The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1895-07-19
seha DallAia6.in whSek 8 Raesptien
Z 20 1lka q Atlantic City, n. y, u
4 Reid oaAAeAly CollaDses-A Hun-
Afs PssDls Injured, seRs Fatally

49, EoSDAO 4HJufoNs Uo4e 1ateuys
Atlantic, City, N. J., July III: The
social session! rendered BY Atlantic
City lodge to the Waiting Elks ut the
Baltic avenue Casino last evening
ended In q terrible disaster In which
fully 100 persons were more or less
seriously injured. The session had
Just opened and only, one Of the speak
ers had been heard, when, without the
slightest warning, the building, which
has not been used for several years.
collapsed. and fully a thousand per-
sons were thrown to the floor be-
neath. Many women, the wives Of the
visiting Elks, went down in the ruins.
Fully2 90 persons who were ON the
first floor Of the building, and inme.
diately beneath the banquet hall, were
crushed beneath the tlmbers, and lay
helpless. The fact that all the electric
lights in the building went out at the
time the building gave way, added to
the confusion. An alarm was immedi-
'ately turned in and the city's force of
200 flremen and every police officer iii
the city were called to the scene as a
hospital corps. The police ambulance
and carriages Of every description
were utilized to convey the injured to
the hospital and the hotels. When the
police and firemen arrived on the
scene the excitement was SO intense
tllat they scarcely knew. where to be-
gin first. An immense crowd of peO-
pie Ind been attracted to the place by
the noise Of the falling building and
the groans of the unfortunntes who
were pinned beneath bricks and TIM
bers. The streets for several blocks
were choked. The air was full of
anxious inquiries for friends and rel
ntives who were thought to have
been In the building. Within a few
minutes the police succeeded in clear
Ing the space in the immediate neigh
l,orllood Of tho building ana placed
ropes around to keep the crowd hack,
In tile meantime the flremen Ind set
TO work to extricate the wounded
from beneath the mass Of timbers
and they were aided in their work iy
the hotelkeepers and residents near
the scene. All sorts of rumors were
rife. 1t was first reported that the
building had caught fire and that In
the consequent panic many lives Ind
been crushed out. Then rumor
came TINT the entire edifice had COL
lapsed. As It had been generally
known, however, that the social ses-
sion OF the order had been in prog
ress In the building, and that it would
In all likelihood be the largest Mt
tended event Of the session, almost
every new arrival upon the scene
was almost frantic with grief and
anxiety for some relative or friend.
Their fears were, to an extent, quiet
ed, however, when 1t was learned
from q good source that no lives Ind
been lost. In the excitement of the
disaster 1t was almost impossible to
procure accurate details. The list OF
the injured cannot be fully compiled,
hut the following are the more seri.
ously injured:
James j. Armstrong, New York.
both legs broken.
Mayer Wolfe, Atlantic CITY. light.
house engineer internally injured.
Charles w. TOlwell, Camden. log
and arm broken.
Antonio Ciaproth. Camden, Leg
broken.
p: Eckman, Camden, leg and arm
broken.
Frank Bolton, clerk of Hotel Tray.
more, this city, shoulder badly crushed
and otherwise injured.
Charles w. Fo0te, Minneapolis.
mafmed and bruised.
Detective James Doyle, Minneapolis.
badly bruised and injured internally.
One Death Results.
The first victim to succumb to his
injuries was Frederick Claproth, of
SIG Kimcr street, Camden. He died
at a nelghboring hotel to which he
had been conveyed. He had been in
the crowd on the lower floor of the
building when the crash came. He
was caught and pinioned down nm
der mass of tiinbers, and when. af.
ter great difficulty, the police sIc.
ceeded In extricating his body, 1t was
found that both his legs and arms
had been broken. He never regained
consciousness. 1t is now feared 9th
or deaths will result, and 1t is q mat
ter Of wonder that more persons who
were on the under floor were not
killed outright. The news of the dis
aster spread with such rapiiity that
by midnight messages were being re.
ceiyed from anxious relatives of yis-
tttng Elks in all parts of the country.
James Armstrong, theatrical agent.
New York city, exalted ruler of New
York lodge No. /, both legs broken.
Miss Armstrong, his daughter. aged
II, arm broken.
w. Lumbard. Boston, leg broken.
Horace A. Rudt, East Grunge N v.
back broken.
William Varney, base ball manager.
Baltimore. injured internally.
Mrs. Fleischman, PHILADELPHIA, both
legs broken.
CO NJ. Foote. Minneapolis, arm
broken.
Nathaniel Duke. body bruised.
Charles w; Farwell, Minneapolis.
nose broken. S.0,
And number of the members of
Jennings band, of Camden. internalIv
injured.
no One Was Killed.
Atlantic City, n. j., July 13-Tbe
Eaiety and hustle claracteristic Of
this resort has given away In a de-
gree to fecluig OF depression in con-
sequence Of last nights disaster at
tile Baltic Avenue Casino. 1t is large
~ tempered. however. by a devout
thankfulness that the catastrophe was
no worse; and, indeed, 1t is consid-
ered almost miraculous that hundrcds
were not killed outright. At the Pa-