.
161. “It would appear”: Independent, Jan. 7, 1904, p 55.
163. “Here I am”: McCurdy, 180.
163-164. Changes in theatres: London Daily Mirror, Jan. 2, 1904, p 2; Foy and Harlow, 292.
164. Oscar Hammerstein: Foy and Harlow, ibid. No more “extravaganzas”: Chgo Tribune, Jan. 4, 1904, p 3. “Where it was supposed at last”: Chgo Daily News, Dec. 31, 1903, p 4.
164-165. Bertha Palmer: Ibid.
165. Berlin, Vienna, London, “keep thousands away”: London Daily Mirror, Jan. 4, 1904, p 2.
166. Inquest began: Chgo Tribune, Jan. 7, 1904, p 1. Emil Von Plechecki: photograph at inquest, Jan., 1904.
167-168: Conflicting testimony: Chgo Daily News, Jan. 5, 1904, p 1; Foy and Harlow, 277.
168. Death toll: Chgo Tribune, Jan. 7, 1904, p 3. Noonan testimony: Chgo Tribune, Jan. 7, 1904, p 1; NY Times, Jan. 7, 1904, p 2. Dusenberry testimony: Ibid, p 2.
169. “Incompetence and negligence”: Ibid, p 1. “Deluge of suits”: Ibid, Jan. 5, 1904, p 6; Chgo Daily News, Jan. 5, 1904, p 1.
170. Sallers testimony: Chgo Daily News, Jan. 7, 1904, p 1.
170-171. “A terrific shaking up”: InterOcean, Jan. 16, 1904, p 1.
171-172. Musham, Hannon questioned: Ibid. “He came to the theatre”: Ibid, Feb. 18, 1904, p 3.
173. Dusenberry testimony: Chgo Tribune, Jan. 7, 1904, p 1. “I consider all scenery”: McCurdy, 222.
173–174: Strong, Menard testimony: Chgo Tribune, Jan. 26, 1904, p 2.
174-175. Price, Jones testimony: NY Times, Jan. 21, 1904, p 9.
175. Owners lobby aldermen: Ibid, Jan. 3, 1904, p 1.
175-178. Powers and Davis testimony: Ibid, Jan. 23, 1904, p 2.
178-179. Williams, Loughlin and Lense testimony: Chgo Tribune, Jan. 26, 1904, p 2.
179. “An inert city administration”: Chgo Tribune, Jan. 9, 1904, p 6.
181-182. Coroner’s jury verdict returned: Chgo Tribune, Jan. 26, 1904, p 1.
182. Building Department accused of bribes: InterOcean, Feb. 6, 1904, p 3.
182-183. “Flimsy charges”: Harrison, Stormy Years, 236.
183. “I have been compelled”: Chgo Tribune, Jan. 27, 1904, p 2.
183-184. “Chicago boasts”: NY Times, Jan. 31, 1904, p 6.
184. “An evil trinity”: Chgo Tribune, Jan. 3, 1904, p 1.
184-185. Quotes from Detroit Journal, Marshalltown Republican, Philadelphia Press, Kansas City Star, Marquette Journal: Chgo Daily News roundup, Jan. 4, 1904.
185-186. “His Sunday Dinner” and other McCutcheon cartoons: Chgo Tribune, Jan. 1, 3,4, 1909, p 1.
186. “The Vacant Seat”: Chgo Record-Herald, Jan. 2, 1904, p 1.
186-187. 1903 Fire Department Report: Jan., 1904.
187. National Fire Protection Association Underwriter’s Preliminary Report: Jan. 9, 1904, pp 1-4, with additional Iroquois Theatre diagrams showing interior and exterior of building, as well as air currents from the rear of the stage to the balconies. Information is partially credited to Mr. F. J. T. Stewart, Superintendent of Inspections, Chicago Underwriters’ Association. However, a letter dated May 25, 1924, from G. H. Parker, Superintendent of the Kentucky Inspection Bureau, to Katherine Graham, librarian, Insurance Library of Chicago, says: “You will notice the [Iroquois Theatre] report is signed by F. J. T. Stewart but it was written by an inspector named W. N. Gadsden, assisted by cub inspector G. H. Parker. We inspected the theatre while under construction and several days before the fire had made quite a few recommendations. At the time of the fire I was in a nearby fire station…. When the alarm was received, I climbed into the back of the fire chief’s buggy and arrived with the first companies. I remained until late that evening and helped to carry out the dead and injured.” Letter, unnumbered, found by author in 1962 in Chicago Historical Society archives. Wesley A. Stranger, Rescued from a Fiery Death. “The Burning of the Iroquois”: Marquee Magazine, vol. 25, no. 4, p 29. “The Iroquois on Fire”: Woody Gelman and Barbara Jackson, Disaster Illustrated, 51.
187-188. Travelers Insurance Company Ad: Chgo Tribune, Jan. 1, 1904, p 6.
188. Hardware store ad: InterOcean, Jan. 16, 1904, p 4. Klein Optical Ad: NY Clipper, Jan. 2, 1904, p 1105. Lubin Company “film” of fire: Ibid, Jan. 16, 1904, p 1136.
189. Boswell Electric Company Ad: Billboard, Mar. 19, 1904. Edna Hunter: NY Times, Jan. 21, 1904, p 7.
189-190. Grand jury indictments returned: NY Times, Feb. 24, 1904, p 1.
190. “The grand jury”: Harrison, Stormy Years, 236. Dineen’s directive: Chgo Sunday Tribune, Jan. 2, 1904, p 1; NY Times, Jan. 7, 1904, p 2.
190-191. “Grand jury cannot indict”: NY Times, Jan. 7, 1904, p 2.
193-194. Mayer background: Frank D. Mayer, “Levy Mayer.”
194. “Legal genius of the commercial age”: W. J. Perlman, jews in America: A Biographical Encyclopedia, 257. “Due not only to his intellect”: Mayer, 53
194-195. “A political schemer”: Harrison, Stormy Years, 273.
195. Mayer’s firm selected: Chgo Daily News, Jan. 6, 1904, p 4. “It took courage”: Mayer, 47. “At the core of the matter”: NY Times, Feb. 21, 1904, p 1.
195. “If the people”: InterOcean, Dec. 31, 1903, p 2.
196. “The horrors are already”: Chgo Tribune, Jan. 14, 1904. Gen. James Longstreet dies: NY Times, Jan. 3, 1904, p 8. Cherokees on warpath: Chgo Tribune, Jan. 26, 1904, p 4. Russo-Japan War: Gramling, 147. Death of Mark Hanna: Edmund Morris, Theodore Rex, 311. Baltimore fire: The New American Desk Encyclopedia, 117. Northern Securities decision: Morris, 313-315
196-197. Change of venue to Peoria, indictment quashed: People vs. Davis, Illinois Circuit Court Reports, vol. 2, p 398.
197. Judges Kersten’s and Green’s decisions: Chgo Tribune, Feb. 10, 1904, p 3, and March 10, 1904.
198. “I can’t help saying”: Ibid, March 10. Davis and others again indicted: Mayer, 47; People vs. Davis, Illinois Court Reports, p 398.
199. Roosevelt-Longworth wedding: Washington Evening Star, Feb. 17, 1906, p 1. Case transferred to Danville: Chgo Tribune, Mar. 4, 1907, p 9. San Francisco earthquake: NY Sun, April 19, 1906, p 1. Harry Thaw murder case: NY Evening Journal, June 26, 1906, p 1.
200. Danville trial: Chgo Tribune, Mar. 10, 1907, p 2; Illinois Court Reports, pp 398, 399
201-202. “The hand of God,” “the verdict he is entitled to”: Chgo Tribune, Mar. 10, 1907, p 2.
202. Judge Kimbrough statement: Ibid, p 2. “Those who died”: Ibid. “The state discharged their duty”: Ibid.
202-203. “Deficiency in the law”: Ibid.
203. “Outrageous delays”: Frederic E. Woodward and Frank O. Smith, “Flagrant Instance of the Law’s Delays,” 429-436. A response written by George Follansbee of the Chicago Bar Association appears in the same review, 437439. Follansbee blames the plaintiffs, whom he divides into “two classes, one financially responsible, the other financially irresponsible. Possibly the first class is not legally liable and the second class not worth the time and trouble of pursuing. As evidence of this theory a very large number of plaintiffs have voluntarily dismissed their suits.” Two hundred civil action suits filed: Ibid, p 432.
204. Judge Landis ruling: Chgo Tribune, Mar. 10, 1907, p 2. Henry Shabad; Lawsuit against Iroquois Theatre Company; Klaw-Erlanger rumors: Author’s notes, 1962, CHS. Thirty settlements announced: NY Times, Jan. 18, 1909, p 1.
207. “Great Advances”: NY Times, Nov. 1, 1903, part 3, p 27. “Was mellow and quite secure”: This Fabulous Century, vol. 1, 1900-1910, p 34.
208. “It is the usual experience”: “The Lesson of the Iroquois Fire,” Theater Magazine, Feb. 1904, n.p. “We will shut the stable”: The Independent, Jan. 7, 1904, p 48. “Our citizens”: Chgo Tribune, Jan. 4, 1904, p 3.
208-209. “Panic is invariably”: NY Times, Jan. 4, 1904, p 6.
209. Adriatic announcement: Chgo Daily News, Dec. 30, 1903, p 8. The announcement appeared in other U.S. and British papers the same day.
209-210. Predecessor to the Titanic: Author’s correspondence with Mark Blackburne, President Ulster Titanic Society, Belfast, Northern Ireland, July, 2000.
211. Collins information: Author’s interview with Collins; Collins obituary, Chgo Tribune, 1964.
212. Benjamin Marshall information: Author’s e-mail correspondence with Janine Henri, Head Librarian, The Architecture and Planning Library, Alexander Architectural Archive, University of Texas at Austin.
212-213. Eddie Foy film: The Seven Little Foys, Paramount Pictures.
213. Klaw-Erlanger: Csida and Csida, 74-75. “I had formerly”: NY Times, Mar. 9, 1907, p 9. Levy Mayer: Author’s phone interview with Frank D. Mayer, Jr., at Mayer law firm. Mayer died in 1922. Annabelle Whitford: Buchan, 133. Will Davis: Chgo City Directory, MRC.
213-214. Chief Musham, Chief Hannon: Author’s interview with Little, 2001.
214. Corrigan promoted: Author’s interviews with Corrigan and with Little. Plamondon parents: Albquerque Journal, May 8, 1915, p 5. Walter Howey: Author’s interview with Wayne Klatt, Chicago City News Bureau, 2001.
215. Iroquois Theatre Memorial Ass’n: Chgo Tribune, Mar. 11, 1907, p 2. Lipton: NY Times, Jan. 1, 1904. Iroquois Memorial Hospital: Author’s interview with Fr. John McNellis, 2001; Chgo Sun Times, Aug. 13, 1967. Cemetery Memorial: Montrose Cemetery web page, www.graveyards.com/montrose/iroquois.html. “Mercy Day”: Chgo Sun Times, Dec. 31, 1973.
215-216. Mrs. Crumpacker: Chgo Tribune, Dec. 31, 1973.
216. Bluebeard and Theatre reforms: Foy and Harlow, 293. Fire safety instruction: Theatre Program Collection of Edward Bills, Woodridge, IL.
217. Fire and Water Engineering, 1904. Andrew Carnegie letter: NY Herald, Jan. 2, 1904. Coconut Grove, Ringling Bros. fires: Stuart and Doris Flexner, The Pessimist’s Guide to History, 254.
218. Sir Beerbohm Tree: Chgo Tribune, Jan. 1, 1904, p 3. Ohio school fire: Flexner and Flexner, 188-189. Water curtain: Popular Mechanics, May, 1904, p 508.
218-219. Panic bar, Von Duprin: Author’s phone interview with Pat Olmstead, Ingersoll-Rand public realtions.
219. Iroquois conversion: Chgo Daily News Almanac and Reference Yearbook, 1905, 246. The theatre became Hyde and Behman’s Music Hall in 1904.