The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-08-09
\ FALLING WALK
PERSONS WE'RE KILLED AND
TOVH -,,,vE FATALLY INJURED.
TRAGEDY AT BALL GAME
our ABOUT BY QUARREL BE-
S"O TWEEN DRUNKEN MEN.

.,on,I League Grounds - Ten
so..and Persons Present TO See
cames-QuarreI in Street At
.ad crowd to BIeacher Walk.
o,ure Gave Way, Carrying
hundred Persons to Street,
,...,ty Feet BeIOw-Besides Dead
Fatally Injured 100 others
we're Hurt.
Philadelphia, Aug. S.-Four persons
doad at least twelve are thought
no fatally injured, and fully 100
.,.rs are hurt seriously, as the result
t.n accident which occurred to-day
" the philadelphia National League
n.,anau park. A board walk which
ororbung the left field bleachers, fell
- the street. carrying 200 spectators.
The Identified dead are:
Edward Graham.
Alfred Rogers.
Edward williamson, aged 90 years.
Nearly one hundred persons received
fractures Of the limbs. decorations of
he head. broken noses, Commissions of
Aaad and body, but their conditions are
bot serious.
Two game were scheduled between
Boston and Philadelphia this afternoon,
Ind the attraction drew over 10000
pgsons to the ball park. The accident
Ncurred at $40 o'clock, while the Bos-
tm team was at bat in it's half of the
'burth inning of the second game, and
ws Indirectly due to a quarrel be-
tween two drunken men in the street.
The National League stands are
built of steel and brick, the brick wall
erending entirely around the grounds.
Atthe top of the left field seats, and
eNending from the grand stand to the
END of the bleachers there was walk
about three feet wide, which overhung
The street. 1t was this walk that gave
way under the heavy weight.
Men who were standing on the walk
.Sere attracted by a disturbance in the
Direct They leaned over the railing
10 see what was the trouble. and this
brew the attention of other spectators,
Fho rushed onto the walk.
Fell Twenty Feet.
3 The walk became over crowded and
Tthout "a moments warning 200 feet
Ii it fell to the sidewalk, twenty feet
elow, carrying all who were on it.
there were probably 5000 persons sit
Ing in the left field bleachers, and
be roar made by the falling timber
Rated a panic.
Instantly the spectators rose en-
ssse and made a rush down the
hnd and into the playing field. Not
bowling what had occurerd, the ball
ayers and others tried to stop the
bad rush, but they were swept aside
nd several persons were badly hurt
the crush.
A Scene of Horror.
Outside the grounds the scene was
ne of horror. For an entire block
On Fifteenth street from Huntingdon
Street to Lehigh avenue, men and boys
were lying, writhing in agony. Some
were buried under the wreckage,
others We're lying in the cutters and
DOZENS were stretched out in Fifteenth
street on the car tracks. The 10000
persons within the grounds left the
place and crowded about the injured,
s of whom there were more than, a hum
dred. Indescribable confusion reigned
4 lor time because of the great crowd.
Help Promptly Given.
While waiting for conveyances to
larry the victims to hospitals thous-
Nds of willing hands looked after the
hlured. They were carried from the
|eet and laid on the sidewalk and
Nme were taken into nearby private
a0uses All houses in the vicinity were
nrown open to the victims. One of
Ae largest street car barns in the city
situated across the street from the
vail park and all the wrecking cars
Nd teams were gotten ready to trans
writ the injured to hospitals.
there were many good Samaritans
d The great crush of people, but one
Nao stood out conspicuously for valu-
rSe assistance rendered was the Rev.
Saher John A. Track, of st. Louis
~" He was a spectator at the game.
aad the moment the crash came he
vent 10 the rescue.
ne assisted in extricating many of
the injured from under the wreck
age An express wagon was standing
'edr by in which were three trunks
ne mounted the wagon. threw out
'Ae baggage. directed the loading of
seven injured men into the vehicle,
a'io ordered a prominent politician of
'i7 city to mount the drivers box
S'a drive to the nearest hospital. The
'oilucian promptly obeyed.
More than half of the injured were
VI The way to hospitals when police
"a 'rol wagons and hospital ambulances
oegan to arrive. 1t is estimated that
.uly a hundred persons were injured
VINO Went direct to their homes.
Wallis support ROtteA
an examination of the walk after the
''iuent showed many of the wooden
'pports, which extended three feet be-
. :, the wall, to be rotten. They were
sOuI two and half inches thick and
s SvSl six inches wide. They broke off
~ with the wall.
Nst,esldent Potter of the Philadelphia
On, Nonal League Baseball Club, was
eur,sol me city when the accident oc-
IN "a william J. Shettsline, who Is
N, uSfge Of affairs at the grounds In
by - F0tter's absence, was overcome
ssv 'ne accident. He had nothing to
slrh, except that there was not the
w,r ,''est suspicion that the supports