Evening journal., 1903-08-10
ROTTEN TIMBERS
FATAL TO NINE
Scores of Others Perhaps
Fatally Injured at Ball Park
Catastrophe
SCENE WAS A HORRIBLE ONE

Philadelphia, Aug. 1O.-Ninc pCO-l
pie were killed and 300 more or less
seriously injured. a score perhaps ia
tally. by the collapse OF a rotten bal
cony at the Philadelphia National
League Base Ball Park. The bal
cony overhung the high wall on the
Fifteenth street side OF the park. and
sudden pressure at a veal, point
caused a sharp break, which precipi-
tated an avalanche of struggling,
shriel,ing humanity into the street,
fully 20 feet below. Among the scores
of bleeding men and boys quickly
taken to hospitals Il is feared that
fully a dozen viii not be able to sur
viye their terrible injuries. That more
were not killed outright Is little short
OF a miracle. The nearby hospitals
were unable to care for the many pa
tients rushed into their wards, and
some. seriously injured, had to be
taken TO other institutions before their
bleeding wounds could be treated.
The list Of dead follows: Alfred
Rodgers. William J Graham, Matthew
=. Reed, George Cunningham. Joseph
Edgar, Nicholas Moses, Edward Moses,
Edward Williamson, Louis McGrath.
Rotten timbers we're responsible for
the accident, which occurred during
the second game between Boston and
the Phillies. A drunken mans attack
on a little girl started a fight In Fif-
teenth street, and the crowd in the
I.n ,.In aI 20 Ia taf ttgft
balcony all yelling eycitedly. With a
loud report one of the joists gave way
IN about the centre of the structure
Instantly the joists started breaking
toward Huntington street and also
toward Lehigh avenue simultaneously,
and at least 1000 persons were hurled
TO the ground. distance of about %
feet. The yells and screams Of the
injured and the falling were appalling
The first line of spectators against
the railing quickly plunged to the
ground. and those behind came tum-
bling after showed forward from those
behind.
There was an indistinguishable tan
gle of arms and legs, and a cloud of
dust arose which for a moment hid
the struggling mass from view. Imme-
diately the widest excitement pre-
vailed.
squad Of policemen we're soon on
the scene and began the work Of res
cue, which was made difficult by the
immense crowd that had abandoned
the ball game and came pouring out
through the gates. For half an hour
the street was filled with limping
bleeding, moaning and shrielSing men
and many small boys. The injured
were lying in all attitudes on the
pavements and many Of the more
seriously hurt were being carried into
nearby houses. In a few minutes pa
troll wagons and ambulances began to
arrive and the work of carrying away
the injured began i'm earnest.
The scene after the accident was
fairly indescribable Il was a literal
fact that blood fairly flowed in the
gutter Many of the injured fell from
the top of the wall face downward, and
It is thought that there were scores
Of fractured skulls.
There were but few eye-witnesses
TO the accident, yet they all agree to
the main facts. Mrs. Kohler likens il
to a human avalanche She said that
for several seconds she could see
nothing but n stream of human be
ings. wildly waving arms and legs. and
pouring over the wall like a waterfall
Her young son. who saw IL from the
roof, likencd the scene to an army oi
men and boys trying 70 swim in the
air. Another said it reminded her oil
nothing so much as a swarm of hie.
descending on some object