The herald., 1894-08-06
PANIC At A BALL GAME,
Fire at the Chicago. West
Side Ball Park.
Grand Stand Burned While q
Game Was On.
Wild Scramble Of the Spectators to
Save Their Lives.
Many Injured in Attempting to Scale .
Barbsd Wire Fencs-A Fire
Laddie Worry Badly
Burned.
BY this Associated Press.

BY this Associated Press
CHICAGO. Aug. 5.-The discovery Of
FIRE in the grand stand OF the West Side
Ball park this afternoon caused wild
panic among the spectators, in which
several met serious injury. A large
number Of others were slightly cut and
bruised in trying to make their exit.
Those mont seriously injured are:
E. W. Bartlett. 4S years old. leg frac-
tured.
Edward Ahsrn, OF Ere insurance patrol
No. s, severely burned about the head
and face.
Following are those treated at the
county hospital. whose injuries con-
sisted Of lacerated hands and fingers,
from scaling barbed wire fence: G. j..
Kemper, Dewitt Smith. J. B. Martin. M.
Lawrence, Ben Smith, Simon Arm
strong. Henry Parker, NJ. Rawley,
George Smith.
Not less than 10000 people were
crowded into the grounds to witness tn Q
game. Every seat in the grand stand
and bleachers WAS occupied, and large
positions in the fields.
The game had advanced in the seventh
inning when cry OF fire was heard on
the bleachers and wreath OF smoke
was pouring from the cracks. The cry
was taken up on all sides and in a ahoIt
time terrible panic ensued.
All of the four exits leading from the
grand atand were jammed with men
and boys and sprinkling of women.
The exits were not large enough to
permit the throng to go through, and
hundreds of men sought to Jump over
the barbed wire fence into the baseball
grounds. The first reaching the fence
scaled it successfully, but those that
followed in their anxiety to get to safe
| quarters tried to crawl through, and in
nearly every instance were wedged be.
tween the wires and their clothes torn
in ahreds and their hands and legs were
lacerated by the sharp barbs.
When the fire department arrived the
entire stand on Lincoln street and por.
tion Of the grand stand were macs OF
| flames. The fire spread rapidly and the
small force of tiremen which responded
| to the first alarm were unable to cope
with the flames. The heat of the flames
was 80 intense that the iremen were un-
able to get within 20 yards of it.
Edward Ahern, fireman, endeavored
to reach the ball ground by going
through portion OF the burning stand.
His clothes caught fire and he was COM
pelled to retreat badly burned.
During the stampede f. w. Bartlett
became wedged in the barbed wire
fence, severely cutting his hands and
legs. Several others who followed fell
on top of him. smothering him into un.
consciousness. Bartlett was taken to
the county hospital, where it was found
his leg was broken, and he was badly
bruised. For an hour after the first
alarm many physicians we're kept busy
attending the injured.
Twenty or more went to the county
hospital to have their wounds dressed,
but all save Ahern and Bartlett were
abba to leave soon after their injuries
were attended to.
After an hours work the blaze was
under control. The damage was about
$4,000. The fire was caused by cigarette
thrown among the combustible material
under the stands.