"All gangways, passages and staircases must be kept free from chairs or any other obstructions."
To guard against the possibility of a person in a moment of fright jumping from a balcony, the London county council insists on a brass railing being fixed on the tier in front of the upper circle.
CURTAIN OFTEN TESTED.
His Majesty's Theater is one of the largest and best equipped theaters in London. The precautions taken there may be mentioned as representative of what many London theater managers do to protect their patrons. A big iron asbestos curtain is worked by a lever in the "prop" corner on the prompter's side. The curtain is lowered just after the audience has been seated, before the play begins, not only to test it, but to give the audience confidence. Thursday night following the Iroquois fire Beerbohm Tree, the proprietor, ordered the curtain to be lowered twice, the second time after the first act, and this will be done in the future.
CLOSE WATCH FOR FIRE.
Two firemen belonging to the fire department, but paid by the theater, come on duty at 7 o'clock. Every light or naked torch carried on the stage it is their duty to watch. It is the custom here, as at all theaters, to keep blankets dripping wet hanging at certain points all round the stage. Cutting-away apparatus and buckets are kept in the flies.
"I have never heard of a great theater fire," said Mr. Dana, acting manager, "where trouble has been caused by flames in the front of the house. The exits in London theaters must be direct to the streets, not false exits, as I am afraid is too often the case in America. Nevertheless, when all is done, the fact remains that no one has ever invented a patent for stopping a panic."
TREE TELLS OF RUSE.
"It is certainly the most terrible tragedy I ever heard of," said Mr. Tree, the proprietor. "It is quite easy at times to prevent a panic from the stage by a little presence of mind. I was playing once in Belfast when suddenly behind a transparency I saw a reddish blaze and guessed it was a fire, but went quietly on until a convenient pause. Then I announced to the audience that something was out of order and the curtain would descend quietly and remain down a few minutes. I assured them there was absolutely no danger. The curtain descended amid applause, and while the band played the fire was quickly smothered. The curtain rose and the play went on without a soul leaving the house.
"It is quite possible at such a time for a person to hypnotize an audience. In all cases of theater disasters it has been the panic, not the fire, that has caused the big loss of life.