The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-09-20
Panic in National Baptist
Convention in Birmingham
many SCORE ARE INJURED
Booker Washington Was Present,
but Was Not Hurt.
mnns rhcr hlhpM or EIPE
WAS A FALSE ALARM OF FIRE
over Two Thousand Negroes Had
Crowded Into Church, Packing
the Isles and Door ways-When
Rush Game Men, Women
and Children We're
Tranpied Under.
Rr Associated Press.)

BIRMINGHAM, ALA, Sepleihpei ~
seven,v-eight people known to be deau
rna eighty injured. the majority pefha ~
sataliy. Is the result Of a panic Which
n...rred in the Shiloh negro bapust
Church here tonight during the evening
.a,,ice of the Negro National Bapust
Convention. -.
The disaster occurred at 9 o'clock Just
xs Booker I. Washington had coAciu"eu
his address to the National CohNelllio!'
of Negro Baptists. and for three heu!s
the ccenes around the church were IN
decribable. Dead bodies We're strewn IN
every direction and the ambulance ser
vice of the city was utterly unable TO
,noye them until after j o'clock A NJ
The injured were first attended TO and
dozens of dead bodies were arranged III
rows on the ground outside OF house OF
worship awaiting removal to the various
undertaking establishments. While more
than a score were laid out on the benches
inside.
The church is the largest house OIL
worship for negroes in Birmingham, ana
the pastor says there We're at leat 1000
persons in the edifice when the stampede
began. Instructions had been issued to
allow no one else to enter after the build
ing had been filed, but the negroes
forced their way into the church and
We're standing in every aisle. The en-
trance was literally packed.
Just as Booker Washington concluded
his address, Billou. q. negro lawyer from
Baltimore engaged in an alteration
with the choir leader concerning an un-
occupied seat; and it is said blow was
struck Some one in the choir cried:
They're fghting,'
ROSE EN- MAssE.
INSTALLING the word lighting for
fire. the congregation rose en- rasse
ana started Cor the door. One o. the
ministers quickly mounted the rostrum
and admonished the people 10 keep quiet
He repeated the word quiet several
times and motioned to his hearers to be
seated. Again the excited congregation
rnistook the word quiet for a second
alarm of fire, and rushed for the door.
Men and women crawled over benches.
fought their way into the aisles, and
those who h;nl fallen were .rampled
Upon like cattle.
The ministers tried again to stop the
stampede but no power on earth could
stay the struggling. fighting mass OF hu-
Inanity. The screams of women and
children added to the horror of the scene.
and through mere fright many persons
farrted, and as they fell to the floor We're
crushed to death.
The level OF the floor is about fifteen
feet from the ground, and long steps lead
TO the sidewalk from the lobby just out
side the auditorium Brick walls extend
on each side OF these steps from six to
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
fcw moments persons We're piled upon
each other to a height Of ten feet.
This wall of struggling humanity block
eG the entrance and the weight of 800
persons was pushed against it. More
than twenty persons lying on the steps
underneath the heap of bodies died from
suffocation
TURNED IN. FIRE ALARM
Two white men, who were in the
rear of the church when the rush began
escaped and realizing the seriousness of
the situation rushed to a corner nearby
and turned in a fire alarm. The depart
Inent answered quickly and the arrival
of the wagons served to scatter the
crowd which had gathered around the
front Of the church. A squad of police
was fastened to the church and with
the firemen finally succeeded in relieving
the negroes from their pinioned position
fr the entrance.
The dead bodies We're quickly 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 pavement. sustaining broken
limbs and internal injuries. In an hour
the church had been practically cleared
and the sight which greeted those who
had come TO the aid of the injured was
Eickening. Down the aisles and along the
outside of the pews the dead bodies of
men and women We're strewn and the
cries of the manned and crippled We're
Eeartrending. In a few minutes the work
OF removing the bodies was begun and
fhe walls of the relatives of the dead
who had waited on the outside. could be
heard for several blocks The Shiloh
church Is located just ir the cage of the
South Highlands. the fashionable resi-
eence section of this city. and all the
physicians living in that part of the town
went to the assistance of the fui,re5
BOOKER WASHINGTON PRESENT
AS many of the suffering negroes as
could be moved by the ambulances were
saken to hospitals and the rest were laid
out on the ground, and there the ply
eiclans attended them. At least fifteen
OF those brought out injured died before
t1ey could be moved from the ground
puflhs the stampede Booker T. Wash
Estoh ana several other prominent no
gro leaoefs were on the stage and were
uh"llAiis Witnesses to the frightful ca
tastrophe. None of those in tho choir
or in the pulpit We're injured in the
least For few minutes they attempte ed
20 restore order. but seeing Their, efforts
were futile. waited until the struggling
crowd had advanced far enough for
Them to pick up the dead and injured
Most of the dead are women and tho
physicians say in many cases they
tainted and died from sutfocation A re-
rlarkable feature of the calamity is that
no blood was seen on any Of the victims
They were either crushed or died c-2:..
kffocadon.