Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-11-23
Some One Cried Fire.
Wild Panic in a Chicago Dry
Goods Store.
LUCKILY, NO ONE BADLY HURT.


Marrow Escape of One of the salesgirls
An Over Jealous Clerks Bad BIunder
Stopped by Little Vigorous Level
Headedness -Pickpockets Get in Their
Work Industriousiy.
CHICAGO, Nov. 25-From 10 o'clock in the
morning to nearly 6 in the afternoon of any
fine day the large dry goods stores on state
street between Randolph and Adams are all
packed with a surging and crowding mass OF
buyers, mostly women. This is particularly
the case with the ground and basement
floors, while there are also hundreds on each
upper floor, clear up to the fifth or sixth
story. The thought that is bound to strike
an ohservant person on witnessing this scene
probably always takes the form of the ques-
ton suppose IRE should break out in this
building; or an alarm of fire be raised by
some onet" and the very thought makes one
shudder
Such a crowd was present in the Boston
store, between Washington and Madison,
yesterday afternoon just before 2 o'clock,
when some one, believed TO have been a pick
pockets a mans voice was first hesEd-
uttered the fearful cry, "FireH and the re-
suit can be better imas med than described.
Almost instantly after the dread word was
yelled the shout was taken up by those on the
lower floors, and then was shrieked from
Aoor to floor, and soon nearly zoo threats
echoed the cry, and everybody made rush
for the main entrance. The opening was not
large, and the women in their mad endeavor
to get out crowded forward, aud several
were almost crushed to death. The doorway
was finally broken, aud the jam tumblei out
on the pavement lie load OF coal from a
wagon.
The lower floor was jammed with shoppers,
mary having children with them. A mass
of living humanity came with rush from
all sides, the maddened crowds converging
into an inextricable mass at the narrow
doorway To make matters worse large
plate-glass showcase stood in the Ell trance,
and an employe of the firm, thinking but of
its safety, stood in front of the panic-stricken
! crowd of women trying to force them back
ward into the store Those behind crowded
those in front. One woman fell and with
her little child. A mans careless foot was
set down with crushing force on the little
| ones tender body, and he struggled to get
out A cool-headed pasSer-by made move
ment TO remove the obstructing show case,
and the clerk turned his attention 10 him.
DiSregardng the young man, the sensible
gentleman threw the showcase to one side,
breaking it to atoms, and seiziug first the
woman and then the child from under the
| feet OF tie panic-stricken crowd, by main
force pulled them out, and got them in
safety to the pavement
| The clerk, meanwhile, continued to crowd
back the ,hrong intent on escaping from the
supposedly burning building until he could
save the articles which fell over the pave
ment from the broken showcase. Ladies
dropped their packages in the crowd, child
| rem were torn loose from their mothers and
| the awful jam, forced on by the crowds be-
| hind, was momentarlly growing more ter
| rible
| The cool-headed passer-by worked like
| Trojan trying to clear the blockade in the
| doorway, and in few moments a couple of
| stalwart policemen arrived and lent help
| ing hand. The clerk who had in a great
| measure caused the blockade was thrust
| aside, and but for the policemen would prob
| ably have been roughly handled as the
4 people began TO pour out in less terrible con-
| fusion II took several minutes to break
| the ism at the door, but at length some sort
| Of order was restored, and every body was
| extricated without injury.
1t is a wonder that several lives were not
| lost in the crash, and but for the timely ac-
ton of the cooi-headed passer-by in smash
| ing the otstructing showcase, fatalities must
have occurred.
| The panic on the second floor was as great
as on the main floor. A young woman, whose
name could not De learned, unable TO get past
| the crowd at the stairway, opened the win
dow, and, after gancing back a moment at
| the shouting crowd within, she stepped out
| upon tire tire-escaps platform and, grasping
the side Of the iron ladder, began her de-
scent. She was very nervous, and the shouts
| of the great crowd that had gathered in the
street seemed to unnerye her, and Just as she
got to the bottom Of the ladder her strength
gave way 5nf she dropped. Many turned
away, expecting TO bear the next moment
the sound Of her body crashing on the side,
walk, bat by most miraculous chance the
iron platform Of the fire-escape caught her
and she dropped in a heap on its cold floor.
ing. A young clerk at once opened the win.
dow and drew the senseless girl inside She
was revived, and, beyond few bruises, wa:
unhurt. But it was a narrow escape from
death.
Some one turned in an alarm from the
box at the corner Of State and Madison
streets, and the company from engine house
Is responded. They came dashing down
the street, ringing the gong at every jump
This ouy increased the excitement Tn,
shop girls and other occupants of the upper
floors saw smoking engines in front of tht
store, and, thinking the floors below them
were being burned away, were soon nladly
rushing around CRYING Sire
Three girls daAsli from the fire escape
three or four at every window screeching fol
help, and several rrampled under foot, ant
not the sign of fire, was the scene tina
presented itself when Chief Murphy dashee
up in his buggy He, with Officer Bruce
forced his way into the store through tn
|, frightened mass and succeeded in restoring
some sort of order The marshal then com
|, manded the firemen to drive away the en-
gines, trucks. and hose carts. This had al
excellent effect
1t was all ovsr in less than ten minutes
but it was an awful moment, short as 1t was
The fact that no life was lost appears almos
miraculous Several women were throw
down and trampled, but none were hurt seri
ously, except Mrs r d. Davenport, o
, Sheffield avenue, who also had her pocket
book stolen. Her injuries are in the sid
and arm. A few Of the ladies tainted, an
the pickpockets reaped rich harvest,
number of pocketbooks having been stolen
: After full investigation it was discoyere
that the alarm started on the fifth foo,
/. where a cloud Of steam from the steam cylir
der in the basement-which had blown OF
: | ice. bod laI svtdj lx s1stf
floor from the elevator shaft