Perhaps the greatest and most devastating fire in American history occurred in Illinois in October 1871. Known as the “Great Chicago Fire”, it wiped out most of the old city, killed hundreds and left hundreds of thousands homeless and destitute. But the city of Chicago has known many tragedies over the years and this would not be the last of the horrific fires to claim lives in the Windy City. The Iroquois Theater, the newest and most beautiful showplace in Chicago in 1903, was believed to be absolutely fireproof. The interior of the four-story building was magnificent, with stained glass and polished wood throughout. The lobby had an ornate 60-foot-high ceiling and featured white marble walls fitted with large mirrors that were framed in gold leaf and stone. Two grand staircases led away from either side of the lobby to the balcony areas as well. Outside, the building’s front façade resembled a Greek temple with a towering stone archway that was supported by massive columns. Architect Benjamin H. Marshall wanted to assure the public that the Iroquois was safe. The Iroquois had 25 exits that, it was claimed, could empty the building in less than five minutes. The stage had also been fitted with an asbestos curtain that could be quickly lowered to protect the audience. Chicago Tribune called it a virtual temple of beauty but just five weeks after it opened its doors, it became a blazing death trap. On December 30, 1903 a fire broke out in the crowded theater during a performance of a vaudeville show, starring the popular comedian Eddie Foy. The fire was believed to have been started by faulty wiring leading to a spotlight and claimed the lives of hundreds of people, including children, who were packed into the afternoon show for the holidays. With children in tow, the audience members immediately clogged the gallery and the upper balconies. The aisles had become impassable and as the lights went out, the crowd milled about in blind terror. The auditorium began to fill with heat and smoke and screams echoed off the walls and ceilings. Through it all, the mass continued to move forward but when the crowd reached the doors, they could not open them as they had been designed to swing inward rather than outward. Many of those who died not only burned, but suffocated from the smoke and the crush of bodies as well. Later, as the police removed the charred remains from the theater, they discovered that a number of victims had been trampled in the panic. they tried to open the auditorium doors and found they could not --- there were too many bodies stacked up against them.The firefighters made their way into the blackened auditorium and were met with only silence and smell of death. They called out for survivors but no one answered their cry.Across the alley, behind the theater, painters were working on a building occupied by Northwestern University’s dental school. When they realized what was happening at the theater, they quickly erected a makeshift bridge using ladders and wooden planks, which they extended across the alley to the fire escape platform. Reports vary as to how many they saved, but it’s thought that it may have been as many as 12, although it’s also believed that at least seven people fell to their deaths from the bridge.The passageway behind the theater is still referred to as Death Alley today, after nearly 150 victims were found piled here -- stacked by the firemen or having fallen to their fates.When it was all over, 572 people died in the fire and more died later, bringing the eventual death toll up to 602, including 212 children. The Iroquois Theater Fire ranks as the nation’s fourth deadliest blaze and the deadliest single building fire in American history. Nevertheless, the building was repaired and re-opened briefly in 1904 as Hyde and Behmann’s Music Hall and then in 1905 as the Colonial Theater. In 1924, the building was razed to make room for a new theater, the Oriental.The restored theater is now part of the Civic Tower Building and is next door to the restored Delaware Building. It reopened as the Ford Center for the Performing Arts in 1998. The fire touched off new building codes requiring doors the swing out and thes codes spread across the country.According to recent accounts from people who live and work in this area, Death Alley is not as empty as it appears to be. The narrow passageway, which runs behind the Oriental Theater, is rarely used today, except for the occasional delivery truck or a lone pedestrian who is in a hurry to get somewhere else. It is largely deserted, but why? The stories say that those a few who do pass through the alley often find themselves very uncomfortable and unsettled here. They say that faint cries are sometimes heard in the shadows and that some have reported being touched by unseen hands and by eerie cold spots that seem to come from nowhere and vanish just as quickly
Posted on: Mon, 15 Sep 2014 20:55:00 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015