Pioneer History by Richard C. Schmal
The Spindler Family and The Iroquois Theatre Fire
(from the Jan. 29, 1992, Lowell Tribune)On Dec. 30, 1903, several members of a well-known family who were early settlers of the area traveled to Chicago to attend a very popular play at the new Iroquois Theatre. The play was "Mr. Blue Beard," and the afternoon performance was largely attended by women and children. The Lowell family was visiting Chicago relatives at the show.
Between 3:15 and 3:30 p.m. that afternoon, a fire was discovered in the stage scenery and a terrible panic resulted. An attempt was made to lower the asbestos fire curtain, but within five or six feet of the floor the machinery refused to work and the curtain could not be lowered.
At this time, the doors at the rear of the stage were thrown open and the draft made the flames shoot out into the audience as from a blow torch, due to the area open under the fire curtain.
To add to all the problems, the lights went out in the building, leaving the people to grope their way through the seats toward the exits. Some were not open, and those that were had been covered with heavy curtains. As the fire grew, the smoke from the burning stage fixtures suffocated many.
From the Lowell Tribune in December 1903: "It is said that in the foyer of the theatre, where the several aisles converged, the dead and injured were piled five or six feet deep. No tongue can tell, no pen can write the horrors of that awful half-hour, when the lives of 591 men, women and children, most the latter, went out and caused a night of gloom to settle over hundreds of homes; not only in the city of Chicago, but in distant states. People had gone to the city to do their holiday shopping and visiting and to spend an hour or so in the many places of amusement with which the city abounds, but the houses of joy and gladness were in one hour turned into houses of mourning; causing strong men to weep like children."
The sorrow soon struck in Lowell when the news arrived that Etta (John H.) Spindler (1871-1903) and her son, Burdette (1894-1903) were among the missing. Soon it became known that Mrs. Spindler and her son had both died in the fire.
The story in the Lowell Tribune continued: "The great sorrow of our people was still further augmented when it became known that Mrs. J.G. Johnson, mother of Mrs. Spindler, Mrs. [Lillian M. 1874-1903] Frady and son Leon, and Mrs. [Jennie E., born 1875] Rife, sisters of Mrs. Spindler, were probably among the dead. Those ladies were through visiting here with Mrs. Spindler, well-known by quite a number of our people."
Mrs. Johnson survived the terrible fire, by crawling over a ladder placed by some painters from the burning theatre across to the Northwestern University building, though she was badly injured by the flames.
At the time of the blaze, John H. Spindler was in Chicago Hts., Ill., and, hearing the sad news, he hurried to the scene, only to find that his loved ones were nowhere to be found. With Mr. Frady, Mr. Rife, and several others, he began a search which lasted from Wednesday evening till Friday morning, the bodies found in separate morgues spread out all over the city.
Mrs. Spindler's youngest son Cecil was ill, and did not accompany his mother to the theatre, remaining at home with his grandfather Johnson.
The managers of the theatre, a building commissioner, and several other persons were arrested as responsible for the great fire which caused deaths.
*Etta Johnson Spindler was born at Crescent City, Ill., on Nov. 26, 1871. She married John H. Spindler of Lowell in December, 1890. Their first child Raymond H. died as an infant in 1891, and then came sons Burdette and Cecil.
*Jennie Johnson Rife was born Mar. 31, 1875, at Crescent City, Ill. She was married to William Rife in 1899. He was, for many years, the chief plumber at the Palmer House Hotel in Chicago.
*Lillian Johnson Frady was born at Crescent City on Mar. 26, 1874. She married Edgar C. Frady on Mar. 30, 1893. He was president of the Strohber Piano Co.
The Lowell Tribune printed the entire sermon preached at the large funeral in Lowell.
John H. Spindler was born in Ohio in 1861 and died at his home at Valparaiso in 1921. When he was four years old, his family moved from Ohio and settled near Lowell, where he spent most of his life. In 1884, he married Jennie Hammarstrom, who passed away just a few months after their marriage.
In 1890 he married Etta Johnson of Chicago. In 1906, three years after her death in the fire, Mr. Spindler married Ruby Bacon, and their three children were Ralph, John and Naomi.
At the time of his death, John Spindler had two brothers, Alva and Urvie of Chicago Hts., and one sister, Clara B. (Samuel) Pletcher of Lowell (1866-1937). Mr. Spindler was in partnership with Samuel Pletcher in the very successful Spindler-Pletcher general merchandise store in Lowell for many years.
Soon after the terrible fire, a book called The Great Chicago Theatre Disaster was written by Marshall Everett. It contained the complete story as told by the survivors. The author wrote in his preface: "The playhouse, decked in Christmas garb, the happy audience of women and children breathing the spirit of 'Peace on earth, good will to men,' the stage sparkling with the glare and glitter of a scene from fairyland, the players inspired with the applause that came from the delighted little children and then the dreadful cry of 'fire,' the desperate fight for life in the blinding death-trap, the heroic rescues by police and firemen, the snuffing out of 600 precious lives, the living sympathy of the world such in a word is the story of that never-to-be forgotten Wednesday afternoon, Dec. 30, 1903."
One of the stars of the 348 company of performers was Eddie Foy, a well-known actor and comedian, who was proclaimed a hero for his work in calming the crowd and saving lives. He also told the frightened orchestra leader to keep on playing, and soon the man was fanning the air with his baton, his face white as a ghost, as the band played as long as possible.
The 350-page book about the fire lists those who died or were injured in the disaster, including the names of the Spindler family from Lowell and their relatives from Chicago.
(Information from Hayden family scrapbook, the Kelsey family scrapbook, the Disaster Book, 'The Lowell Tribune' of 1903 and cemetery records).
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