The Red Cloud chief., 1906-01-26
I8 PERISH IN PANIC
WILD STAMPEDE IN CoLoRED
CHURCH IN PHILADELPHIA.
Weaker ones Trampled to Death In
Marrow Stairway-kearly Two Score
injured-Blaze Was a Trifing One
and Was Quickly Extinguished.


I Injured-Blaze Was Trifling One
and Was Quickly Extinguished.
Philadelphia, Jan. 22.-A wild panic
following a loud shrek OF fire
brought death to eighteen colored per-
sons and injuries to nearly two score
of others in st. Paul's Baptist church
on the west side Of Eighth street, be-
tween Poplar street and Girard ave-
nue.. The terrible rush to gain the
street was OF brief duration, and that
more were not killed in the stampede
was probably due to the fact that the
church was not crowded. At the
time the disaster occurred not more
than 800 persons were on the second
0oor OF the building, which, with the
gallery, was capable OF accommodate
ing 600 to 700. The fire was trifing
one and was extinguished before the
firemen arrived. The smell OF smoke
added to the panic and despite the
heroic work OF the Rev. E. w. John
son, the pastor OF the church, who
tried in vain to allay the fears of the
frightened worshipers, the terror
stricken people made desperate rush
to leave the church, only TO be
choked up on the narlCw stairway.
Those in the rear leaped over the
PROSTATE forms of those who fell and
when the rush was over eighteen lay
dead on the first floor and stairs OF
the building. Death in nearly every
case was due to suffocation or tramp
ling.
Following is a list of the Identified
dead: Sarah Ruling, Mrs. Lawrence,
Mrs. Patton, Ruth Framer, John Ber-
ry, Anna Alexander Mamie Mckinney,
Susie Holmes, Mrs. Mary Weblock,
Charles Gardiner, Mamie Mccall, Aboz
Slaughter, Catherine Sewel, Ruth
Trainer
The disaster occurred while col
lection was being taken up. The
pastor had just concluded his SER
mon, the text of which was "Why Sit
We Here Until We Die?'
Rush to Their Death.
When the rush started those in the
rear of the church did not fully realize
what was wrong and were slow TO
move. The frantic shrieking of the
women and children became louder
and more general and many were
knocked down in the two aisles of the
church. Then came the terrible rush
down the stairways. For some un-
known reason everybody tried to get
down the left side of the building,
comparatively few attempting to leave
by the right stairway. One eye-wit'
ness says that perhaps a dozen per-
sons got safely down the stairs wnen
several people triCped and fell and
caused the narrow way to become
jammed. Several men on the first
floor attempted to hold the people
back, but were knocked down and
then the human stream came tum'
bling down. The weaker ones fell
only to be trampled upon and crushed
by those coming from behind. The
horrible shrieks sent up by the pros
trate persons added to the confusion
and by this time even the cooler ones
in the rear of the fighting mass OF
IncH, WOHlSu anu CHlluTtH DcCdHic
terror-stricken. Strong men, in fear
that the building was falling, leaped
over the heads of women and chill.
dren and fought only for their own
safety.
Balustrade Gives Way.
The terrific crush in the bend OF
the stairs became so great that the
balustrade, which was only a frail
wooden affair, gave way. There was
terrible crash as half hundred per
sons were precipitated to the floor, o
distance o. about twelve feet. This
heightened the intensity of the panic
and the rush became an awful jam
The pastor OF the church continued tc
appeal to the crowd in the rear tc
stop their rush, but none would heed
Over the PROSTATE forms the crowC
went, crushing the lives out of those
who were unable to extricate them
selves.
When those who came down tn,
front stairs had left the building ;
terrible sight presented itself to th
rescuers. The .lrst floor and tn
stairway were covered three deep wit