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These gates prevented a few people on the third floor from descending to lower levels
during the performance, reportedly to prevent them
from slipping into pricier seats.
Iroquois fireman
Sallers
inaccurately maintained the gates didn't cause any
deaths. While it is true that the gates did not contribute
as heavily to the death toll as other circumstances,
Chicago firemen did report finding a few bodies at the
gates, with the body of one toddler cited in court
testimony.
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As horrific as it is to imagine what it was like
for those people who could not get over the gates,
the important thing is in what they tell
us about the mindset of the theater managers who had them
installed.
While
Will J. Davis,
Harry Powers and
Tom Noonan did not know there would be a fire, and
that these gates would prevent escape, the presence of the gates reflects their "us vs. them" view of customers, an attitude
that certainly contributed to their decision to operate the theater with numerous impediments to fire safety.
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