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Tinder Box: The Iroquois Theatre Disaster 1903 Hardcover – August 30, 2005

by Anthony P. Hatch (Author)

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This the 100th anniversary of one of worst man-made disasters of the 20th century. When the Iroquois Theatre opened in Chicago on November 23, 1903, it was considered one of the grandest structures of its day, a monument to modern design and technology, as well as "absolutely fireproof." This was a theatre that would rival any in New York or Paris. Instead it became the funeral pyre for hundreds of victims. Tony Hatch, former CBS reporter and Emmy Award winner, tells the grisly story in meticulous, riveting detail, based on more than forty years of research, including many exclusive interviews with eyewitnesses. In Tinder Box, he tells the Iroquois story as it has never been told before. In a rush to open the theatre on time, corners were cut, and the Iroquois lacked the most basic fire-fighting equipment: sprinklers, fire alarm boxes, backstage telephone, exit signs and functioning asbestos curtain. Some exists, for aesthetic reasons, were hidden behind heavy draperies, doors opened inward and exterior fire escapes were unfinished. But Chicago officials, the theatre owners and managers, the contractor, stagehands—all looked the other way. Then, on December 30, 1903, disaster struck. The theatre was packed, overcrowded with a standing-room-only audience, mostly women and children who had come to see the popular comedian Eddie Foy perform in the musical fantasy Mr. Bluebeard. A short circuit in a single backstage spotlight touched off a small fire that, in minutes, erupted into an uncontrollable blaze. More than 600 people died. Because of the magnitude of the catastrophe and the obvious corruption that allowed it to happen, building and fire laws were changed to prevent it everhappening again. Tinder Box is a riveting history of a traumatic and costly calamity.

Print length

250 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Academy Chicago Publishers
Publication date

August 30, 2005
Dimensions

5.5 x 1 x 9 inches
ISBN-10

0897335147
ISBN-13

978-0897335140
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Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

It is often said that history repeats itself as farce; events of this year have proven that it can also repeat itself as tragedy. One hundred years after fire in Chicago's Iroquois Theatre killed 602 people in a matter of minutes, we have seen massive loss of life at nightspots in Chicago and West Warwick, Rhode Island. The Iroquois, of course, remains the worst theater fire in American history. Hatch grew up in Chicago, and his father, a fire-insurance executive, owned a book published in 1904 to raise money for families of the victims. The pictures and testimonies in that book began Hatch's deep interest in the fire. His riveting and often infuriating narrative is an indictment of the hubris and negligence of the owners and city officials. Hatch, a former writer and reporter for CBS News, utilizes interviews and correspondence with survivors of the fire, which lends a special poignancy to the story. This is a painful but superbly written work about a wholly unnecessary tragedy. Jay Freeman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

"Working through eyewitness accounts, interviews with survivors and documents, Mr. Hatch takes us through the ordeal." — Wall Street Journal

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Academy Chicago Publishers; First Edition (August 30, 2005)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 250 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0897335147
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0897335140
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.1 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 1 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,147,855 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #606 in Performing Arts History & Criticism
- #938 in Disaster Relief (Books)
- #28,947 in U.S. State & Local History

Customer Reviews:
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R. J Ridley

with some great photos. This is one of those nonfiction accounts ...

Reviewed in the United States on October 20, 2015

Verified Purchase

Well written and researched, with some great photos. This is one of those nonfiction accounts that has you uneasily eyeing the exits in buildings, wondering if you would make it out alive were a fire to burst into flames. Roughly about 600 people died in the inferno, and that number could have been reduced so significantly if only:
(1) The asbestos curtain had not snagged halfway down on a small scenery protrusion.
(2) Chicago city officials had done their job properly, and not looked the other way while still holding out their hands for freebies and money.
(3) The architectural design had focused less on a grand stairway where everyone from box seats to the cheap seats would mingle in luxurious surroundings and exit doors were concealed with velvet curtains. Instead, plenty of exits and clearly marked signs would have prevented piles of dead bodies at doorways.

We may have come a long way in fire safety, but after reading this, I wonder if the danger of large scale disastrous fires such as this will ever go away.

8 people found this helpful

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BBMc

Not enough personal stories.

Reviewed in the United States on December 27, 2020

Verified Purchase

I was not impressed with the lack of structure in this book. It seemed as though there was very little to base the book on amd the author made it seem as though it was a huge conspiracy, not simply time and a willingness to put it behind.
Very negative afterword about how theaters cannot handle a panic situation. As though they could-it is panic. Many good changes came from the fire-eventually, but the author focused on what did not.

Helpful

Well Written and Well Researched

Reviewed in the United States on January 3, 2007

Verified Purchase

On December 30, 1903, the Iroquois Theatre in Chicago was crowded beyond capacity with theatergoers eager to see Eddie Foy in "Mr. Blue Beard". The well-written and well-researched "Tinder Box" by Anthony Hatch describes what happened that tragic afternoon when a spotlight short-circuited starting a fire that eventually killed over 600 people.

Considering the fact that the fire happened over 100 years ago, with no living witnesses to interview and many facts have been lost in time, Hatch does an admirable job describing the events leading up to the fire, the fire itself, and the aftermath. He does an excellent job describing how the Iroquois came to be built and the haste with which it was built (it only took five months) and the shoddy workmanship involved, as well as how many officials were willing to turn their heads and ignore the many fire code violations at the Iroquois. His description of the crowded theatre the day of the fire is mind boggling; one victim in fact called the theater a fire trap as she went to her seat. There were over 500 more people than capacity in attendance; the exit doors opened in instead of out; and the person who was supposed to operate the fire curtain was a substitute who didn't know which lines actually worked the curtain. There was little done to help the audience and incredibly enough the actors continued to perform while the fire was burning. Hatch also gives descriptions of the fire victims and survivors, which make the tragedy even more real. Some of the ways people escaped the fire were incredible and there were many heroes that night. There were also many villains that night and Hatch describes they way people robbed some of the dead. Hatch also covers the aftermath of the fire including the trial and how the owners tried to blame the victims and how evidence was tampered with.

Although Hatch did not write the book until 2002, he had started to research it back in the 1960's and at that time had interviewed a fireman who had fought the fire and a newspaper reporter who covered the fire. Those accounts helped make the scene of the fire real as I was reading the book. There was no spot photography at the time, so while there are pictures of the theatre before and after the fire, there are no actual pictures of the fire itself. But Hatch includes many drawings done at the time of the fire that show how horrible it was. He also includes editorial cartoons that show how much the fire touched the lives of people in Chicago. There is not a list of people who died in the fire because there was never an exact count of how many people did die.

"Tinder Box" is a well-written account of a tragic event in Chicago's history.

10 people found this helpful

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Randal N.

What About The Fire?

Reviewed in the United States on December 17, 2020

Verified Purchase

The pre-fire information was interesting but lengthy. The actual fire takes up about 15 minutes of the book. Not nearly enough information on how the fire took place, and how the rescue was handled.

Helpful

West Coast Reader

Human Drama

Reviewed in the United States on May 21, 2004

Verified Purchase

With extraordinary thoroughness and an obvious love of his subject, Anthony Hatch makes vivid the story of Chicago's Iroquois Theatre fire of 1903.
With eerie parallels to the Titanic disaster, the Iroquois' programs boasted that the theater was "Absolutely Fireproof"-- but everyone involved seemed to think somebody else had done whatever was necessary to make that claim a reality.
The most deadly theater fire in U.S. history, the event is heartbreaking to read about, but Hatch has ferreted out the many human stories of the victims, survivors, reporters, firefighters, theater managers, and politicians who were involved, and found heroes as well as villains in this tragedy.
In spite of the lessons learned and laws changed as a result of this terrible loss, Hatch's research shows that many modern theaters repeat some of the careless mistakes of the Iroquois. Everyone who frequents public buildings would be well-advised to read this fascinating story and take its lessons to heart.

16 people found this helpful

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Dynacat

Interesting

Reviewed in the United States on December 17, 2017

Verified Purchase

Very engrossing read. Apparently well-researched (the author admits to research problems due to materials being lost and/or destroyed) and eye-opening. You won't walk into any public gathering place without checking for exit routes ever again.

One person found this helpful

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S. Kropf

Well written, but a bit too much

Reviewed in the United States on October 9, 2016

Verified Purchase

I enjoyed this book, but I would like to have known more about folks affect d by the fire. There was great emphasis on politics, trials, regulations, and effects. While I enjoys this aspect, there was so much of it that I found myself skimming a few times. It reads a bit like a dissertation and could do with a little more humanity. Solid book.

One person found this helpful

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Donald P.

Exciting and I love to go back and read about a different time ...

Reviewed in the United States on September 11, 2017

Verified Purchase

Exciting and I love to go back and read about a different time in history. An amazing story compared to the Titanic with man's arrogance and the "fireproof theater". Some of the descriptions of the theatre could get tedious but all in all, it was a good book.

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