St. Paul daily globe., 1893-05-02
GUARDS OVERCOME.
Bad Police Arrangements for
Handling the Immense Crowd
Of Spectators.
Thirty Persons Removed Uncon-
scious by Ambulances to the
Hospital.

CHICAGO, May 1.-While wait ing the
arrival of the presidential party num-
ber of women in the crowd who had
been on their feet for hours swoOned
or tainted. and the services Of Red
Cross ambulance chairs were i'll con-
slant requisition for over half an hour.
No sooner had the opening ceremonies
commenced than the bad police arrange
mentS were shown in an unfortunate
manner for many people. A handful OF
Columbian guards had been detailed for
duty to keep the inside border OF the
mass of humanity from encrOachlng on
the press seats, which were arranged
below the grand stand on either side.
Not even rope was strung along the
line of the grand stand to keep pass
age way clear for the newspaper men
and ambulance corps. The pushing
and crowding at the northeast end of
the administration building soon be-
came so severe that many women
tainted, while others became SO sick
that they had to be lifted bodily over
the railing into the press seats until the
arrival of the Red Cross corps with the
wheel chairs.
While the poem was being read it
looked as though panic with fatal con
sequences could not be averted. The
guards were almost powerless. Women
tainted from weakness. and others were
getting in fainting condition, and had
to be lifted over the heads of the crowd
by guards and newspaper men into the
press seats and grand stand reserved
for distinguished guests. City police
mingled with the guards, and endeav-
ored to quiet the excited, sWaying mass
within bounds of personal safety. The
crowd in attendance was variously esti
mated at 10000 to 175. 900. Before the
ceremonies were half over twenty wOm-
en- and half as many men had been re-
moved unconscious to the hospital,
where a corps of physicians was in
waiting. Most of the helpless ones had
simply tainted, but number were Suf-
fering from internal injuries received
in the jam, and it was feared that
fatal termination might ensue.
President Higinbotham realized the
gravity of the situation, and while the
orchestra was playing he arose from
his seat, advanced to the edge
of the platform and raised his
hands above his head in mute appeal
to the assembled thousands. He cried
out at the top of his voice, For Gods
sake, keep COOL" but his words were
not heard far. His appeal had salu-
tary effect, however, as the center and
rear portions of the wedged'in mass re-
Trained from pushing towards the frail
barriers. Yet the hospital chairs con-
tirued to be forced through the almost
blocked passage to carry out sick women
and children. Others, brayer and
stronger, fought against the physical
strain, and were able to hold their
ground with the aid of liberal doses of
brandy supplied by the Red Cross
corps.
For several minutes it looked as
though terrible catastrophe could not
be averted. The multitude continued
to sway to and fro, and the air was
filed with the shrieks of the women,
the hoarse shouts of the men, the cries
of little children, of whom there were
many hundreds if not thousands, and
the warning yells of the occupants OF
the grand stand. With tie view of
facilitating the disposal of the throng,
President Higinbotham escorted Mi.
Cleveland and the ducal party from the
platform with all possible haste, but
this did not suit the temper of the spec
tators, and they yelled Come back, we
want to see more of the president"
Finally by breaking into the throng
from half-dozen points. the Columbian
guards succeeded i'll turning it into half
as many channels, but not before sec
ton of the platform occupied q few mo-
ments before by the president and his
party had been turned into i;arbor of
refuge for no less than tWenty-siX sick
Oh unconscious women and children.