The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1906-01-25
DEADLY STAMPEDE
Eighteen Negroes Lose Life
in Panic in Church.
CRYOF FIRE" THE CAUSE
Congregation Pushed Pei! Nell Over
Each Other in Frantic Efforts to
Escape and Victims Were
Trampled to Death.


A wild panic following a loud
shrek OF "Fire!s brought death to
eighteen colored. people, and serious
injuries to a half hundred Of others
Sunday night in st. Pauls Baptist
church, Philadelphia.
The terrible rush to gain the street
was Of brief duration, and that more
we're not killed in the stampede was
probably due to the fact that the
church was not crowded. ~:
The: smell Of smoke added to the
panic, and, despite the heroic work
OF the pastor of the church, who tried
in vain to allay the fears of the
frightened worshipers, the terror
stricken people made a desperate
rush to leave the church, only to be
choked up on the narrow stairway.
Those in the rear leaped over the
prostrate forms Of those who fell,
and when the rush was over, eigh-
teen lay dead on the first floor and
stairs of the building. Death in near
" every case was due to suffocation
or trampling.
a defective fue set fire to the Chin
ney, causing smoke to issue through
the crevices In the floor near the pull
pit
The disaster occurred while col
lection was being taken up. The pas
tor had just concluded his sermon,
the seemingly ominous text of which
was 'Why Sit We Here Until We
Die" Following the collection there
was to have been baptism Of man
and wife. Some of the colored peo-
pie, owing to the lateness of the even
ing, had left the church, and others
were about to go.
AS the pastor was arranging the
pulpit preparatory to beginning the
baptismal service, a woman in one
aof the front rows Of the left side Of
the pulpit gave loud Shrek of
'.Fire." Instantly all those about her
were on their feet, looking for the
blaze
There were no flames in sight, but
those near the pulpit smelled smoke
and started down the aisle toward
the pulpit. Then followed half
dozen cries Of "F1re!" and the whole
congregation became panic-stricken.
The pastor in a loud voice, which
only added to the confusion, called
to the terror-stricken people to be
s seated. No one listened, and, despite
his frantic appeal, rush started that
meant death to many that were in the
church.
When the rush started those in the
rear Of the church did not fully real.
ize and were slow to move. The
frantic shrieks of the women and
children became louder and more gen.
eral and many were knocked down
In the two aisles of the church.
Then came the terrible rush down
the stairways. For some unknown
reason, everybody tried to get down
the left side of the building, COM
paratively few attempting to leave By
the right stairway. One eyewitness
says that perhaps dozen persons got
safely down the stairs when several
people tripped and fell and caused
the narrow way to become jammed.
Several men on the first floor at.
tempted to hold the people back, but
were knocked down, and then the hu.
man stream came tumbling down. The
weaker ones fell only to be trampled
upon and crushed by those coming
from behind.
The terrible shrieks sent up by the
PROSTATE persons added to the con-
fusion, and by this time even the
cooler ones in the rear Of the fight
ing mass of men, women and chill.
6ren became terror-stricken. Dazed
men, in fear that the building was
falling, feared over the heads Of wo-
men and children and fought only for
their own safety.