Nat Brandt

Chicago Death Trap tells the story of the 1903 Theater Fire, which caused the deaths of 602 patrons. The story is an interesting one, albeit terribly sad, and makes for an interesting history. This book does a good job explaining what happened and why, and includes the aftermath (or lack thereof) both in Chicago firecodes and throughout the world.

My major quibble with this book is that the early chapter provides a description of the layout of the theater, which is quite important to show more understanding the events of the tragedy, but doesn't include the blueprint or floorplan (or reference the ones that are included about 1/3 of the book later). I understand there are limits on printing but I feel it would have been invaluable to have that reference while reading those sections, and while I looked for it I couldn't find it until it was too late. (There was also a depressing lack of explanation of what a bascule lock is, given it's importance in the fire exits not opening. Here's what I could find: http://schlagelocks.wordpress.com/2009/03/04/the-extinction-of-the-bascule-lock/... show less

When the Iroquois Theatre opened in Chicago on November 23, 1903, it was intended to rival the greatest theaters in New York. The design was inspired by European architecture, the interior finishes were luxurious, and the theater was advertised as "absolutely fireproof". The city had been destroyed in the Great Chicago fire of 1871, and the city fire codes had been substantially updated in 1898. However, a number of individuals had noticed deficiencies in design, and the absence of fire show more protection features that were required for all places of assembly.

When fire broke out during a matinee performance on December 30 of that year, the theater was packed with several hundred people more than the occupancy permit allowed, with the audience dominated by women and children. The fire eventually claimed 602 lives, the largest loss of life ever in an American place of assembly. As is the case in most multiple-death fires, numerous violations of the fire codes existed.

Direct exits from the theater were covered by heavy curtains. The doors used complicated locks that were common in Europe but were not familiar to American theatergoers. In any case, those doors led to fire escapes that had not been completed. Indoor exits from the balcony levels were blocked by metal gates, padlocked in place to prevent any of the balcony occupants from moving down to more expensive seats. Theater employees had not been trained on emergency procedures. Some ushers refused to unlock the exit doors and the metal gates; others simply fled rather than assisting audience members to exit.

The stagehand who would normally operate the asbestos fire curtain was not on site, and other crew members were not sure how to operate the curtain. When someone finally did manage to release it, the curtain was blocked by a light fixture and failed to close completely. The curtain was not actually fireproof, and it was destroyed in the fire.

The required direct fire alarm connection to the fire department had not been installed, and more than 15 critical minutes passed before a stagehand walked to Fire Station 13 to report the fire. Automatic fire sprinklers had not been installed, and the required fire standpipes were not connected to a water supply. Fire/smoke vents above the stage had been wired shut.

A passerby opened a pair of tall doors at the back of the stage, allowing all but two members of the crew to escape, but the resulting backdraft sealed the fate of any audience members who had not already escaped.

Nat Brandt, the author of Chicago Death Trap, is a veteran journalist who had access to archival materials on theatrical history. Each chapter begins with a section of the Chicago fire code in effect at the time of the fire, but violated in the Iroquois. Much of the book is based on The Great Chicago Theater Disaster, published in 1904 by Marshall Everett. The inclusion of materials from Everett's book, including firsthand accounts and photos of some of the deceased, adds immediacy to the story. However, Brandt's account includes some inaccuracies in technical details of the fire and the fire department response. show less

This book sets forth the events surrounding the capture and rescue of a fugitive slave from Kentucky. The book is well written and fairly easy to follow considering the fact that there are around 70 characters between the Captors, Rescuers, Magistrates, etc.

The biggest issue that I had with the book was the praise rendered to the abolitionist's who formed themselves into a mob, endangered the lives of civilians, besides confiscating, damaging, and destroying private property.

The issue of show more the Fugitive Slave Law is a complicated one. Article Four, Section Two of the constitution states the following: "No Person held to Service or Labour in one State, under the Laws thereof, escaping into another, shall, in Consequence of any Law or Regulation therein, be discharged from such Service or Labour, but shall be delivered up on Claim of the Party to whom such Service or Labour may be due."

If this clause is understood in light of Biblical Law, only those Person's held to Service of Labour as punishment for crime would be delivered up on Claim of the Party to whom such Service or Labour may be due. For under Biblical Law a slave that has escaped from his master is not to be delivered up to his master, but is to remain free without consequence (Deut 23:16-17).

Thus the Fugitive Slave Law which permitted the slave owner to recover his runaway slave was an unjust law, and the townspeople of Oberlin did right in opposing this unjust law. However, they were wrong in the manner of which they opposed the recapture of the fugitive slave. Their antinomian attitude, and flagrant disrespect for the lawful authorities lead to a dangerous standoff that could have resulted in the loss of life.

The chapter relating the aftermath was particularly insightful. Especially the portion regarding Abraham Lincoln's position on slavery and abolitionism. show less

The Town That Started the Civil War by Nat Brandt

★★★

Premise: a little-known event that occurred in the college town of Oberlin, Ohio, a stop on the Underground Railroad. Slave-hunters incurred the resentment of the townspeople, a wrath that came to a boil one day in August 1858 when runaway slave John Price was abducted by these bounty hunters. Outraged, Oberlin College professors and students, in company with white and free-black townspeople, rescued Price and hid him in a faculty show more house, an initially abortive deliverance that would later, after many machinations, prove successful--although 37 of the liberators would be indicted for violating the Fugitive Slave Act.


This is a book that I felt had a great story premise but did a poor job of actually writing it. Even though it was less than 300 pages this book took me well over 2 weeks to read. One would think that such an interesting and such little known part of history could be made more exciting to read. But it wasn’t. The whole book just seemed like one big quote and a bunch of “and then this happened, and then this happened” – I often only got a few pages in before falling into a deep sleep. Names are thrown at you left and right, there was just no way to keep up with everyone the author mentions – although he nicely adds a list at the beginning of who everyone is, and it’s quite the list. I think this book would have been better if it had focused on some key players instead of every person that maybe, perhaps had something to do with it. There are photos but they don’t always correlate with what is going on. A random picture of a man may be found on a page, it takes awhile to realize that said man was mentioned many pages before and 20 people before, leaving you to scratch your head. Perhaps I am missing something since from the few reviews I found, people enjoyed it greatly but I just could not get into it. I gave it three stars for its attempt at a little known subject matter and also that is wrapped up so nicely. show less