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Chicago Death Trap: The Iroquois Theatre Fire of 1903

1 rating: 5.0

2003 non-fiction book

On the afternoon of December 30, 1903, during a sold-out matinee performance, a fire broke out in Chicago's Iroquois Theatre. In the short span of twenty minutes, more than six hundred people were asphyxiated, burned, or trampled to death in a panicked … see full wiki

Tags: Books, Nonfiction

Author: Nat Brandt

Genre: History, Disasters

Publisher: Southern Illinois University Press

Date Published: February 14, 2003

1 review about Chicago Death Trap: The Iroquois Theatre...

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Heartbreaking account of the worst fire in U.S. history.

Dec 15, 2008

by drifter51
posted in Cafe Libri: Reviewing Books & More

Rating:

Since I work only about five minutes away from the site of The Station nightclub fire in West Warwick, R.I. where 100 people lost their lives in February 2003, I felt compelled to read "Chicago Death Trap: The Iroquois Theatre Fire of 1903". Relying heavily on newspaper accounts of the disaster, author Nat Brandt does a masterful job of recreating the awful events of that frigid December afternoon in 1903 when 602 people, mostly women and children, lost their lives in the Iroquois Theatre fire in downtown Chicago. This is a heartbreaking story to say the least.

The Iroquois Theater was a brand new venue that had only been opened for a bit more than a month. The parallels between this fire and what happened a century later here in Rhode Island appear to be numerous. Brandt discusses all of the shortcomings at the theater that resulted in such a heavy death toll. For example, many of the emergency exits were camouflaged in an attempt to improve the appearance of the theater. In addition, most of these exits were locked during the performance and there were no "EXIT" signs posted anywhere. Skylights were installed that would have allowed the fumes and flames to escape above the stage but because the opening of the theater was rushed to take advantage of the holiday season work on the skylights was put off. Unfortunately the skylights were stuck shut and inoperable. Other deficiencies, too numerous too mention here, also contributed to making this theater a death trap. Brandt also discusses the potential culpabilty of the owners of the building, the architect, the construction company, municipal inspectors and of course, the politicians. Finally, we learn about the ultimate result of years of litigation by family members of the victims. Hint: It is not a happy ending. My conclusion from reading "Chicago Death Trap: The Iroquois Theatre Fire of 1903" is a simple one: "Laxity spells disaster." We never seem to learn, do we? This a well written book that deserves your time and attention. Highly recommended!