Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1904-01-07

the hall below where this awful seen,
was being enacted. A number Of tn,
men were compelled to abandon theil
task and give II over to others whose
nerves had not as yet been shaken by
the awful experience. As one by one
the bodies were dragged out Of the
water-soaked, blackened mass Of
corpses the spectacle became more and
more heart-rending. There were wom-
4 en- whose clothing was torn complete
| ly from their bodies above the waist.
whose bosom had been trampled into
pulp and whose faces were marred
beyond all power Of Identification.
Chicago stirred BY the Calamity.
Rarelyin the history of Chicago has
Its people been 10 stirred as by the ca
lamity Of yesterday. It is next to the
Chicago fire, the greatest catastrophe
that has ever occurred, and the speed
with which It came and went seemed
for brief period to appal the business
section Of tho city The news spread
with great rapidly and In b short time
hundreds Of men, women and children
were rushing toward the theater The
building In which the calamity oc-
CURED stands midway between State
and Dearborn streets. on the north side
Of Randolph street. Although every |
available policeman within call Of the |,
department was Immediately hurried
to the spot and the men placed in lines
at the end of the block, allowing no
body to enter Randolph street from
either Dearborn or State, 1t was found
for time at first impossible to hold
back the frenzied crowd that pressed
forward, many Of them having friends
or relatives in the theater, and anx-
ious to learn something Of them. The
conduct Of the police was beyond all
praise The officers held their ground
firmly and gently pushed back all
those who sought to gain an entrance
10 the theater, although In some in
stances frantic men, anxious to look
Icr their loved ones. actually beat the
,fiicers with their fists in their rage at
icing prevented. In spite of the ef-
orts of the police, however. q large
lumber of people succeeded in break
IS through theira lines and entering
81 I1ssIsi .08 - my cases did he
y. NoIN b ',ANu|1z the injured and
.& 1'@ 'a@. ~ Heap.
HAe NfA' NtNA'A men upon the
FH8nN fI48 V&FF.0 h many Of the
a 4 N' |'izdH I.e building was
full Of snoke when the fireinen first
rived that the full extent Of the ca
lstrophe was not Immediately grasped
ntil fireman and newspaper man
'awled up the stairway leading to the
llcony, holding nandKercniers over
eir mouths to avoid suffocation, Az
ey reached the doorway the fireman, X
hose dvisionf was better trained In g
Oh emergencies, seized his compan-
q BY the arm, exclainiing: Good X
ID, man, don't walk on their faces"
10 two men tried vainly to get
rough the door, which was jammed
tn dead women piled higher than
her Of their heads. Ali the lights
the theater were necessarily out
d the only illumination come through
cloud Of smoke that hung between
interior Of the theater and the
Get. The two men Immediately hur-
d to the floor below and informed ar
lef Musham, Of the IRE department,
t the dead bodies were piled high
the balcony and prompt assistance
ct be rendered II any Of them we're
be saved.
ne Work Of Getting Ost the Dead.
he chief at once called upon all Of y
men In the vicinity to abandon La
X on the fire and come at once to Air
rescue. Over 200 lights were quick ~;
carried into the building and the si- Nv,
K Of rescue commenced. So rapid thSt
we're the bodies brought down that
IN hour there were two streams Of
! In and out Of the door, the one II
ying bodies, the other composed Of
returning to get more. Although
he patrol wagons and every ambu- roe,
e owned by the city was pressed mos
service, they were utterly inade-t
Q to carry away the dead and In
t time there was line OF corpses
yet long piled two and three high
he sidewalk In front Of the thea
It was found necessary in order rub
onvey the bodies rapidly 10 the spot
rue and to the various undertaking ieei =
'lishments to press trucks into VIZ
&c. and In these, upon costly ~ ~
zets furnished by the dry goods ~. .
8 In the vicinity. and covered with a. %
same material. the dead were the 4
d away practically like 50 much depal
wood. One large truck ordinarily
for conveying freight to depots
90 heavily loaded with dead IN
Of the theater that the two large
8 attached 70 Il were unable 10
and the police were compelled
list BY Juggling at the wheels Nm.
Iootsrs Got 70 work. Wu
lie scores Of men were busy IN
Ing out the dead and injured two
n were found who had provided
Ielves with baskets and were an
en- with the property q TIE dead.
were Immediately placed under