The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1902-09-26
Terrible Disaster at Convention
OF Colorea Sagtfsss in
Birmingham
Booker Washington Had Just Cora,
paasea an Observation-Disclosures
Over q Scat Started tss,e Row.
Fearful Scenes.

az NFSaas y aasG GaEAISS8IR street
Friday asgssS. s&TeasS~esgAt persons
were killed and as many mere seriously
inquired,
X The eatasssopAe occurred at 9 0sciaek,
just as Booker Z. Washington mad eeaa~
&l@6sa his address 70 the national con-
peRtiom Of STORED SsRtsts, aaaas ssoT
three s,oars the scenes around Sse
church We're in3eseSShaSla,
Dead eadSes were ssrewn in every
direction, and the ambulance service Sf
the city was MtseriS Incapable, of gssoN~
ing them until midnight.
Dozens or dead bodies We're aS4
ranged III rows ca the ground outside
OK the house OK wosshsS Awaiting f@~
Gaoval TO the various &naersakins es-
Establishments, While more than Il Su0rS
lay on the benches inside,
I4ae church is tho largest house OF
worship for negroes in, Nsrmiasaasn,
and the pastor says sheFa We're at
least &,ooo persons in the edsitee when
the stampede began, Even the en-
trance to the church was literally
packed,
Just as Booker n. Washington con-
cladea his address, Judge Baslpu, a
negro lawyer from Washington, en-.
gagged In an alteration With sha choir
leader concerning AN u~sioceupiea seat,
and 1t * said a blow was struck.
Some enc IN the choir cried, They're
~yiglattng,s
Thought "Flshs'' Was .Elre,s
INSTALLING the word "nghttng" for
rfre,t the congregation rose en- masse
ana started for the door,
One OF she ministers quickly mount.
| Nd h rostHGm and ~aamonishea the
people to keep quiet, He repeated the
word quiet several times and mo-
toned to his hearers to be seated,
Again the excited eengregati ton mis-
4 fENNNS- Ia, I SssENNst tS.tNfAfbs E.,AL ss2 ~ d .E1
renewed the struggle TO reach the
door, Men and women eraWlea over
benches, fought their Way into the
afsles, and those who had fallen were
uampled upen, The ministers tried
again and again TO stop the stampede.
but no power ON earth could stay the
s~trugglfng, fighting mass OF humanity,
The screams of the Wome and chill
dren added 10 the horror OF the scene,
and through mere fright many per-
Sons tainted, Ina as they fell to the
floor We're crushed TO death,
The level or the floor IL about fifteen
feet from the ground, and long steps
lead TO the sidewalk from the lobby,
Just, cu1A!aS the main tauditariuna.
Brick wallis extend on each aide or
these steps FOR six nr seven feet, agd
this proved a Nerttabte death trap,
Negroes who had reached the top or
the steps We're pushed violently faF-
ward, and many fell, Before they
could move others fell upon them,
and In fifteen minutes persons We're
piled up. on each other to a height or
ten feet. This wall of struggling hu-
ranity blocked the entrance, and the
weight OF 1850 persons was pushed
against 1t. More than twenty persons
lying on the steps underneath the heap
or bodies died OF suirocatton,
Fire Alarm Turned In.
Two white men who were In the e
OF the church escaped and turned III d
IRE alarm. The department came
quickly, aud the arrival of the wagons
eerved to scatter the crowd IN front,
a squad of policemen was also hast
eneti to the church, and with the Ares
men finally succeeded in releasing tho
negroes from their p%intoned positions
IN the entrance.
The dead bodies were quickly res
moved, and the crowd inside, finding
an outlet, came pouring out, Ssor{>s
of them lost their footing and rolled
down the long steps to the pavement.
sustaining broken limbs and Internal
injuries,
in mn hour the church had been prae-
tieally cleared, and the sight which
greeted the eyes Of those who had come
to aid the injured w,ta %siekening,
Down the aisles and along tho out
side or the rews&tha dead bodies or
men ana women Were Rtrewn, ana the
cries or the MANNED and crippled were
hearirending.
In u few moments tho work or re-
moving the bodies was begun.
The Shiloh church Is located lust In
the edge of South Highlands, tina srhay,,4
ionabie residence section OF thia city,
and nl the physieians living In that
part OF town went to the assistance or
he injured. 81 & @
AS many OF the suffering negroeu an
could be moved by the nm%bulaneas
were taken to hospitals md the raat
were laid out on the ground, ana there
the physicians attended them. At least
fifteen Of those brough. out Injured
died before they could be moved from
the ground.
During the Btanfede Booker q,
washington n several other prom.
lnent iiegroea were OH tho stage. and
were unwilling witnesses to the fright.
ful catastrophe. sITE
Most Of the dead are women, and the
physicians say In many cases they
tainted and died OF sufrocation,
Booker W~ashin1ton's Account.
Principal Booker I. Washington,
when seen after the accident, said.
II had just ifintHhed delivering tt1y
lecture on Industry, and the singing
had commenced, when some woi.tan
BhSh VI HIS WuB nehTGs 10 scream. Some
members OF the choir yelled 1qutct,9
which the gallery Understood to be
Ore, This was repeated, and startcd
the stampede.
~ found on investigation that d. Jsir4
hiiIlg1nrn man had stepped on tho toeg
Of q delegate from Baltimore named
Bailo1.
"Ballou resented 1t md made d mo-
ton as IL to draw 81 gun. Thia entasd
n woman to Scream w sg4E
There Whs little excitement In the
senter n front of the church. che
rear OF the church was congestad, and;
some OF the men tried to- walk out on
the headR OF the crowd. Al the I'M
of the alarm there wers probably 1000
peopleztn the church, and d great crowd
without. The crowd on the siGeWalk
safsed IN and this in Il aeasuFsaac4
counted for the large loss Of life,
The majority OF those killed ware
s~Fnothercd 70 death. very fow having
bones broken,
Work Of q Good Blister.
When / SaW that b stampede was jfnsss
tnfnelt, started the choir singing,
| and part OF the andiancs Joined them, i
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