Evening star., 1895-07-11
COLLAPSE OF THE CASINO
No Deaths From the Atlantic City Dis.
aster
Number of Injured Placed Mt Two
Hundred-Only One Likely to
Result In Death.

ATLANTIC CITY. N. J., July 11.-No
deaths have yet resulted from last nights
disaster at the Baltic Avenue Casino, al
though in etAer~respects the details of the
occurrence have not been exaggerated. "A
conservative estimate places the number of
wounded at close to 200. OF these, the only
one in immediate danger of death is Fred
erick Clapproth OF Jennings- Band. Cam
den. N. ]. The report that both Clapproth
and Mrs. Jennie Rockwell of Philadelphia
were dead is untrue. Mrs. Rockwell was
only slightly injured. Clapproth's wife ar
rived this morning and is in attendance on
him at the hospital, on Mt. Vernon avenue
All night the doors of the hospital were
besieged by anxious inQuirers. but before
daybreak all of the injured had been To-
Gated at hotels and hospitals by their
friends and relatives.
Collapse of the Second Floor.
The accident was caused by the collapse
of the second floor of the building, i'm
mediately over a refreshment pavilion. Just
previous to the crash Jennings Band had
begun to play for the Elks, and the ma
jority of the people were attracted to
the upper floor. But for this there would
have been great loss of life.
A party of New York delegates fingered
below, but they heard the alarming crackle
of the timbers and escaped to the board
walk outside not a second too soon.
The great weight of the crowd was the
primary cause Of the accident, but there
Is talk Of fixing ths responsibility, it hav-
ture was old and dilapidated. The Casino
building fronts the ocean from the board
walk at the head Of Baltic avenue. 1t is
a frame. two-story structure. built about
three years ago by the Casino Amusement
Company. It has been unoccupicd for the
last two seasons. The affair is being in
vestigated at today's meeting Of the Elks.
The Injured.
Among those injured. who were taken to
the United States Hotel were C. NJ. Foot
of Minneapolis, collar bone and arm broken;
c. r. Lombard. Boston, feet mashed and
arm fractured; J. R. Duke. Joliet, ILL.,. badly
cut on the head and about the face.
The injured at Schaufler's Hotel are:
James Long. Philadelphia, injured about
face and nose broken; Ulie Lee. Camden,
internally hurt; Charles Folwell Camden.
leg broken; George J. Pechfh. Camden. leg
mashed.
At the Hotel Majestic: James J. Arm
strong. exalted ruler Of the New York
Lodge. Is lying with internal injuries. and
his ten-year-old daughter also sustained
some injuries about the limbs. Mrs. Japha
and her niece. Miss c. Friedenthal, of New
York. are also at the Majestic suffering
from internal injuries.
Those at the Albemarle Hotel are: Mrs
e. Myers. Philadelphia. leg fractured; Mrs.
R. A. Livesley. East Liverpool, Ohio. leg
mashed. and NJ. e. Wells. Liverpool. Ohio.
Visited by Thousands.
The scene Of the casualty is being visited
by thousands today. who declare it re-
naarkable that at least one-half of those
in the structure at the time were not kill
ed outright.
The injured, who are scattered all over
the island in cottages, hotels and hospitals,
are all doing well. as far as heard from.
It is understood that the authorities will
institute an immediate investigation, with
a view not only to ascertain the cause of
the mishap, but also to provide against
the possibility of a recurrence of such a
catastrophe.
The enterprise Of which the structure
in which the sad mishap occurred was a
part has proven an unfortunate one for
the original investors. It was a scheme
combining a double music pavilion, to-
boggan slide. merry-go-round and q long
pier, from which steamboats, made fire.
quent trips to sea. The storms OF the first
winter swept away the pier, which was re-
built only to be again washed away the
next winter. During a subsequent storm of
wind a part of the roof Of the pavilion,
the upper floor of which has now given
away, was blown OFF. This was repaired at
considerable expense, and has since re-
mained intact. A year or ago goodly
portion Of the toboggan fell to the ground,
and it is still in that shape.
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