Omaha daily bee., 1901-01-13
PANIC IN CHICAGO TaEATER
Sparks from Defective Furnace Responsible
for Sacrifice Of Human Life.
SIX PERSONS KNOWN TO HIVE BEEN KILLED
Cry Of Fire Followed by Mad Rush
of Frantic People for Doors, Many
Throwing Themselves and
children over balconies.

CHlCAGO, Jan. lE.-SM persons were
crushed to death and as many more seri-
ously injured In a panic which followed
mans cry of Fire" late this afternoon in
West Twelfth Street Turner hall.
About 500 persons were in the place,
gathered to witness the performance Of
play entitled The Greenhorn."
The dead
LINDSLEY, Rebecca.
GOLDBERG, Annie, aged 70.
MILLENBACH Regina, aged 4.
SALOMAN, Annie, aged 81.
SHAFFER, George. aged 0.
MENDELSOHN, Mrs. Samuel.
XIDMANN. Birdie.
The injured:
Adler, Becky. aged 16, legs broken.
Adler, Bella, legs injured.
Becker, Joe, aged g., body bruised and
internally injured; taken home.
Becker, Mamie. left arm badly bruised.
Bloomgarden, Sarah, covered with con-
tusions from being stamped upon.
Bloomgarden. Rebecca, ear lacerated.
Cohen. Mrs. Sarah, internally injured.
Freedman, Louis, conclusion Of the brain.
Goldberg. Sarah, right cheek cut and
badly bruised.
Hlrschberg Mrs Nettie, body bruised.
Hoffman, Minnie, injured internally; may
die.
Jacobs. Fannie. confused eye cut
jacobson. Meyer, injured internally AMI
legs badly bruised
Zimmerman, Abraham, ankle crushed.
Zimmerman, Rose, internal injuries.
Keal, Mrs. Sarah. internally injured.
Mole. Molle, body bruised.
Richter, Mrs Rebecca, legs broken.
Rissman Annie, aged s, injured internally
Rlssman, Bessie, aged 6. legs crushed.
Rissman, Jacob. aged 10. left leg injured
Rissman, Mrs. Ida, badly bruised.
The missing:
Frank, Nellie, aged IA.
Harris, Harry.
LIGHT tenstein, Annie.
Marqueless, Fannie.
Mandesohn, Samuel. and two children.
Frank, Reuben.
The play was in Yiddish and the audience
comprising for the most part women and
children, was composed of Hebrews. Tue
play was nearly over when the cry which
caused the panic was raised and within FIVE
seconds after II rang through the hall the
entire audience was converted into fran
tic mob, every member of which was fight
ing for safety. The hall Is frequently used
for dances and when theatrical perform
ance is given chairs are set for the spec
tators. AS soon as the wild rush toward
| the doors began chairs were knocked down
| in every direction the aisles disappeared
and the excited people ran, climbed and
| stumbled over the chairs In their way to-
ward the doors.
| Children Thrown over the Balcony.
Around the upper part Of the hall ex-
| tends a balcony which is open only at one
| end. Here were seated 100 women and
| children and the women at the farther end
| of the balcony, away from the stairway,
seeing that the rush toward the exit was
blocked to them, began at once t. throw
| the little ones over the railing to the floor,
ten feet below. The children fell into the
midst OF the maddened throng and were at
| once trampled under foot. 1t Is known that
| three of the dead were children who were
| thrown from the balcony and were
trampled by the crowd. with not chance
for their lives. Following the children
! many of the women sprang from the bal
cony upon the crowd below and others,
swinging over, hung by their hands before
they dropped. The railing of the balcony
was broken through in half a dozen places
by the pressure brought against it by the
maddened crowd.
| On the main floor the crush was much
worse than in the balcony. The main exits
from the hall. and the only ones known to
a majority OF those who frequent the place,
| are two doors in the south end Of the main
auditorium that open upon winding stairs,
which, eight steps down, unite into one
broader flight.
| Within five minutes after the beginning
| OF the panic 1t was all over and the police
and fremen who came hurrying to the scene
OF the disaster were called upon to do moth
ing beyond carrying away the dead and in
jured and keeping back the thousands who
tried to force their way into the building.
AS soon as the news OF the panic had
spread throughout the district, which
seemed but very few minutes. all the
Hebrews from that part Of the city rushed
to the place, bent upon learning the names
OF the dead and wounded Men and women
fought desperately with the officers in their
efforts to enter the building and learn II
any OF their loved ones were among the
dead. The crowd was 30 great, so excited
and so unmanageable that several calls were
sent for additional officers and fremen
before 1t could be restrained.
The alarm OF fire was due to defective
furnace which at times allows sparks to
pass up through the registers. 1t was the
sight OF these sparks rising into the room
that frightened the man who raised the
cry Of fire.
The hall has several times been the scene
OF panlcs and 1t Is only a few months since
a number of children were hurt in a rush
for the doors at juvenile party.