Delaware gazette and state journal., 1899-11-09

at IL, 10 CLOCK FRIDAY evening, after
the collapse of floor had precipitated
ljl men into a struggling, bowling
help. The men had been attracted to
The hotel to hear the returns from the
Jelfries-Sharkey prize fight. More by
good luck than anything else, no one
was killed, although dozen were more
or less hurt. The injured include:
State Detective Bernard j. McVey,
head lacerated: body bruised.
Edward Potter, leg broken.
Alfred ID. Edwards, ankle dislocated.
james Graham, ankle sprained
bruises,
Edward Holland, burned, cut and
bruised.
James I. Callahan, ankle sprained.
John Horner, John +. Sweeney,
Frank Bacon, John MCGOWAN, Harry
White, William Ricards, bruised.
William Lukens, William Rank,
John L. Curran, William Kelley, hurt
about legs
Many more sustained outsand bruises.
Edward krause, the proprietor of Il. @
Western Hotel, has teen advertising
for several days that he would have the
returns OF the prize fight, and $50 to
200 men showed their interest in that
contest by visiting the hotel. The re-
turns were read in second story room
entered from the maiu hallway of the
hotel. This room was directly over the
stable, and one end of it had windows
over looking Orange street. On a
previous occasion, Mr.. krause had had
a large crowd in the room, and 1t
seemed TO him that the floor displayed
some weakness, and so he had girder
put under the floor to make sure of it's
being safe. At the Orange street end
Of tins loom, partition separated a
toilet room from the main apartment.
In this toilet room was the telegraph
Instrument placed there by the Postal
Telegraph Co., and the operator was
U. Grant Nye. As Mr.. Nye would
receive bulletin William Rank
would carry it into the main room,
where the men were seated or standing
and read it aloud. Then would come
burst OF applause or sigh of regret
or tremor of expectancy, according
as the information PLEASED or dispIeased
The crowd. Betting was frequent and
. good deal of money was put up on
one Or the other "iv tn big lads" as
Mr.. Dooley would say.
So the rounds came in and the inter.
est showed no abatement. The 18th
round was on. The telegraph instru-
ment told of the punishment that
Ssharkey was administering to Jeffries.
Inc crowd was anxiously awaiting the
reading of the bulletin. The announcer
came out with sheet of paper.
Thirteenth round" he began.
Suddenly, without warning, the floor
~ about one-half tho main room fol-,
the break occurring in the centre. The
Immediate effect was to plunge the
men towards that lowest point, the two
ends of the break forming inclined
planes, towards their original level. 1t
was like u large hopper.
linen, excitement. Men who had
been lear the middle of the room had
iallen about IL feet and above them
hal piled scores of others. The possi-
nllties for horrible accident were at
Irat most gravew for stove and
lghted lamp had gone down il the
crash, and the lamp had exploded and
'he stove was scorching two or three
men pinned under it. Happily, the
exploding lamp was soon extinguished,
ahd the burning stove caused no ex-
tensive injuries.
When the floor went dowr, the parti-
main room fell over too, ard the tele-
graph operator, the telegraph instru-
lient and tho Typewriter, wero thrown
down. The lamp which exploded had
peen on the operators table. In falling
MI. Nye felt the weight Of his type
writing instr ument against his back.
and at once grabbed the instrument to
save it from damage. He held on to
M nt1 Nf h..
ing without serious injury.
State Detective McVey had been
sitting near the operator, but decided
10 go home. I'm get the result in the
morning." he remarked, and said good
night. But before he got away the
foor dropped, and he was caught by
enc of the timbers while the lamp
sputtered dangerously near his leg. He
was unable at first to extricate himself,
Tut he saw small boy in trouble and
dragged him loose so that he could get
out. The detective was assisted out by
others. Ho says it felt as if about so
people were on top of him. His head
was cut and he was temporarily lamed
by his fall.
Not every one in the room went down
with the wreck; for some were stand
lhs IN the doorway and along the
windows and they were able to hold
their places.
panic seized some Of the men in
lhe hole and for a time it was each
man for himself scrambling over his
hieishbors, pushing and almost fighting
lls way out. Many of the crowd got
OUT to the street over the roof Of the
SSned in the hotel yard. Proprietor
hiause and others went to the assist
anee Of the men in the wreck and they
were helped out as rapidly as possible.
come of the more seriously injured
were assisted into room on the first
hoor OF the hotel, where they we're
looked after. Edward Potter, who is
a hotist, of near Twenty fourth and
.hatket streets, sustained fracture of
the leg. He was taken in the Phoenix
ambulance to his home and the injury
WAS NJ attended to by Drs. James ii.
morgan and j. L. France.
Edward Hollands experience was of
a. sensational and enervating order.
ne with John Horner and William
Lukens was unoomfortably near the
S.oVe when they found themselves and
y IN the wreck. Hollands legs were
mnhed down by the stove. He saw that
t,i'7re was danger If its redhot GOALS
Sring spilled upon the pile of men, and
- ne shut the door. Horner's face was
Scared Scared and his clothing torn. Lukens
pa naa MS leg hurt by the stove. William
atnGh had his clothing saturated with
VI, but fortunately the clothing was
no. ignited. James Graham s'tsken
!" Va" homeopathic Hospital.
James L. Callahan gives his umbrella
Greoit for saving him from worse in
i;sty than simply sprained ankle, for
u seemed to hold some joIsts off of him