The Circus Fire by Stewart O'Nan

Author:Stewart O'Nan
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: State & Local, Performing Arts, Hartford Circus Fire, Conn., Technology & Engineering, 20th Century, Circus, Hartford (Conn.), 1944, General, United States, Fires, Connecticut, Hartford, Fire Science, New England, History
ISBN: 9780385496858
Publisher: Doubleday
Published: 2000-01-01T10:00:00+00:00

An officer stands guard over pieces of the northeast chute to be used as evidence.

PHOTO BY PAUL R. SHAFER, COURTESY OF MR. SHAFER HIMSELF

They arrived in time to join Leikind inside the perimeter as his team measured the exits. In the middle of the southwest exit they found a heavy stake, still erect, unbudged, which split the path in half. One man commented on how it must have stacked up the people fleeing.

Next they went to the center break on the south side and inspected the electrical cables that ran in from the light plant. The cables took up much of the exit, leaving a useful width at the sidewall of less than five feet. At the light plant itself they found three water-type extinguishers, two of which were unused.

State's Attorney Meade Alcorn caught the tail end of the tour, just before they adjourned to McGovern's, leaving the photographer popping away at the bleachers. Working from observation, hearsay and years of experience, Alcorn and Leikind made up a list of twenty people they wanted to question—ushers and seatmen, Herbert DuVal, circus police chief John Brice. They had enough John Doe subpoenas to back the list up, so they sent a committee to the office wagon in the front yard.

Circus vice president James Haley was there, returned from the Bond, still smarting from a decidedly unpleasant conversation with Robert Ringling. The committee told him they wanted these people on the list kept available for questioning. Haley said he'd try to comply in every way possible.

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