Haunted Chicago (Part 3 of 3)
Remember when I said a lot of people have died some pretty awful deaths in Chicago? Think more than 600 people, mostly children, dying in a terrible fire in one of the city’s largest theaters less than a month after it opened.
Eager to start making a profit, the owners rushed construction on the Iroquois theater and possibly made some shady deals to skirt city ordinances. In fact, weeks after it opened, the fire escape from the upper balcony was not even completed. The door was in place so that from the inside, theater goer could assume adequate escape routes existed in case of a fire. But beyond the door, there was only a steep drop to the alley below.
On December 30, 1903, approximately 1,900 children and parents attended a matinee showing of a popular children’s musical. A little after 3 p.m., a hot stage light started a flame that began to eat away at the curtains. The fireman on duty at the theater had only a small quantity of powder which could be sprinkled on a fire to extinguish it. Unfortunately, this powder was useless in fighting a fire high above his head. Thanks to management, the Iroquois Theater had no fire extinguishers or hoses, unlike most theaters in 1903 who had learned from past disasters. The fire spread to the oil-paint-soaked canvas backdrops next.
The crew attempted to lower a fire-proof curtain that was supposed to keep the audience protected from a backstage fire. Instead, the curtain got stuck on its cheaply-made wooden tracks, and quickly incinerated, causing question about whether the curtain was really made of fire-retardant material in the first place.
As the fire spread, the actor on stage urged the patrons to stay seated. The orchestra was ordered to continue playing to prevent panic. The bodies of those who stayed seated were later found in their chairs; they had died from smoke inhalation and explosive flames. As for those who thought they had a better chance trying to leave the theater, some were trampled to death. With no ushers to direct them toward the exits, patrons had to fend for themselves. Once they made their way to the exit, they were horrified to find that management had put iron gates up in front of the doors. These gates were not locked and could be opened, but most theater guests were unfamiliar with how to operate the lever that opened the gate, and certainly didn’t have the patience to figure it out now. Other doors opened into the building, so when the panicked crowd rushed at the exit and pushed on the doors, they found they would not open. Those who figured out they needed to PULL the doors to open them had difficulty doing so because of the crowd pushing on them from behind.
On the upstairs balcony, one woman noticed the fire exit. She ran to it, flung open the door, and stepped to her death. Someone must have seen her do this, but not realized that she had fallen to the street below or not cared. Another person tried the fire escape, and then another, and another. Bodies piled up in the alley outside the theater. Those who survived the drop did so because they were caught by a cushion of bodies of other theater patrons. This alley is now called Death Alley.
The theater has since been torn down, but another was built in its place. Our Haunted Chicago tour bus took us to Death Alley and dropped us off so we could walk around. Our tour guide, Ken, told us that people often felt as though a child were trying to hold their hand in this area. He also pointed out a couple of areas where he sensed activity. I snapped some pictures, and sure enough, some orbs appeared in them.
As I turned to walk away from Death Alley and board the bus, one girl from our tour hung back. She claimed to feel something touching her hand. I took a picture, and while I didn’t see anything necessarily by her hand, I did get a shower of orbs in the photo.
One more note: The alley smelled like shit, at least to me. Our tour guide attributed that to homeless people, but I’m reminded that the smell of excrement or sulfur or rotting meat is often present in locations affected by a demonic presence. But why would something evil be present here? There were no signs of occult activity or devil worship in the alley. According to Ed and Lorraine Warren, demons seek out pain and suffering, death and misery. That’s why you are more likely to encounter a demon in a cemetery than a ghost, they say. Death Alley is certainly a place of suffering and misery. But one observation of an odd smell isn’t enough to assume there is demonic activity there.
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