The L'Anse sentinel., 1902-09-27
HUNDREDS IN PANIC.
Stampede Occurs In Crowded Church
In Birmingham, Ala.
xnne.se Audience Of Negroes Make
W4la Rsah for ExitS--Seventy-
Eixnt killed aad Over One
Hundred injured.

Eighteenth street, Friday night,
7S persons were killed and
over 100 seriously injured. The
catastrophe occurred at nine o'clock,
just as Booker T. Washington had
concluded his address to the national
convention of Baptists, and for three
hours the scenes around the church
were indeseribable. Dead bodies
were strewn in every direction, and
the ambulance service of the city
was utterly incapacitated to move
them until after one o'clock Dozens
of dead bodies were arranged in
rows on the ground outside of the
house of worship awaiting removal
TO the various undertaking estab-
lishments, while more than score
were laid out on the benches inside.
The church is the largest house OF
worship for negroes in Birmingham
and the pastor says there were at
least 1000 persons in the edifce
when the stampede began. Instruc-
tions had been issued to allow no
more to enter, but the negroes forced
their way inside the building and
were standing in every aisle. Even
the entrance to the church was lit
orally packed. Just as Booker L.
Washington concluded his address
Judge Billou, a negro lawyer from
Baltimore, engaged in an alteration
with the choir leader concerning an
unoccupied seat, and 1t Is said blow
was struck. Some one in the choir
I'll QxvI
stampede Begins.
Mistaking the word lighting" for
''fre," the congregation rose en-
masse and started for the door. Men
and women crawled over benches,
fought their way into the aisles, and
those who had failed were trampled
upon like cattle. The ministers tried
again and again to stop the stam-
pede, but no power on earth could
stay the struggling, fighting mass of
humanity. The screams of women
and children added to the horror of
the scene, and through mere fright
many persons tainted, and rs they
fell to the floor were crushed to
death. The level of the floor is
aDOub ID lttb BEouhu dhh
long steps lead to the sidewalk from
the lobby just outside the main au-
ditorium. Brick walls extend on
each side of these steps for six or
seven feet, and this proved verita-
bic death trap. Negroes who had
reached the top of the steps were
pushed violently forward and many
fell. Before they could move others
fell upon them and in Is minutes
persons were piled upon each other
to n height of ten feet.
This wall of struggling humanity
blocked the entrance and the weight
OF 1900 persons was pushed against
1t. More than 20 persons lying on
5fhc steps underneath the heap Of
Fbodies died from suffocation. The
fire department and police were soon
.on the scene, and finally succeeded
in releasing the negroes from their
pinioned positions in the entrance.
The dead bodies were quickly re-
moved and the crowd inside finding
an outlet came pouring out. Scores
of them lost their footing and rolled
down the long steps to the pave
ment, sustaining broken limbs and
internal injuries.
.. A Terrible Sight.
In an hour the church had been
practically cleared and the sight
which greeted the eyes of those who
had come to aid the injured was
sickening. Down the aisles and along
the outside of the pews the dead
bodies of men and women were
and crippled were heartrending. In
n few minutes the work of removing
the bodies was begun.
AS many of the suffering negroes
as could be moved by the ambulanccs
were taken to the hospitals and the
rest were laid out on the ground
and there the physicians attended
them. At least Is of those brough,
out injured died before they could
the dead are women, and the ply
sicians say in many cases they faint
ed and died from suffocation. A re
marknble feature of the calamit,
Is that no blood was seen on. any o
the victims. They were eithe
crushed or died from suffocation.
During the stampede Booker ]
Washington and several other prom
nent negroes were on the stage an
were unwilling witnesses to tn
frightful catastrophe. None of thos
in the choir or in the pulpit wer
injured in the least. For few mir
utcs they attempted to restore OF
der, but seeing their efforts were II
tile waited until the strugglin
crowd had advanced far enough fo
them to pick up the dead and II
Reception to Boer Leaders.
Antwerp, Belgium, Sept. 20.-Gen
Botha, Dclarey and Dewet arrive
here Friday and were received wit
great enthusiasm by crowds OF PEI
pIe estimated to have numbered 30c
noa rr1,o .lcr,np OF raftnu was nj