January 1, 1904 Friday

January 1 Friday – Sam read about a Chicago fire disaster in the NY Evening Post [Gribben 503; fragment MTP].

Sam’s notebook: Happy New Year News that 564 lost their lives & 577 were hurt in a theatre-fire in Chicago day before yesterday / [Horiz. Line separator] / Lay abed nearly all day, but wrote 3,000 words, earning nine hundred dollars. / [Horiz. Line separator] / Countess Montjoie? / Lunch, 1.30 / [Horiz. Line separator] / Professor Grocco & his subordinate, Dr. Nesti, came & changed Livy’s regime” [NB 47 TS 2].

Note: Dr. Pietro Grocco; Dr. Giovanni Nesti. Sam also referred to the fire at Chicago’s supposedly fireproof Iroquois Theatre on Dec. 30, 1903, during a performance of the hit comedy Mr. Bluebeard starring a young Eddie Foy. The blaze eventually killed 602 including 212 children, most of whom were either overcome by smoke or were trampled in the panic. A full account may be seen on the website: http://www.weirdchicago.com/iroquois.html

Chatto & Windus wrote to Sam, enclosing a financial statement, and a cheque for £176.4.9 to Mrs. Clemens, plus a cheque for £21.0.9 for two sales of the deluxe edition [MTP].

Day By Day Acknowledgment

Mark Twain Day By Day was originally a print reference, meticulously created by David Fears, who has generously made this work available, via the Center for Mark Twain Studies, as a digital edition.   

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