The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-07-11
LOVE FEAST At ATLANTIC CITY.
A Social Session TO the Visiting Elks
Ends in Disaster.
The Casino Containing the AsSemblage
Coilap>es One Thousand Persons
Are Thrown to the Floor Below,
and 100 Are Injured.

lasting the greater part of last night. at
which Meade u. Detwiler and several Of
ficers Of the Buffalo faction and the grand
exalted ruler and grand lodge of the At
lantr City faction were present n COM
mittee was appointed 10 escort Mr.. Det-
wiier. the recognized head OF the Buffalo
faction, into the meeting hall today. AS
he entered the building the entire grand
lodge rose in a body and with hands
clasped sang Aud Lang Syne." Cheer
after cheer rent the air. hats were thrown
10 the ceiling, and the widest kind Of en-
thusiasm reigned. Mr.. Detwiier ascended
the stage and grasped the hand of Grand
Exalted Ruler Hay. Both men were visi~
bly, affected
After he had been introduced Mr.. net-
wier said that he had no intention OF
making a lengthy address. but he felt
compelled 70 give vent 10 his feelings.
After addressing Mr.. Hay as grand ex-
alted ruler. amid another outhurs5 of
cheering. he declared that II was the
proudest moment of his life when he
could say: Thank God. l am back in
the fold. Speeches were made by Mr..
Hay and others OF the grand lodge Of
ficers. and the morning session adjourned.
The social session rendered by the At
lantic City Lodge TO the visiting Elks at
the Baltic avenue Casino this evening
ended in a disaster. Fully 100 persons
were more or less injured. The session
had just opened and only one OF the
speakers had been heard. when. without
the slightest warning. the building. which
has not been used for several years, col
iapsed and fully 1000 persons were thrown
TO the floor beneath. Many women, the
wives of the visiting Elks, went down in
the ruins. Fully 200 persons, Who were
on the first floor OF the building and i'm
mediately beneath the banquet hail. were
crushed beneath the timbers and lay
helpless. The fact that all the electric
lights In the building were out AZ the
time the building gave way added TO the
confusion. An alarm was Immediately
turned in, and the city's force OF go
firemen and every police officer in the
city were called 10 the escene as hos
pitai corps. The police ambulance and
carriages of every description were util-
lied to convey the injured to the hospital
and 20 their hotels.
When the police and fremen had arrived
on the scene the excitement was so in
tense that they scarcely knew where TO be-
gin An immense crowd of people had been
attracted to the place by the noise of the
falling building and the groans of the un-
fortunates who were pinned beneath
bricks and timbers The streets for sew
eral blocks were choked. The air was fun
of anxious inquiries for friends and rela-
tives who were thought 10 have been in
the building. Within a few minutes the
police succeeded in clearing the space i'm
mediately surrounding the building. and
placed ropes around TO keep the crowd
back. In the meantime the firemen had
set TO work to extricate the wounded from
beneath the mass OF ttmbers. ana thy were
aided in their work by the hotelkeepers
and residents near the scene. Every house
was thrown open for the reception OF ths
injured, and every available conveyance
was pressed into service to carry them TO
their hotels. Meanwhile the physicians
were on the scene and were doing all In
their power to aid the unfortunates who
had been caught in the crash. AS quickly
as the unconscious forms OF the wounded
were taken out, willing hands bore them
10 the nearest place and everything
that surgical skill could do 20
alleviate their sufferings was done.
The excitenent amidst the assem-
bled crowds was even greater than
that in the immediate neighborhood Of
the building. All sorts of rumors were
rife As II had heen generally known
that the social session of the order had
been in progress in the building. and that
il would i'm all likelihood be the largest
meeting of the session. almost every ar
rival upon the scene Was arnost frantic
with grief and anxiety for some rela-
tive or friend Their fears were 20 an
extent quieted, however. when 1t was
learned from a reliable source that no
lives had been lost. In the excitement of
the disaster. IL was almost Impossible 10
procure accurate details. The list of the
injured cannot be fully complied tonight
but the following are the most seriously
injured:
James r. Armstrong. New York, both
legs broken; Mayer Wolfe. Atlantic city,
lighthouse engineer injured internally:
Charles " Toiwell. Camden. ". J.. leg
and arm broken; Frederick Clapworth
Camden. leg broken; p Eckman, Cam
den. leg and arm broken. Frank Bolton
clerk in the Hotel Trainor OF this city.
shoulder badly crushed and otherwise in
illrcd: Charles W Focte. of Minneap polls.
manned and bruised: Detective James W.
DOYLE. OF Minneapolis, badly bruised and
injured internally.
The first victim 70 succSIrnh 20 his in
iuries was Frederick C1aproth OF 1ss
Kimerick street. Camden. He died short
w after midnight at a hotel 70 which -e
crowd on the lower floor of the building
when the crash came. lie was caught
and piniouef down under r mass Of tim
bers. and when. after great difficulty. the
police succeeded IN extricaftug his bG-ly.
he never regaiued consciousness. II is
.ow feared other deaths will result.
The news Of the disaster spread with
such rapldity thag by midnight messages
were received from anxious relatives ~
visiting E4ks Ia all parts Of the county.
Following is an additional list Or iujuf4
ed: James Armstrong, theatrical agent.
Negw York city. exalted ruler OF $ew
YORK Lodge No. l. both legs broken;
Miss Armstrong. his daughter aged II.
arm broken W Lums8rd. Boston. leg
broken. Horace Arendt Fast orange. y
] back broken. William Farnei. base
ball manager BahimoTs, injured inter
uaIly. Mrs F'fsssc Imam. Philadelphia.
both legs broken. Monroe Wainwright
Nesr York Cicero Presto. Camden. An
tonic pimond philadelphia: Presse Reel
man. Mount Holly. y. J. ". J. Lee.
Camden. MrE. Hslen Rogers Mr. Knox
Little. Nswburg. ~. Y. Mrs J. Rockwell.
Phtladeiyhia. Leopold FFee. Ns~ York:
Henry Corney. Rffe ard child. Phiiadel-
nina. Mrs Idyeslsy an1 daughter. PhiA-
dAln.nfa. NJ u. BarrtngeT. SeE
work. Mrs Japfha. New York.
Miss Fredeutbal Philadelphia: Miss
Cs,rsng Detroit. W. T. Rice.
Nes York. Mrs Alice Allea. Brooklyn.
xr< P1aciade. Brooklyn. Mrs. Frank
Neal baltimore. Dr. Frye. Roanoke. Va. :
Melville Jansen, Philadelphia; Mrs.
Anxen Philad@iphia. James Long, Cam
Aen. AIRS. william Afinns, Camden. D. n.
..orsts camden. Joe WilSqruan. phliadel-
,,hfa- Joseph Cavanauzh. PitsSburg: l.
p-r- Philadelphia. Afr ard Mrs. Lee. Al
ieghanw Pa. Charles r. Sheriff. Pitts
hr~x- Mrs r Conlin. Rochester. Mrs.
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