New-York tribune., 1905-02-28
ELEVEN KILLED, SCORES HURT.
AUDITORIUM OF CONDEMNED FLEET STREET NEGRO
= sa. CHURCH COLLAPSES ON CROWD BELOW
Men, Children Mad Panic While Cries Of Dying
Manned Resound--Had Gathered for Funeral

Painter left it outside while he attempted to help
those IN the accident. Some time elapsed before
the corpse was taken away to an undertaking
establishment near by.
John j. Mayer who works for John J. Curley
a florist, of No. go West 115th-st. Manhattan.
was in charge of the floral arrangements He
was near the chancel, in the back end Of the
auditorium, when the crash came
THE STORY OF AN EYEWITNESS
1t was one of the most horrible sights that
ever saw, he said There was loud crack
ana l thought that perhaps the furnace had
blown up. I rushed downstairs, in the back. and
out to the Sunday school room. and there was
a mass of people piled up in a mass of timbers
1t seemed as If the pile was all arms and legs.
There were shouts of distress and fear Some
were crying TO be saved. Others shouted that
they were dying and others were crying Fire.
l rushed up and tried to keep the people quiet
l told them TO Shut up but nobody paid auv
attention jumped into the mass of wreckage
and started pulling the people out. You see what
condition am in. (FIis clothing was torn in
ribbons and he badly cut and bruisedD
Upstairs it seemed to be even worse than below,
for several hundred people mad with fear
fought to get out. I saw men striking women
and throwing aside children. Some jumped
through the windows and others were forced
III ugh where the sashes had been crowded out
e Al, tire tigle other tirabers were cracking snd
crealsing, and it seemed as If any rnnuts the
remainder OF the floor would go dowr I do
not know how any person got out alive The
stairs were narrow and doors so small that
they were soon choked. and II seemed to me as II
the old church would be torn TO pieces before
anybody got out AS it was the window sashes
were torn out and the doors torn down Some Of
those brutes seemed TO think more of the flowers
than they did of human life. and I caught some
Of them trying TO get some o. the set pieces
down the back stairs"
NO POLICEMEN, DESPITE DANGER
Although the church had been condemned.
and 1t was we'll known that any large gathering
Of persons there would make a dangerous si,ua-
ton. not the slightest attempt was made TO have
any policemen at the funeral. Eugene II. DAILY,
plain clothes man of the Adams 81. station.
happened to be just across the street when the
accident occurred. This was fortunate. for there
was no one in the church calm enough TO send
in call for assistance. He rushed TO the door
of the church, took one look and then sent in a
call to Police Headquarters for all the ambu-
lances and patrol wagons that were available.
Later seven ambulances and eight patrol wagons
were there.
EVERY PART OF STRUCTURE ROTTEN.
A fire alarm was sent in. and two trucks.
three engine companies and the salvage corps
were soon working on the wreckage and getting
the dead and injured out. II a slow work
because 'of the great amount Of wood which had
been broken into small pieces It seemed as IL
every stick of wood in the structure was just
ready to fall apart at the slightest touch.
News of the accident spread rapidly through
the negro quarter. and in fifteen minutes there
were five thousand persons trying 10 break
through the police lines formed by the reserves
Of Of ba.a
the building, and some Of the appeals to be al
lowed through the lines to hunt for friends
were pitiful. All the stores and shops IN the
neghborhood were filed with the injured. AL
though the police got the names OF only thirty
or these there probably two hundred who
were more or less cut bruised In addition
to sending ambulance surgeons from all the hos
pitals in Brooklyn the operators at Police Head
quarters sent all the doctors that could be
reached to the scene.
1t after 10 o'clock before all the dead
and injured had been removed BY that tire
the great of small wreckage had been
thrown out Of the side win5uyvs into the yard
and made pile five feet nigh The great heaps
Of dust that were the floor attested 10 the
dryness of the wood In every part OF the
church were articles OF clothing and jewelry.
Under the direction Of Captain Gallagher, of
the Adams-st. station, these were gathered up.
They looked like half dozan rummage sales
put into one.
PASTOR TRIED TO GET CROWD OUT.
One OF the trustees of the church who would
not give his name. said that the pastor would
not have allowed so many people TO crowd into
the structure If ne had been there in time to
prevent il. Better than any one else he knew
the fran condition Of the beams. and when he
had made his way 10 the platform and saw
hat ~
emptied Of half the persons there.
ONE DEATH FROM FRIGHT.
The ushers started in TO carry out his in
structions and begged and pleaded with the
people -, get back. But II as II they had
attempted 10 move a cliff The pews were
TANNED, tn aiEles sfere crowded and the stairs
congested Those Y. fronl were kept In by those
behind them. II was poss d, that the ncvs-