The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1894-08-11
FIRE STARTS A PANIC.
The Scene Was the Chicago Bah
Grounds During Game.
Thousands Hemmed in Between "a Barbed
Wire Fence and the Fire--Many Per-
sons Badly Injured In the Resultant
Panic--Money Loss About @15, 900.

CHICAGO, Aug. 5.--Time was called
in the seventh inningrof the Chicago
Cincinnati ball game Sunday afternoon
at the West Side park by the cry of fire
amid scenes never before witnessed ut
a sporting event in this city. Curiosity
to see the fire led more than a thou
sand spectators to rush into danger,
and in their frantic efforts to extricate
themselves from their perilous posi-
tions they became panic stricken. They
found themselves hemmed in by fire on
one side and high barbed wire fences on
the other, erected to keep people from
encroaching on the diamond.
The exits were few and small, and
although other means of escape were
provided by the quick action of Play
ers Ryan and Wilmot of the local
team, and President Hart, the inn
periled and fear-crazed crowd bucked
against the barbed fencing. Their
mad rush to get away from the advanc-
ing flames resulted in the injury OF
scores. Cuts, bruises, contusions,
broken arm, a broken leg were the in-
juries sustained.
The property of the club was dam.
aged $l5, 900 before the fire department.
extinguishcd the flames. A cigar stub,
thrown among rubbish, started the
fire.
Anson was showing the visitors how
to hit the ball in the seventh inning
when red light began to flash and
rise along the grand stand where the
fifty-cent spectators sit. There were
1000 of them in the seats, and 5000
witnessing the game altogether.
The breaking out of the fire
caused a general rush of the
people in that part of the ground to
the top of the stand to take look,
as there was no longer any game in
progress. In a few minutes they real
lied the danger of their position and
broke for the narrow exits, which had
already filled with smoke. The spec
tators who were in the grand stand
and on the bleachers were at a safe
distance from the fire, and got away
from the field without any mishap.
From that position they witnessed the
destruction of the stand and the seri-
GUS plight of other less fortunate
spectators.
The woodwork of the stand and the
pies OF paper ana Otner ruDD1Sn unrOWn
around provided fuel for the flames
which gained on the imprisoned mer
and women before they knew it. All wal
confusion in an instant among the oc
cupants of the flaming wooden struc
ture. Women screamed in their fright
and men got jammed against the sharI
, fence. The exits might as we'll have mo-
been there. Hands, faces, limbs and
clothing were cut and torn by thu
scrambling mass of humanity in trying
i to force passage through the wir'
| strands, or over them. The fenc'
) would not give way, but Ryan ant
, Wilmot made gap in it by using thei
) bats like blacksmiths. Hundreds es
l capped that way. Mr.. Hart had tn
l fence behind the stand demolished fo
, fifty feet, but the crowd was bcyon'
. the stage of reason or observation
9 Five minutes after the last spectato
t had got out of reach of the flame
: every seat was being consumed. Th
ground will be used Monday by fencing
J, off the burned part.