The fire that closed this hall was the 2nd deadliest in America at 492 dead. The most deadly was the Iroquois Theatre Fire in Chicago 1903, 602 officially dead. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iroquois_Theatre_fire

Opened in November 1903, the fire occurred on December 30, 1903 during a matinee show attended heavily by children.

"Despite being billed as "Absolutely Fireproof" in advertisements and playbills,[6] numerous deficiencies in fire readiness were apparent: A Chicago Fire Department captain who made an unofficial tour of the theatre days before the official opening noted that there were no extinguishers, sprinklers, alarms, telephones, or water connections; the only firefighting equipment available were six canisters of a dry chemical called "Kilfyre", which was normally used to douse chimney fires in residential houses.[9] "Kilfyre" is made of bicarbonate-of-soda and powder.[10] The captain pointed out the deficiencies to the theatre's fire warden but was told that nothing could be done, as the fire warden would simply be dismissed if he brought the matter up with the syndicate of owners. When the captain reported the matter to his commanding officer, he was again told that nothing could be done, as the theatre already had a fire warden."

"After the fire, it was alleged that fire inspectors had been bribed with free tickets to overlook code violations. Theatre manager Davis was arrested in January 1904, and charged with criminal neglect, but acquitted. As a result of public outrage, many were charged with crimes, including Mayor Carter Harrison, Jr.. Most charges were dismissed three years later, however, because of the delaying tactics of the owners' lawyers and their use of loopholes and inadequacies in the city's building and safety ordinances. Levy Mayer was the defender of the theater and its manager, Will Davis. The only person convicted was a tavern keeper charged with grave robbing."