The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1903-08-11

philadelphia, Pa. August S.-tour
persons are dead. at least twelve are
thought to be fatally injured ana luI'S
leo Others hurt seriously. as the result
of an accident which occurred today "a
the Philadelphia National League
baseball park A board when
overhung the left field bleachers fell
to- the street, carrying 200 spectators
The identified dead are;
EDWARD GRAHAM.
ALFRED RODGERS.
EDWARD WILLIAMS. aged SO
years.
Nearly one hundred persons received
fractures of the limbs. laceratlons Oh
the head. broken noses. contuslons OIL
head and body. but their conditions are
not serious.
Two games were scheduled between
Boston and Philadelphia this afternoon
and the attraction drew over ten thous-
and persons to the ball park. The ac-
cident occurred at $40 o'clock. while
the Boston team was at bat in its half
of the fourth inning Of the second
game, and was Indirectly due to a
quarrel between two drunken men IN
the street The National League
stands are built of steel and brick. the
brick wall extending entirely around
the grounds At he top of the left
field seats, and extending from the
grand stand to the end Of the bleach
ers 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
were attracted by a disturbance IN the
street The leaned over the railing ia
see what was the trouble. and this drew
the attention of other spectators VINO
rushed on to the walk.
The walk became Over-crOwded. and
without a moments warning two nun
dred feet of it fell to the sidewalk
twenty feet below, carrying all who
were on it. There were probably three
thousand ~nrsOns sitting in the left
field bleachers. and the roar made by
the falling timber created a. panic. In
Stantly the cDectatOrS rose en-maSSe
and made a rush down the stand and
into the playing field. Not knowing
what had occurred. the ball players
and others tried to stop the mad rush.
but they were swept aside. and several
persons were badly hurt in the crush
Outside the grounds the scene was
one 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 wreck
age others were lying in the cutters
and dozens were stretched out in Fif-
teenth street on the car tracks. The
1900 persons within the grounds lett
the place and crowded about the in
jured of whom there were more than a
Tyo1n HI flICI Inr,
reigned for a time because of the great
crowd.
While waiting for conveyances tc
carry the victims to hospitals. thous-
ands of willing hands looked after the
injured. They ere carried from the
street and laid on the sidewalk and
some were taken into nearby private
houses All houses in the vicinity
were thrown open to the victims. one
of the largest street car barns IN the
city is situated across the street iron
the ball mark and all the wrecklng
cars and teams were ~Otten ready t(
transport the injured t. hospitals.
There were many GOD Samaritans II
the great crush of people but one Wht
stood out conspicuOuSly for valuable
assistance rendered was the Rev
Father John A. Tracy, Of st. Louis
Me. He was a spectator at the game
and the moment the crash came h
went TO the rescue. he dSSlSleu III eA
Treating many of the injured from un
der the wreckage. An express wago1
was standing nearby in which were
three trunks. He mounted the wagon
threw out the baggage. directed tn
loading of seven injured men into tn
vehicle and ordered a prominent poll
tician of the city to mount the driver
box and drive to the nearest hospital
The politician promptly obeyed.
More than half of the injured Wer
on the way to hospitals when polio
patrol wagons and hospital ambulance
began TO arrive.
1t is estimated that fully hundre-
persons were injured who went direc
to their homes
An examination of the walk after til
accident showed many Of the woode
supports, which extended three feet be
yond the wall to be rotten. They brok
off flush with the wall
President Potter. of the Philadelphi
National League baseball club wa
out of the city when the accident o..
CURED. William J. Shettsline, who
in charge of affairs at the ground
in Mr.. Potter's absence. was overcom
by the accident. He had nothing t
say except that there was not tn
slightest suspicion that the support
were weak.