The Timaru Herald. TUESDAY, JANUARY 5, 1903.

Timaru Herald, Volume LXXX, Issue 12262, 5 January 1904, Page 2

The Timaru Herald. TUESDAY, JANUARY 5, 1903.

It -is t<jo,,soon at. present to pronounce judgment as to the exact cause of the* terrible 'disaster at the Iroquois Theatre at Chicago, whereby between six hundred and seven hundred people lost their lives; and too soon also to determine whether tjnyone is«criminally responsible for what has: occurred.- It is .'asserted, on the one hand, that the theatre was most carefully' . constructed with a view to the safety of the audience from fire and other risks, and that money was lavishly expended in erecting a building repiete with the.latest im-. provements. Its cost to. the syndicate ■which owns it is said to have amounted to a quiirtep of a million So far there w?is j.certainly no sign of parsimony, ahd'-.'ia'ihese days this" builders of theatres may be said to almost invariably adopt plentiful precautions igainst accidents. On the other hand some verydamaging statements have been made concerning this theatre. It hnd to be passed by a Building Commissioner before it could bo opened, and it appears that he gave the ■, necessary certificate; but the Mayor of Chicago, having inspected the building since the fire, has. declared that it did not comply with, the law, and ought not to have been opened. Then the cablegrams tell us .that, according to the statements of the qity officials,'there is evidence of grave ; neglect and reckless disregard for the' public safety : —"There were no automatic sprinklers and no fire i alarm box,: and. it is doubtful whether the I so-called fireproof curtain was really made

of asbestos." That there is prima facie _ evidence of default on the part of some persons is shown by the fact that warrants have been issued for the arrest of 'the ( proprietors of the theatre and the Build- , ing Commissioner. It is said that other arrests Trill probably be made "in consequence of the officials of the theatre urging likely witnesses to leave Chicago." So the matter stands. Exhaustive enquiry may clear up all 'uncertainties—may show whether the building ■ and its accessories fulfilled legal requirements, and if not, whether the defects were the cause of the disaster; or whether it is to be attributed to the laches of individuals on the occasion of the fire; or, finally, whether it, should be" set down to accident properly so called. The loss of life so enormous, and the circumstances were so pathetic, that there may be at first a not unnatural tendency in the public mind to cast the burden of responsibility on to the shoulders of individuals and to visit them with condign punishment. The American sense of.,justice -and love of fairplay may be depended, on to keep that tendency in subjection when the alleged culprits are put upon their .trial. They will not be convicted except on ihe clearest evidence. Meanwhile thefe is the great central fact of the awful death-roll, the outcome of a., theatre fire; and fit must be forcibly brought home to the minds of intelligent people that, no-matter what , precautions are taken —no matter how perfect the building is, no matter how wise and " scientific the arrangements are, and no matter how 'faithfully ;excellent regulations are adhered to —the Tj.sk attendant on the assembling -of a crowd within a. confined space cannot be Supposing everything else to- Hoe guarded against, there will stilliremain the "risk of panic—the worst danger of aH. Panic has led to the destruction of multitudes J of lives in open spaces ;such as public ! streets, and obviously the danger is enor-.j niously increased 1 when a crowd is cooped up within four walls. -a panic ; arises—and sometimies :a '.very small thing 1 will be sufficient to cause <one—4t upseta ] the reason and reduces those who are die ! victims of it to the level-tof stampedinganimals. No doubt there rare" some in; every crowd, men and women aierve and cool temperament, >who "would never lose' their heads even ;in :an extremity of immediate danger, and there are, of course various degrees o'f that- lappy constitution, but no inconsiderable -proportion: of the human race is iliable to panic when crowded together and brought face to face with what appears at the anoment. to. s>e the imminent Hanger of death. Then it is that the mischief occurs, and 'that Tthere is utter disregard of the fair prospect, and perhaps, indeed, the certainty, of escape if reason .were allowed to assert itself. This danger of panic emphasises the necessity, firstly, of limiting buildings, and,especially halls and theatres, as nearly-fireproof as possible, and, secondly,- of providing ample 'means of exit - for the audience in case of fire 'breaking out. The appalling disaster at the Iroquois Theatre will have a world-wide effect . -in causing - renewed inspection of .theatres and halls. One of yesterday's cablegrams states that already nineteen theatres in Chicago have been closed by the authorities because the proprietors hav.e not complied with the regulations -framed for the better security of :the audiences. 7 ; Dhis action, which has been the-result of renewed inspection, is a forcible reminder of how laxity in such matters is jaennibted to creep in, and how it does -creep in, unless there is constant supervision.- •» -The dangers from fire and panic may not be so enormous in small theatres as they are in large ones, but they nevertheless exist wherever a, crowd gathers,. and it is therelore absolutely necessary that all precau- / tionary regulations should be strictly complied with. .