New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-05-21
WOMEN PILED IN A HEAP.
WEAK FLOORING AT TILE FAIR CAUSES A
SERIOUS ACCIDENT.
PANIC-sTRICKEN PEOPLE FAIL
IN A STRUGGLING MASS TWELVE FEET
NINE PERSONS RECEIVE SERIOUS IN
JUMES-EXCITIN SCENES IN

THE ART INSTITUTE.
Chicago, May o0.-An accident to-day marred
the close of the great Congress of Women. a
section of flooring, twenty by thirty feet in en-
tent. forming an entrance TO Washington Hall in
tie Art Institute, suddenly gave way and fell to
the ground a distance of twelve feet seventy
five panic-stricken women fell in struggling
mass and the cries of thousands Of women already
assembled contributed TO the excitement that loi-
lowed.
Cries of pain and terror arose. ana from 'he
COLLAPSED section of the building came the most
exaggerated reports of many persons kiiied OF III
iurcd After scores of people rushed 10 'he r'''"'
and the nearly fOurscore of women had pech en-
tr;catcd il was found that about eight persons
had been seriously injured, but none oil 'hc'''
Fatally The most seriously injured are these
Mrs. Ada Jack, Forty-second-st ana Micne"l,-
ave. Chicago, left leg dislocated: MIS-. a. ~
Briggs. Argyle Park, H., ankle sprameo -ie' -
Greeley. Mchiganavc.. Chicago, side ana 'high w.
jurcl Miss Minerva Greeley. Michsah-ave' on.-
caco. bruised Mrs. Emil Patterson No 90
Fortv-third-st, Chicago. bruised: MIS-. "",rS' -, -,
bennett. Rockford. ILL.,, ankle stralheu' ME-
A. G. Northrup. Auburn Park Ill., ah''e Nv" W.. :
Mrs J. X. Laing, Nc. ",el" '"'''''''
cago, left leg bruised.
min Wien the floor gave way she was Ill .h'
p' . -, .ho crowd and fell under the struggling
.,.nonr IIor left leg was doubled under her, ana
,,a,on .ho rcscuers pulled her ont the mcho'r
,,,., rrr ,nd useless. Mrs. Briggs, OF r'Ni'
par,, vas siOcrjng from an injury of the same
,:.n .horoh NOT as serious. Luckily the ma
;nn;. If tho women composing the six dozen VII"
can uoro strong. Young or middH-aged. an" WIZ
an .hIo 70 take care Of Themselves ir'H
u;o,,,, scottcrc1 through the building nh"i''i''-
% allow, friends a. HON" by appearing III 'nc "H'
of ;n;ured Those named above were removed ="
carriages. .uou.,r was the
Tho o,uso Of the accident apparently ""S -
too, that weakened by the contlnuai pass"
,borsands tho supports Of the floor iaiie', Wi,
inc Of the accident was given ny S"S"' .,a.n
;n, There WIS no crash. Slowly t'' p''
coil, until its timbcrs wer' mnGie WIZ" SUI
san" Wv" ~ tb. solid foundations twelve leu
lover " H. Carpenter. snp'iIn''" a.,
huildinq. Secretary Young. poicc"i'" "''
available force of ushers and w'rkm'h ~;
...o.,- r.scninc victims from their pani"I posi-,
.;o,O Ladders we're lowered and WIN '''' az
~ ronos tbp women were oNtrica''n'
a.oa many who had successfully w"1'hcr"'' u,
n;c fointcd. and until the physicians ar''"'
Tho attendants were equally diNldc" "''"'" "
urrod and the frightened. MIS-. 'dV>' ''
., Loaf 20 no cytricatcA. was almost uhc'hs l'"'
with main when the rcscuers rcach"' h''' "
,.,s carried between two mon I" IN" NH" "''
90 tho hall. ard stretched out on the hoor' hiS'
Croc'cv and her daughter. Minerva, were al .,'
,,,ttom Of the pile of suffering humanity. i"'
mother was unconscious and the daughter ''o"S"
badly shaken and somewhat bruised was 'ran'',
In. her grief. believing that the accident ""u
resulted fatally
For half an hour after the accident 'hc A''
,nstitu-o was an emergency hospital "hen
confidence was restored, however, the nan
cortinucd TO fill with women Interested III NV
nroccodincs In one corner group oil lhJ"r'u
waiting for conveyances with which TO rcac'
home scarcely attracted attention from '"'
stage and the exercises began before the IaS'
of those hurt had been removed. Inc man 'i
rr,ncn was of course, useless, ana heavy cioli,
lung across the stairway leading TO " pr"',nlr'"
that fact An usher directed the course 81 fi'h
tors to the gallery stairs, ana tneN iounu u,n
way 10 the main floor by III" lnslde 1'aH" ~
M abatement, Of the crowd was notl'ca"le' h
fore the lrcak came women were Ehpd''rr',N irhp,
ming on the floor with tl"lr paia.o'S. lhls Nv.
cave rise 70 the report that persistent s'dhPi'.
had caused the accident. ana that ~, N"h'l
were 10 blame for their prcdi"am"nt hcV VIZ
cmphatic however. i'll thor nehldI iuih,
stnre were taken to have all the floors ami sup
ports examined and no repetition OF III" "l'as''r
i feared bv the officials of the Congress.