The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-09-20

that part Of town went to the assist
ance of the injured. AS many OF the
suffering negroes as could be moved
by the ambulaRces We're taken to the
hospitals and the rest were laid out on
the ground. and there the physicians
attended them. Al least fifteen died
before they could be moved from the
ground.
During the stampede Booker 7.
Washington and several other promi-
nent negroes were on the stage and
were unwilling witnesses TO the fright
ful catastrophe. None OF those IN the
choir or IN the pulpit were injured in
! the least. For a few minutes they at
tempted 10 restore order, but. seeing
their efforts were futile, waited until
| the struggling crowd had advanced far
enough for them 10 pick up the dead
and injured.
Most Of the dead are women, and the
physicians say in many cases they
| tainted and died of suffOcation. a re-
markable feature OF the calamity IS
| that no blood was seen on any Of the
/ victims. They were either crushed OF
died from suffOcation.
Beyond Description
Captain Frank II. O'Brien, former
| sheriff Of jefferson county, and one or
the most prominent citizens Of Biz
mingham, was a witness OF the catas-
! trophe. He lives within half block
/ Of the church and. hearing the COM
! motion. went to ascertain the trouble.
As he reached the front Of the church
! the crowd had begun blocking the en-
] trance, and in describing IL he said.
Il have witnessed many appalling
! sights. but the wild scene at the head
OF those steps IS beyond description.
/ Wildly excited negroes reached she tDp
Of the steps and began faIlns headiong
down the incline. Others were pushed
upon them, and, Notwithstanding the
| warnings from the outside, the crowd
| continued TO push. In a few minutes
men and women were piled upon each
other to a height OF ten feet. Present.
~ a negro woman with a baby IN her
arms mounted the mass and, climbing
over the bodies, leaped 10 the ground
without injury 10 herself or the infant
As quickly as possible a rescue party
was organized and as soon as the en-
trance was cleared began the removal
Of the bodies"
Killed at the Entrance.
Rev. DR.. T. W. Walker, pastor OF
Shiloh church, said tonight:
"Shiloh church is a modern brick
structure and has Just been completed
at a cost of $4,000. There are four
entrances to the building and the main
one is sixteen feet wide. The deaths
were caused by everybody trying 10
rush out the main entrance at the
same time. Inside the church. not a
bench was overturned and all Of those
who were killed died in or about the
/ he ha
of the church were not injured in the
| least"
Mayor w. NJ. .Drennen said: Most
of those who were killed were strang-
/ ers. but their bodies viii be cared for
until identified and claimed by reia-
tives."
A Woman Started It.
Principal Booker r. Washington. aft
er the accident, said;
II had just finished delivering my
lecture on Industry and the singing
had commenced when some woman
back of me was heard 70 scream. Some
members of the choir yelled quiet,
which the gallery understood 70 be
J IRE This was repeated and started
la stampede. / found on investigation
that a Birmingham man had stepped
on the toes Of a delegate from Bdlt-
more named Ballou. BallOu resented
il. and made a motion az II 10 draw a
gun. This caused the woman 10 scream
There was little excitement IN the
center and front Of the church. The rear
of the church WIS COngested, and some
Of the men tried 10 walk out on the
heads Of the crowd. AT the time OF
the alarm there were probably 1900
I people in the church and fully that
number without. The crowd on the
sidewalk surged in. and this in a meas
ure accounted FOR the large loss Of life.
Could Not Be Stopped.
.aThe majority Of those killed Were
sm0thered 10 death, very few having
bones broken. When I saw that q
stampede was imminent. 1 started the
choir singing. and part OF the audience
Joined them. ] remained until the ex-
element had subsidized for fully thirty
! minutes. One good sister, whose mans
. don't know. caught me firmly by the
| waist and held me throughout the eX-
| element, saying: Keep stilI.
Il am unable 10 say positively. but
. there is a probability that the conyen-
ton will adjourn out ~ respect 20 th'
= | dead. The session would have closed
next Monday night.
. $50 far as is known about ten del
. | egates We're among the killed, tw'
s | from Texas and two from New Orleans
D being among the number"