Upon the receipt of the first news all local and foreign topics of interest were forgotten in London in the universal horror over the tragedy. The extra editions of the newspapers giving the latest details were eagerly bought up and newspaper placards bore in flaring type the announcement of further news from Chicago. The flags over the American steamship offices were half-masted. The accounts of the deadly panic were read by the English people with peculiar sympathy and horror, for the pantomime season was at its height and the London theaters were daily packed with women and children. Yet certainly the first night after the news was generally known, which was Thursday, no appreciable effect was felt on the attendance of most of the London theaters. The usual number were waiting in line at the Drury Lane box office early in the evening. The vaudeville had "house full" boards prominently displayed. Still another playhouse in the Strand showed only a slight falling off in attendance, but when the actual list of dead, injured and missing was received by cable and posted in the newspaper offices, hotels and other public places, there was a very marked decrease in the number of theater goers. Later still came the detailed information called for by the fire committee of the London county council, which indicated that the Chicago theater offered better chances of escape than a number of houses in the very heart of London. This was the first step toward a thorough overhauling of the theaters of the world's metropolis. LONDON THEATER PRECAUTIONS. With the story of the horror upon the pale lips of all, there was at the same time, in the minds of many of the theater goers of London, a feeling that the regulations of the lord chamberlain and the London county council reduced to a minimum the possibility of the occurrence of a similar tragedy in their midst. Nevertheless theatrical men of experience agree that, after all, the most elaborate precautions may be taken, and when the crucial moment arrives they may prove of not the slightest value. PRESENT RULES FOR LONDON THEATERS. On the programme of every theater in London is printed the following extract from rules made by the lord chamberlain: "The name of the actual responsible manager of the theater must be printed on every playbill. The public can leave the theater at the end of the performance by all exit entrance doors, which must open outward. "Where there is a fireproof screen to the proscenium opening it must be lowered at least once during every performance, to insure it being in proper working order. "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.