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Chicago Death Trap: The Iroquois Theatre Fire of 1903
Contributor(s): Brandt, Nat (Author), Duis, Perry R. (Introduction by), Schallhorn, Cathlyn (Introduction by)
ISBN: 080932721X     ISBN-13: 9780809327218
Publisher: Southern Illinois University Press
OUR PRICE:   $17.96  
Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats
Published: August 2006
Qty:
Temporarily out of stock - Will ship within 2 to 5 weeks
Annotation: 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 mob's failed attempt to escape. In "Chicago Death Trap: The Iroquois Theatre Fire of 1903, " Nat Brandt provides a detailed chronicle of this horrific event to assess not only the titanic tragedy of the fire itself but also the municipal corruption and greed that kindled the flames beforehand and the political cover-ups hidden in the smoke and ash afterwards.


Advertised as "absolutely fireproof, " the Iroquois was Chicago's most modern playhouse when it opened in the fall of 1903. With the approval of the city's building department, theater developers Harry J. Powers and William J. Davis opened the theater prematurely to take full advantage of the holiday crowds, ignoring flagrant safety violations in the process.


The aftermath of the fire proved to be a study in the miscarriage of justice. Despite overwhelming evidence that the building had not been completed, that fire safety laws were ignored, and that management had deliberately sealed off exits during the performance, no one was ever convicted or otherwise held accountable for the enormous loss of life.


Lavishly illustrated and featuring an introduction by Chicago historians Perry R. Duis and Cathlyn Schallhorn, "Chicago"" Death Trap: The IroquoisTheatre Fire of 1903 "is rich with vivid details about this horrific disaster, captivatingly presented in human terms without losing sight of the broader historical context.

Additional Information
BISAC Categories:
- History | United States - State & Local - Midwest(ia,il,in,ks,mi,mn,mo,nd,ne,oh,sd,wi
- History | United States - 20th Century
Dewey: 977.311
Physical Information: 0.6" H x 6" W x 8.9" (0.75 lbs) 240 pages
Themes:
- Chronological Period - 1900-1919
- Geographic Orientation - Illinois
- Locality - Chicago, Illinois
- Chronological Period - 20th Century
 
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc.
Publisher Description:
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 mob's failed attempt to escape. In Chicago Death Trap: The Iroquois Theatre Fire of 1903, Nat Brandt provides a detailed chronicle of this horrific event to assess not only the titanic tragedy of the fire itself but also the municipal corruption and greed that kindled the flames beforehand and the political cover-ups hidden in the smoke and ash afterwards.


Advertised as " absolutely fireproof," the Iroquois was Chicago's most modern playhouse when it opened in the fall of 1903. With the approval of the city's building department, theater developers Harry J. Powers and William J. Davis opened the theater prematurely to take full advantage of the holiday crowds, ignoring flagrant safety violations in the process.


The aftermath of the fire proved to be a study in the miscarriage of justice. Despite overwhelming evidence that the building had not been completed, that fire safety laws were ignored, and that management had deliberately sealed off exits during the performance, no one was ever convicted or otherwise held accountable for the enormous loss of life.


Lavishly illustrated and featuring an introduction by Chicago historians Perry R. Duis and Cathlyn Schallhorn, Chicago Death Trap: The Iroquois Theatre Fire of 1903 is rich with vivid details about this horrific disaster, captivatingly presented in human terms without losing sight of the broader historical context.