The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1902-09-20
LOSE LIVES
CONTINUED From Page one.)

| BOOKER washington nad just Conclud-
! cd his address when Judge Billou. a ne
gro lawyer from Baltimore, engaged In
| a dispute with the choir leader concern
| Ing an unoccupied seat. IL is said a blow
| was struck. Some one I'm the choir cried:
They're lighting" Mistaking the word
fighting" for fire" the congregation
rose en- masse and started for the door.
WORD QUIET MISUNDERSTOOD.
One of the ministers quickly mounted
the nostrum and admonished the people
10 keep quiet. He repeated the word
quiet several times and motioned to
his hearers 10 be seated. The excited
congregation mistook the word quiet
for second alarm OF fire and again
rushed for the door. Men and women
crawled over benches and fought their
way into the aisles. and those who had
fallen were trampled upon like cattle.
The ministers tried again TO stop the
stampede, but no power on earth could
stay the struggling. fighting mass OF hu-.
manity.
The screams of the women and children
added TO the horror OF the scene
Through mere fright many persons
tainted and. as they fell to the floor,
were crushed to death.
THE CRUSH AT THE EXIT.
The level of the floor Of the church is
about Is feet from the ground and long
steps lead 10 the sidewalk from the lobby
outside the main auditorium. Brick walls
extend on each side of these steps for six
or seven feet. and this proved veritable
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 a few mo-
ments persons were piled upon each
other to height OF 10 feet, where they
struggled va.nly TO extricate themselves.
This wall Of struggling humanity block
ed the entrance. and the weight of 1900
persons in the body OF the church was
pushed against II. More than 20 persons
lying on the steps underneath the heap
OF bodies died from sufrocation.
FIRE DEPARTMENT CALLED.
Two white men who were in the rear
OF the church when the rush began es-
capped, and realizing the seriousness or
the situation. rushed to a corner near
by and turned In fire alarm. The fire
department answered quickly and the
arrival OF the wagons served to scatter
the crowd which had gathered around
the front Of the church.
squad OF police were FASTENED TO
the church and with the firemen finally
succeeded In releasing the negroes from
their pinioned positions m the entrance.
The dead bodies were quickly moved
and the crowd inside. finding an outlet,
poured out. Scores OF them lost their |
footing In their haste and rolled down |
the long steps TO the pavement, suffer- |
ing broken limbs and internal injuries
In an hour the church had been prac- |
tically cleared. The sight which greet |
ed those who had come 10 aid the In /
tured was sickening Down the aisles /
and along the outside OF the pews the |
dead bodies OF men and women were |
strewn and the manned and crippled ut /
tered heartrending cries The work OF /
The walls of the relatives OF the dead /
who had waited on the outside could be /
heard for several blocks.
MEDICAL AID IN PLENTY.
Shiloh church. in which the convention
the South Highlands the fashionable |
residence section OF this city. and all the |
physicians living IN that part of the town
OF the suffering negroes as could be
moved by the amhulanoes were taken 10
hospitals and the rest were laid out on
tended them. At least Is OF those brought
out injured died before they could be
moved IRON, the ground.
During the stampede Booker T. Wash
ington and several other prominent ne
groes were on the stage and were forced Il
10 Witness the frlghtful catastrophe None
Injured IN the least. For a few minutes
they attempted 70 restore order, but see
Ing their efforts were futile. waited until
the struggling crowd had advanced far
enough for them 10 pick up the dead and
injured.
MOST or THE DEAD WOMEN.
Most Of the dead are women and the
physicians say IN many cases they faint
ed ana died from sunocation. A remark !
able feature OF the calamity n that little |
or no blood was seen on any OF the VIC |
TINS They were either crushed or died
from suffocation
Rev Dr. 7. w Walker. pastor OF
shiloh church. said: shiloh .church Il n
modern brick structure and was COM
pleted at a cost OF $4,000 There are
four entrances 20 the building and the
main one IS i6 feet wide
The deaths were caused by everybody
trying 20 rush out Of the main entrance
az the same time. Inside the church not
n bench was overturned and all of those
>ho were killed died en- or about the
entrance. The people up near the front L
least"