Sidney Smith, business manager of the Drury Lane theater, where "Mr. Bluebeard, Jr.," was produced two years ago, said: "The kernel of the whole matter is that human beings will be human beings. There is no possible provision against a panic. Our theater is the only isolated one in London." W. C. ZIMMERMAN ON EUROPEAN THEATERS. W. Carbys Zimmerman, of Chicago, the well-known architect, sailed for America on the Saturday succeeding the fire, with his wife, in a state of intense anxiety as to whether his children had been caught in the Iroquois disaster. Mr. Zimmerman had just completed a tour of inspection of the theaters of Vienna, Paris and London. "My work in London," he said, "was interfered with by the appalling news from Chicago. I had seen only a few theaters here when I heard of the Iroquois fire. After that I had no heart to make further investigation. My observation leads me to think the Vienna theaters the safest in Europe. Many of them are quite detached from other buildings. They are splendidly furnished with exits and fire-fighting appliances. The theaters of Paris, except the best ones, are extremely dangerous. "From what I saw in London I judge that fire in many theaters would result in great loss of life. The passages are often so narrow that two people can scarcely pass. The managers naturally put a rosy face on the matter. They pretend that the Chicago fire has not reduced their bookings, but intelligent observers know better. Immense improvements are certain to be effected in London theaters in the immediate future. "Every theater should be isolated from other structures. It should have exits all round and these should be used regularly. There should be no emergency exits whatever. The fireproof curtain should be used constantly in place of the ordinary drop curtain. All passages should be straight and wide and all scenery noncombustible. Lastly, professional fire fighters should be properly posted throughout the performance. Europe recognizes that amateur firemen are useless in a crisis." THE EFFECT ON GAY PARIS. Thousands of Parisians, both French and Americans, including all those who had friends and relatives in Chicago, eagerly scanned the list of the dead and injured in the Iroquois disaster, as it was posted at the newspaper offices and distributed throughout the hotels and public places in the city. This step greatly relieved the anxiety of many of the American colony, while at the same time it confirmed the fears of those whose friends or acquaintances were caught in the fire. The theater managers complained at once that the Chicago catastrophe had a most damaging effect on receipts. All the popular matinees were comparatively deserted and the children's New Year pantomimes were complete failures. Cool heads pointed out that the Parisian theaters, as a rule, are better equipped against fire than those of Chicago, but without effect. The lesson of terror had seized the public.