Ligonier Banner., Volume 38, Number 41, Ligonier, Noble County, 7 January 1904 — Page 3

* [HICAGD THEATER! Fire Breaks Out During the - .Performance and Many - Hundreds Perish. LIVES CRUSHED OUT IN THE FRENZIED ATTEMPT TO ESCAPE __gAliwnost Sl\ Himdred Sbuls;s»ﬁ‘criﬁg& in the‘Al')p:ﬂﬁlLi\n_g' ¢ L‘,a{tf{s'trophe l,'ni.'ortluml(;Xi}tims M’Osﬂy ‘ " Women and Little Children. .

‘Chicago, Dec. 31.—Fire broke out in the lr@guois theater, on “Randolph sireet Dbetween Dedrborn and ~ State streets, about 3:30 p. m. The theater’ was . packed 10‘v§e doors with an audi-. .eneefga,lher%d to witness a matinee per-. formance of the extravaganza VM. ~ Bluebeard, Jr.” The flames spread rapidly through the auditorium, and‘panic and stampede ensued. The loss of life’ is appalling, latest estimates placing the: mumber of dead at 582, éwhile 350 others were injured. ‘fMa-n;' of the victims Wwere Lurned ‘to death, but the ma-jority-lost their lives through suffoca.tion - or being trampled upon. - Evéry hospital and morgue in the city ds filled with victims.' The work of identification is proceeding very slowly, and it is ixxlxipgsible at this time to give any® thing like a correct list of the dead, injured ‘er missing.: The hospitals and njorgues are besiég_ed_ by hundreds of aonized; men and women -\\'hose_re]a! tives were known to have attended the ~ performante sbut.of whom nothing has ~since heen heard. It /is the nfost aplpalling cptastrophé in point of loss of lifé which hasteyver been visited upon ~thiseity > 8 &= i ; :

» . Origin of.the TFire. A The fire started from sparks frgm the € ighl elect_ric;r}sl-ight‘s whichhung'in the: first 'entrancg_/back"of the proscenuium a;i*ch,?;behixid}the grand drapery on the south: side of the stage. The large arc lamps}; were used to throw “spot’”lights on the performers in the dark scenes. There were 180 drop scenes hiingin the flies of the theater and a spark ignited one of the draperies hanging Irom the top of the stage near the piroscenium. It burngd nearﬁb’ aminute before it was dis(;ﬂ'n'eréd by one of the men in the fiics, who gave the alarm. Stage Manager Garlson ordered the drapery lowered, but the men in charge of the ily galleryw?re excited and instead of lowering it pulled it ¥ip, and im an instant all the hanging drops were ablaze, A - moment . later there was an explosion.of several calcium tanks -which lighted ‘the ‘theater like a photographer’s flash /light -powder and the flaimes spread to the auditorium. The fly men/barely had,time to climb down ‘the ladder leaﬁin%ﬁto the upper portion of .the stage andé=scape before the entire scenery.was blazing. Nearly all ghe/cdmpany Were in their dressing ‘rooms at the time, and when the alarm ‘was given they rushed madly into the street through the stage exits, their faces cover:d with makeup and wearing their stage costumes.

'~ Fire. Curtain Fails to Act. Crosséd wireson a '‘spot light”” coming inccontact with a canvas “border” at the right of the stage aresaid to bave caused | ‘the fire, Ten minutes aftcr tile border ignited the acres of canvas scenery in the rear of the stage were ablaze. The “asbesfos firg curtain caught in a tangle of ropes and could not be!lowered: Ahn instant . later the entire theater. fromfoyer to stage was'a sea of flame: - Had the asbestos fire curtain acted properly the fire swould have been shut off from the theater proper and the perscnsin the theater could have escaped with little difffculty, = e - . Loss Heaviest in Balconiés. . All but three persons on the main {floor escaped with theirlives. Of.the 900 {persons seated in 'the first and second balconies few if iany escaped without sericus injury.. Theg majority of those escaping did, so by jumping from -the ‘balconies onto the heads of the crowds stirging from the main ‘floor. of the . theater. The fight of the men and women to get through the balcony exits. was their undoing. They jammed the doors so tight that none of them could get out. o e e _ Piled in the aisles of the balconiesina solid mass, four feet high, they: were found. They had either been burned to’ death or suffocated. The few taken from the theater and respscitated‘; were

GREAT THEATER DISASTERS OF THE PAST,

- ".Never, in the history of the United ’ o . < 4 States, and only once in the hllstory*of fhe world, has Chicago’s disaster been exceeded by a fire panic in a theater. The greatest theater disasters in|this -~ and foreign ‘countri,e\s are enumexf{ated in the following talble: S L TN PHE UNITED STATES. | 5 Ri¢hmond,- Va:, theater, Dec, 26, - TASH i L TTdead Brooklyn theater, Dec. 5, 1876.......297 |dead Central theater, - Philadelphia, % A Aprilios a 8 ol s o idedd Front Street theater, Baltimore, Fiol Dee 25, 1899 05 o oi.. .. v oiniio. 22 diead Iroquois theater,. Chicago, Dec. 30; | 1908 o 0 e L oL i BT Bead o IN FOREIGN COUNTRIES. .-« J.ehman’'s theater, St. Petersburg, : A 8 s et v Ll L 0700 dedd Carisrube theater, St. Petershurg, = 184 i oq i s, 00200 dead Ring theater, Vigrina, Dee, 8, 1#81...875 dead Exeter theater, %Engla‘nd, Sept:d, 3 1887 .....t.1...;i.{(:.(.)...'......,\.d.....}.1.zp0dead Banquet theaten . Oporto, Marc] ' 21, 1888 ....é‘;.:’:‘,;_?.......-‘.......,....,,200dead Opera Comique, ‘Paris, May 25, : 1887 cipoeiicrivanvedrnnnainanieane.oi. 75 dead - Despite all precautions for providing means of —exits, a theater fire dlways ! results in a panic, and from_ this comeés -the great death roll. What, up to . Wednesday, was the worst theater dis~

on the bottgm ef the piles where fire and smoke cpuld not reach them. . i ] ;,‘,“.v,t“il, Scenes. - L ‘ ° Sp fiercelyithe fire burned during the short time which .hundreds of lives were sacrificed that the velvet cushions of the balcony seats, were burned bare. The .erowds fought so.in their efforts to escape that they tore away the iron railings -of. tLe balconies, leaping upon the people bélow. :

.. From 3:30 o’clock, when the alarm was sent in, 'to 7:30 o’clock, when.the doors of the cutted theater were closed, the charred, torn and blistéred bedies were carried -from the building at the rate.ot four-a minute. Many blankets filled with fragments of human bodies wereltaken from the building. . ‘ llee Rats in a Trap.> 3 ~ Most grewsome were the sights in the upper balcony of the burned thea‘e;‘; when the police and firemen began erﬁoving the bodies. There 150 persons, caught' like rats in a trap, had died in fearful agony. ®Along the rail guarding the edge of the pit were stacked the bodies of the hapless vietims, their limbs drawn and faces ‘set. Indications in the highest balcorly were that «in the ‘last few seconds of the

SCENE IN REAR OF THEATER.

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struggle- for life the agonized people had ‘crushed forward, intent upon throwing themselves to the floor belows Their arms were interlocked and.the muscles set so hard -that much- force was necessary to. separate th®m. In the end of the gallery nearest the stage the fire had done its most awful work: There were found .bodies charred. beyond the possibility of recognitiion, some with - shreds .of clothing . still clinging to them. A number 4§ the

aster in_the United States occurred at the Brooklyn theater during the last act of the last scene of ‘“The Two Orphans,” of which Kate Claxton was the star. She was the first to discover the flamé, but made no sign -to alarm the audienc,e., The fire was quickly dis'ceern‘ed, hqgwever, and the panic began. ‘Miss -Claxton and two others, joining hands at the front of the stage; between the spectators, and the fire, begged for order, and a leisurely ‘exodus began, but a robust man started the stampede, and the terrible loss of life resulted. - Eddie Foy’s vain appeal for order:in the Iroquois disaster is a parallel. It was for cowardice, not for heroism, that the®Opera Comique fire in Paris was noted. Strong men knocked down and trampled on women and children in the frantic rush for the exits. The official list of dead in this disaster was put at 75, but many missing were never accounted for, and it is possible that scéres of bodies were completely: charred in the ruins and never. found. -

victims* bodies had burned to the seats, so-that the firemen were €ither forced to rend the bodies in removing them or use axes on the seatssto which they were fastened. ¥ Men' fell on their knees and prayed. Men and women cursed. A rush was made for the Randolph street exits. In their fear the crowds forgot the many side exits, and rushéd for the doors et which they had entered the theater. Little ‘boys .and girls were thrown to one side by their stronger companions. The 12-year-old son of Mrs. F. A. Morgan, of 496 Webster avenue, was literally scalped by a man who grasped the boy by the hair and threw him to one side. With his hands the man tore the boy’s hair out.. The mother held tc her son’s arm. ° Alive, but injured, both were carried out. , : : - Work of Rescuers, - : : *.The straggling line of rescuers which followed the conquest of the flames became a steady stream as a ‘strong wind from the front cleared the theater of smoke and the odor of burned flesh. Down the front stairs, the rescuers behind treading on those befere them. went the line of workers, their blankets shielding~the nakcdness of the bodies from the gaze of the crowds in the street. Four stories above the street most- spectacular means of rescue were adopted. From-the fire escapes at. the rear of the theater to those of the old Tremont house were laid three narrow

> S * \ 3y r/ s 'T-'.‘::'.' '.T:':R__. | P -—v‘ AN ' : A NS, Y, e T N s ":'"",'Ylj .js AT W D B g i A ‘ ! AN ,i’:.' ;33 7 A < o f ;i X N : : : o~ $ i = 355 2 j L i ALk o .’_A’,-‘\/)’ R L omamr v . . TUE FURE STERTZD planks. Across the little bridge thu formed were transported the bodies © 30 dead. Twenty injured were als taken across. the chasm. Many of th

rescuers -on - this bridge were stage hands who gave little heed to the drof of: 75, Teet which would follow a talse step. While in' transit across the chasm the bodies of the dead and injured were¢ steadied by the use or a rope by the rescuers.’ ;. Removal of the Bodies. * Coronet Traeger and his two physicians, Joseph Springer and Otto Lewke, arrived at the fire early. ‘The coroner took personal charge of the removal of the bodies, 150 policemen and 200 fire‘xipen working under his orders. In their first efforts to take out the dead, the resciing parties had much trouble. Numbers of the dead were nearly nude,

having been stripped of their -clothing in the rush for safety. The heat of the fire and the water thrown in extinguishing ‘it combined to make the bodies slimy and most difficult to handle. There was less difficulty after a thousand - blanket¢s had been brought from the store of Marshal Field & Co., half a block away. Firemen and spectators | worked together in removing the lasts 200 bodies, which were taken from the building in less than an hour. As fast ‘as the blanketed forms were taken to the stréet doctors examined them. The dead were ordered taken away, the living hurried to the temporary hospitals in adjacent buildings. -

Bodies Piled on Sidewalk. . When :ithe dead became so numerous that the ambulances could not carry them-away as fast as taken to the street it was the first thought of the rescuers to carry the bodies to the shelter of adjacent business places.! Twenty dead were carried . into Thompson’s restaurant, east of the theater. There the) were 'piled beneath tables and covered with tarpaulins and blankets from th fire wagons. The crush of bodies finally bécame §o.great that sheltering then was impossible.. Wrapped in blankets they were piled along the sidewalk fo a hundred feet, four narrow lanes diyiding the piles and affording passages fai the firemen and police. ’ e

The Burned Theater

The Iroquois theater was built at a cost of $450,000. It was opened to the public with its first and only attractior November 15. Managers Davis anc Powers said Wednesday that there wabut $lO,OOO insurance on the building It was supposed to be ahsolutely fire proof, and little insurance was concic ered necessary. o

(ERRIBLE SCENES ARE ENACTED ~ IN THE PLAYHOUSE OF DEATH

R escuers “Are Forced to Walk on Dead to ko B 8 : Extricate Living--:Exits Choked. With Bodies of Women a.nd Children.

Chicago, Jan. I.—On the heels of the firemen came thé police, intent on the work. of rescue. Chief O’Neill and Assistant Chief Schuettler ordered captains from a dozen stations to' bring gheir men, and then they rushed to the theater and led the police up the stairs té-the landing outside the east ent«rahce; to the first balcony.

The ﬁf‘em_en','rus'ningf, blindly up’ the stairs in the dense pall of smoke, had foﬁnd their path suddenly blocked :by a wall of dead eight or ten feet high: They discovered many - persons alive and carried :them to safety. _ Other firemen crawled over the mass of dead and dragged their hose into the theater to fight back the flamés that seemed to be crawling nearer to turn the fatal landing into a funeral pyre. ~ Passages Strewn with Bodies. Among the elevated passages leading from the foyer to .the _ balcony were strewn scores of women and

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children, who, in the struggle inside the doors, had exhausted their strength and who, when the. outside and comparative safety were reached, were unable to contipue to the street and fell helpless upon the marble flgor. Some were deau when the rescuers reached them and some still showed signs oof life. These latter were hurried to the street and committed to the waiting arms of hundreds who had gathered about the entrance, ready to carry them to near-by stores and restaurants and to the police ambulances which soon began to arrive. There are three doors leading to the main balcony- from the front of the theater and’ most- of the imprisoned spectators attempted to escape by way of the east one. This door is’ higher than either of the others and farther away from the stage, and it is thought that this accounts for the nimber that ‘ried to use it. The fire approaching ‘rom the stage gradually drove them back to the east wall, where they perished in the'frenzied jam. . 4

Women Beaten Down by Men.

Comparatively more men than women gained positions anywhere near the door. "According to one man who escaped, they climbed over the backs of the jséats, beat down women and children,and even walked over their fallen bodies. = They tore children from their mothers and threw wemen who blocked their way out of the aisles on and beneath the seats. - As soon as the bodies which blocked the door were cleared away the c¢hief and his assistanty turned their attention to those who had not been so fortunate as to even get mnear the doors. Charred and stiff in death, women and children were found apparently in the very seats from which ‘they had viewed the performance. One little lad of about 12 years was found caught between two seats not a half dozen feet from the cemter door. There was no one near him and he seemed to be one of the few who in avoiding the rush for the door- above fell vietims to the suffocating heat. ;

Cause of the Horror.

Careful ;investigation into the horror disclosed three predominant factors in the holocaust. . This trio of Influencing circumstances, operating simultaneously undoubtedly was responsible for the great loss: of life. °lt was the consensus of ()piqjon of experts that there could be no doubt as to the correctness of the conclusions which follow: : . .

First—The suidden shufting off of all lights in the structure at a time when the people were endeavoring to leave the building. This Egyptian darkness caused people to stumble up or down steps; those behind piled on top, many being suffocated and crushed. : Second—The u_ntortunate spreading of the fire on the stage and its un-looked-for communication into the auditorium, caused for the most part By the failure of a fire curtain to work.

If this had: dropped and had been thoroughly fireproof, it would have cut. off" the fiery tempest and.held it within the stage space. . Third—The unquestionéd failure of doors, leading o¥ of the theater to fire escapes and to landings, to move when the people tried to open them. The, doors do not lock with bolts, ‘but are held by perpendicular levers, which are inclined to ‘stick.” Outside of the inner doo¥s which lead to the fire escapes are iron folders, which . are snapped together by horizohtal iron levers.. These levers were ice-coated’ and not movable when the crowd attempted to open them to get out to the steel stairways. - - Aidet:men, firemen, poucemen,‘insurance men, architects -and 'newspaper men who spent a good deal of time in the burned theater Thursday generally agreed on these causes:as being the ones leading directly to the awful loss of life. It was admitted that undoubtedly there were minor “reasons which

contributed in bringing up -the percentage of dead. : * At Morgu.es’avnd Hospitals. Morgues ana hospitals wérethe scenes of wild disorder and frantic grief for hours after the disaster. “-Kinsfolk and friends sought their loved-ones, frantic with grief, threatening to break windows and overpower the police unless: permitted to enter and search for the bodies of those they loved. Heavy police guards were necessary to keep the crowds in check at Rolston’s and Jordan's morgues./~At the same time the hospitals were filled in with injured. Many of them. unconscious, many of them writhing in pain from their burns, the yet living victims were taken to the wards,~wh&e hastily collected extra forces ,of nurses and physicians did all they could to alleviate suffering. Many had breathed flame and were, in the stupor that preceded death; many had been scorched from head to foot, and some died on the way to the hospitals; or shortly after their arrivals. . Never have such scenes been witnessed in Chicago’s institutions for the care of the dead or the suffering. The capagﬂties of many were exhausted long vb,éf?fe all had been taken care of. ) / Wounded Fill Hospitals. olston’s' morgue was filled early, when 100 bodies were laid out in rows, and wagons carrying hundreds of others were turned away. And all the while, as the black wagons, express wagons, carriages, vans, carts, wagons for delivery of meat, groceries and merchandise of all sorts, arrived with their fearful burdens,: the crowd surged around the doors in waves that the police could scarce withhold and hailed each new arrival with frantic manifestations of grief and horror. Those in ‘ front strove to get nearer and look at the faces of the dead as they were car-, ried ih and those in the rear surged forward. The whole human mass, swayed by a common impulse, moved in’a tide that almost swept the policemen from their feet.

Greatest in Country’s History. The Iroquois theater'was vastly more destructive to human life than any other playhouse firé in the history of this country. The fire next to it in point of. lives Tost occurred December 5, 1876, in Conway’s Brooklyn theater, Brooklyn, N. Y. Here 295 of the audience perighed in fierce flames. The day after Christmas in 1811, while the play, ‘‘The Bleeding Nun,” was being performed in a theater at Richmond, Va., a.fire gtarted that burned 70 persons to death, among them the governor of the state, George W. Smith. Only two European theater catastrophes approach that of the local playhouse. On December 9, 1891, the Ring theater in Vienna burned and 875 lives were lost. In the destruction of Lehman’s theater in St. Petersburg between: 600 and 700 persons were killed, In the great Chicago fire of 1871, the largest conflagration of modern times, in which 2,124 acres were devastated, but 200 lives were lost, so far-as the mosi reliable information showed. ~

SEARCH FOR.THE: DEAD

Friends and Relatives ‘of Viciims . Haunt Morgues and Hospitals.

MANAGERS OF THE IRCQUOIS | -~ THEATER PLACED UNDER ARREST

City Officinls Afso Taken in Charge and Charged with Manslaughter —Many Other Theaters Are Clesed by the Mayor.

Chicago, Jan. 2.—The search of tlfe rows of charred dead at the morgues Yy sorrowing friends and relatives continues. Over 400 of the 583 known dead rnow have been identified. Failing to find' scores of the dmissing in these heaps of bodies, the search has‘been turned to ‘the private hospitals and hemes for more dead and dying. Coroner Traeger has asked all citizens to aid him in this quest. - Grief-crazed friends and relativess of the missing join in this appeal. . ‘ "~ Funerals of Vietims. ) The saudest reminders cf the Iroquois catastrobhe Friday were the numegous | funerals : which moved through the streets in all portions of the city.- |ln the homes of hundreds of victims|friends gathered to console the pareats, brothers and’sisters whose ‘relatives had been lost.” Such a d aj’ of mourning Cnicago has lie\'er'wit‘essed, and sad scenes jere enactedlir} the homes where funeral services ‘were conducted over: the, children. | , - In some homes funeral ' services were held|over the body of one menf‘ber of a family while anbther was lying in someé morgue still ‘u’nidenti'ﬁedby thre distracted relatives. Such was ;’the case at. the home of Herbert and Agnes Lange, 1632 Barry avenue. Both ‘ children had attended the theater per‘forman('e. and after many vhours of tireless s¢arching the broken-hearted father fourd the body ef his. daughter, Agnes, in an undertaking establishment. g ) Then ca!me a longing on the part of mother and father-to find the body of tlie boy, Herbert, and the search was ;conducted the entire day. Mr.- Lange met with no success, agnd finally ih despair he went to.the office of Chief of Police O'Neill and begged Detectives Woboldridge and Schubert to eassist him. He also pleaded with newspaper men. i -

He was only one of hundreds who spent the day searching for beloveds ones, but his appeal for assistance was so full of pathos that intense sympathy was, immediately aroused and every effort was made to find the missing body. The-absolute failure of Mr. Lange to identify any of the bodies aroused hope in his heart that the lad may .still be alive and cared for in scme hospital. : New Year’'s day ‘the black ~hearses and the white began’ their’slow way through the city’s streets. There are not hearses enough to bury the dead; fo carry the charred, disforted bodies from the sorrow-darkered hemes to the waiting eraves in the cemeteries. . Thirfy-four teachers in the” public achools are known to have lost their lives in the fire and the schools will be closed Monday in their memory. " Managers Arrested. Will J. Davis and Harry J. Powers, proprietors and managers of the Iroquois. theater, and George Williams, city building inspector, were placed under arrest on the criminal charge of manﬁllghter.~ Warrants for the three men. who have hitherto been unmolested by police and coroner investigations -of the catastrophe, were issued Friday night by Justice George W. Underwood: .

Other Arrests

/ Eight stagemen and electricians of the ill-fated theater have been held in bonds of $5,000 each on charges of manslaughter due to criminal negligence, and 19 others’, actors and chorus girls of the «Mr.. Bluebeard, Jr.” company are held as witnesses for the coroner’s inquest.

Theaters Closed

Seventeen ‘Chicago theaters were closed peremptorily by Mayor Harrison Friday nigl% because they were not equipped with asbestos drop curtains.® This action following on thel heels of the Iroquois disaster,.shuts onehalf of the playhouses in Chicago,-with a total seating capacity of more than 20,000 perscns. Violations of the building crdinances received thus the only drastic punishment ever known to come from the city hall.” 'The mayor . was moved to issue the crder by his disposition not to take additional responsibility for fusther calamities. Until they have provided asbesfos'or iron curtains for the protection of their patrons these theaters will remain closed: Academy of Music, Alhambra, Avenue, Bijou, Chitago Opera House, Clark Street museum, Columbus, Criterion, Feigenbaum'’s, Milwaukee Avenue Garrick, Glickman’s, Howard, Sam T. Jack’s, Lendon Musee, Marlowe, N‘ew‘ American and Olympic. . ;

‘A Memorial Day. Mayor Harrison in a proclamation names to-day as a day of mourning throughout Chicago for the dead in the Iroquois .theater fire. The proclamation ‘follows: ““The mayor announces that the city hall will be closed all day Saturday on account, of the calamity at the Iroquois theater. He respectfully 'r;equests all business houses to close as a mark of respect for the dead.” )

Messages of Sympathy. Expressions of sympathy for the city in its sorrow reached? Mayor Harrison from all partg of the world. President Roosevelt, Gov. Yates, Prince Henry of Prussia, the lord mayor of London and the mayors of several other European hapitals sent messages of condolence; Maiyo;r‘ Seth Low, of New York; Mayor Patrick Collins, of Boston, and many others. The catastrophe seemed particularly to touch Prince Henry and to cause real personal ‘interest and anxiety. . ~Following was the message received from the president: . o “Washington, Dec. 31.—T0 Hon. Carter H.. Harrison, Mayor, Chicago: In common with all our people throughout ‘this land, 1 extend to you, to the people of Chicago, my deepest sympathy in the terribl: catastrophe which has befallen them. | oo “;TIIEODORE ROOSEVELT.” | : :

THE SUNDAY SCHOOL. Lesszon in the International Series for January 10, 1904—Preaching of John the Baptist. - THE LESSON TEXT. ° . (Matt. 3:1-12) -~ R 1. In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in ‘the wilderness-of Judea. 2. And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of Heaven is at hdnd. 3.‘Eor this is He that was spoken of by the. prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of One crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make His paths straight,”- ’ . : 2 4. And the 'same John ‘had his raiment cf camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and-his meat was locusts and wiid honey. . . 5. Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all ‘Judea, and all the region rouna@ about Jordan. oLI

6. And were baptized of him in Jordan, cenfessing their sins.: * 0 7. But when he saw many of the Phar. isees and Sadducees come to his baptism, Le said unto them, O generation of vipers, wko hath warned you to flee-from the wrath to come? e 8. Bring forth' therefore fruits meet for repentance: S . . : 9. And 'think -not to say within yourfelves, “’c{;‘ ‘have Abraham to_our father: for I say unto you, that God isable of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. 10. An® now also‘the ax is laid unto the root-of the -trees: therefofe every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is héewn down, and cast into the fire, it 11.-1 indeed baptize. you with water-unte repentanae:'bu_t,‘lie that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: . ‘l2, Whose fdanis.in His hand, and He will thcroughly purge His floor, and gather His wheat unto the garner; but He wiil burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire, GOLDEN TEXT.—Repent_ye: for the kingdom of Heaven is"at hand.—Matt. 3:2. . : = - =

OUTLINE OF SCRIPTURE SECTION. Preaching. of John thé Baptist.. Matt, 3:1-12 Preaching of Jokn the Baptist.. Mark 1:2-8 Preaching of ‘John the Baptist.:Luke 3:1-18 NOTES AND COMMENTS. . .

Last Sunday’s lesson practically, covered the years from B. C. 5 (the birth of Jesus) to A.'D. 26.. The Foung manhood of. Jesus was spent at Nazareth. Every Jewish father-was expected to teaeh his son a trade, so, as Joseph was a carpenter, we may be sure Jesus spent these quiet home years at the carpenter’s bench with His father. HereHe continued tp grow “in favor with God and men.”*This is all we know-of His life till the time of His baptism. Matt. 3:1—4-11 ‘takes up the history again and we study this next as the prelude to the.public ministry of Jesus. = . ?

“In those dayvs:” the expression of orle writing of things that happened long ago; Lu‘ke' gives ~ exact dates (Luke 3:1-2). John began preaching ‘in the summer of A’ D. 26.” “The wilderness of Judea:” the thinly inhabited parts of Judea along the lower Jordan. ‘Repent:” "The keynote of John’s preachirg. John said,.Repent; Jesus said, Believe; John:warned .bad men -of the wrath to come; Jesus welcomed those who werée willing ‘to live it, to the'noble life of children of God. “For thisis He:” The werds of Matthew, not of John the Baptist. “Spoken of through Isaiah:” Is. 40:3.7 These verses, in'the original, refer to the returnof the Jews from their Babylonian captivity. “Make yé ready the way of the Lord:” The thought was of a triumphal procession of eaptivesreturn'ng under .the leadership of Jehovah, before whom.the heraldand “pioneer corps” prepared the way.. “Raiment of caﬁxpl?s hair:” A, sarment bt coarse, rough cloth? Compare the deceription of Elijah in 2 Kings 1:8. “Lécusts and wild honey:” Food still eatea by the pcor of the edst. . . “They werg baptized . . . confessing their sins:” John's-converts must have heeded his message4o “repent,” and the confession of = their = guilt-burdened souls was mnatural. The significance of this rite lay not-n itself~the raanner o? applying the water, nor even in the nian who/cfficiated—but in the state of heart of which it-was.a sign and a symbol.

“Pharisees:” A gect devbtingithemselves to the study, interpretation and observance of the.law of Moses. They were the strictly orthodox party. *‘Sadcducees:” A sect broader in their views cf the law-than theé Pharisees. They constituted someth‘ing flike a political party and practically - controlled’ the high priesthood under the Romans. They found no ground in the Old Testament for belief in immertality and so denied it. “Fruit worthy of repentance:” Good ancestors wiil not save bad men.. John taught that men- should trust to nothing Lut personal righteoushess. - Johu plainly says that his work is preparatory and subordinate to that of a Ceming One, who was almost at hand. ‘These verses show John’s idea of what that One was to be. ” “The whole baptism of the Messiah, as Johm conceives it, 'is a baptism of Judgment.”—Bruce,. How different from the reality was John's idea! -“In the Holy Spirit and_in fire:”” John’s baptism was external, a symbol of an’ internal reality. The baptism of Jesus was not exfernal at all. He baptized no one in the ordinary sense. It was a spiritual thing. “Whose fan:” Or/winnowing shovel. The instrument with which the 'wheat was thrown into-the air that the wind might get.at it and blow out the chaff. John thought the worlk that was needed and therefore the work that the Coming One would do, was to separate in a summary way the good from the bad. It is doubtful whether he thought of his successor as {rying ‘to make bad men good—givng, as it were, the very chaff a chance

PERSONAL CHIT-CHAT.

. John Snyder, a baker in the United States navy and stationed at Mare island on the Pacific.coast, has come intoa fortune of $250,000 left by his father. Snyder, who has received honorable discharge, had been four years in the navy. The fortune is in bonds, real estate. and cash. LT

Ex-Gov. D. L. Russell, of Wilmington, N. C., sent-to Washington by Miss Mary C. Darby, postmistress of Wilmington, to secure her reappointment, failed in h¥s mission, but secured the place for his ‘own wife, and then offered Miss Darby the place of assistant, which she indignantly declined‘, ] .

George F. Baer, président of the Philadelphia & Reading railroad, is popularly supposed to have a deep hatred of John Mitehell,*but recently he gave some indication that he-has a grain of admiration for the president -of the United Mine Workers. | “What do you think of John Mitchell, anyway ?"’whim: sically asked an acquaintance of him. “He’s a wonderful man,” said Mr. Baer, promptly. ““He’s an Irishman who can keep his mouth shut.” =~

DEATH OF GEN. LONGSTREET. Fanions Ex-Confederate Soldier Suecuwmbs to a Severe Attack of Poneumonia. .- - Gaipesvlille, Ga., Jan. 4.—4 Gen. Jamet“ Longstreet died at the home of his daughter, Mrs. J. Estin *Whelche], Saturday afternoon at five o’clock. Acute pneumonia Was the cause of his death. He was 84 years old.” Hissudden death was a great shock to his family. Only Friday he ‘was discussing improvements to be made on his farm and talked as if he had every hope of life for some time yet.

| Ny AN/ R N \ i /‘t , - 2 \.\‘ \\ ey A -\ A ) | GEN. JAMES LONGSTREET. . ~ The general had rafed up in his bed and was talking, when he fell back unconscious. ' He died a few minutes later. The funeral- of Gen. Longstreet will be held here Tuesday.: All naval and military organizations of the city will -attend inia body. Comrades in arms of the distinguished dead will act as pall‘bearers, and over the grave in Alta Vista- cemetery sans. of Gen. Longstreet’s soldiers wijl fire a salute.

DAYS OF MOURNING. - Scoreés of Funerals Are Held in Chicago—Mayor Orders Every Theao ter'in City €¢losed. . ¢ ~ Chicago, Jan. 4.—The revised list of dead irom the lroquoisThéater fire shows 088 victims, of whem 582 ﬁa_\'e been idéntified. Six unknown botdies have been

Temoved to the county morgue, | - Mgést of the [iodies\i‘emainlng‘unid\ntified are so-badly burned and distigured as to be unrecognizable, év.éni 10 those who -kriew them best in lite; 1t is'now planned to bury all that are not tdemtified at last at the public expense in a common plot of ground to bejixr-' chased by the city iy oné of the larger cemeteries and to held. a general public service over the remains. iR

In a‘driving snow, which fell®all day lon_g.‘ and in attempe}amre only a few degre¢s aboye zero, - more than 200 funerals were held Saturday. EFwo hundred and tweénty-six victims of the awtul catastrophe were buricd on Sunday. ‘ln some cases three and four hearses were needed to carry the dead from some houses of mourning. In two funeral processions there were more heaffses than carriages. Two triple funerals occurred around a corngér from each other—six hearses waiting in the snow for their cargo of .corpses within two bloeks. % ~ = — In the three days given 3\4 to burials, funeral services have been said over 510 of the bodies, 281 of which have been placed in Chicago. burying grounds and 229 shipped to a distance. But 70 identified "dead and six unidentified remain to be consigned to their last® resting place. All the identified dead will be interred by Tuesday. ) _ By an -official proclamation of Mayor Harrison, Satufday was set aside as a day of mourning. Businessin the downtown district practicaHy was suspénded. The large depariment stores clesed at one o'clock, the board of trade at 11 o’clock, and the stock exchange, board of education, the courts and the public ‘offices in the county building and the city ‘hall® were closed throughout the day. ) =

All theatersin Chicago, 35 in number, have been closed urhtil further orders. Mayor-Harrison declares that all violate fhe law:‘and must stay closed until the council takes action. Alterafions must be. made and the ordinances complied with. - Theater ‘managers, after a conference, agreed to make all changes demanded.-

Mayor Hatrison declares he is tired of . “packing responsibility”” for the city, and will enforce the ordinances after giving the aldermensa chance to amend thems He says: "*The countil can use® its-own judgment.” If the aldermen do not change-the laws they will be-en-forced as they are. T-will close’ every - ‘building that does not conform. That means®churches, factories, office buildings and stores.” - As the ordinances stand at present, strict ‘enforcement would paralyze the business, professional and industrial interests of the c¢ity. For that.reason Mr. Harrison will give the council the opportunity of acting. { _ Will J. Davis, Henry J. Powers and’ Building' Commissioner Geerge Wil-. liams, who were-arrested on warrants charging them with manslaughter in connection with the Iroqiois disaster, were drraigned before Justice Underwood and were released under bonds of $lO,OOO each. The hearir gof the accusa- . tions against the three men—Davis and Powers as managers and part owners of the theater, and Williams as the city official whose province it was to-prevent thesopening of an unsafe playhouse—will be held in the Stanton,avenue po- . lice courst January 12-at 10 a. m.

| I Two_Lives Lost. . Baltimore, Md., Jan. 4—Two.persons were killedi@nd a large number injured by the b;‘eaking of a rail on the Western Maryland railroad (the Wabash system) near Blue Mountain house sfation Sunday. A coach was derailed and rolled down the mountain side: :

i Grief Causes Suicide. . " Cleveland, 0., Jan. 4—Mrs. Nellie Goodell committed suicide by drinking carbolic acid on the grave of her daughterr in Lakeview cemetery Sunday. Grief over the death of her daughter is supposed to have been the cause for the suicide. : ' . Blizzard in.Conneetlcnt.& 2 New- Haven, Conn.. Jan. 4—Connecticut Jies buried under more snow than has fallen in‘a single storm for a great. many years, and along the coast line the only ‘comparison of the experience of Saturday night is with the memorable blizzard of 1888. Intense cold prevails.

Fire in Famous Church. ‘New York, Jan. 4 —Fire early Saturday gutted the-rectory of the famous ¥“Little Church Around the Corner” in' East Twenty-ninth’ street. Four women seryants were taken out of am upper, story by %nmeug vl i o 3 i