Elk City mining news. (Elk City, Idaho) 1903-1913, 1906-01-27
EIGHTEEN COLORED PERSONS
NET HORRIBLE DEATH.
A Woman Shrieked "Fire" in Baptist
Church, Located on Eighth Street in
Philadelphia, and Everybody Bottled
for the Door-Disaster Occurred
While Collection Was Being Taken.

following a loud shrek of fire"
brought death to 10 colored persons
and injuries to nearly two score of
others Sunday night in st. Paul's Bap-
fist church on the west side of Eighth
street, .etween Poplar street and Gil
rard avenue. The terrible rush to
gain the street was of brief duration, |
and that more were not killed in the
stampede probably was 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 floor of the building, which,
with the gallery, was capable of ac-
commodating 600 to 700 people. The
fire was a trifiing one and was ex-
tinguished before the firemen arrived
The smell of smoke added to the panic
and despite the heroic work of the
Rev. Mr.. Johnson, pastor of the
church, who tried in vain to allay the
fears of the frightened worshippers,
the terror stricken people made a des-
perate rush to leave the church, only
to be choked up on the narrow stair
way. Those in the rear leaped over
the PROSTATE forms of those who fell,
and when the rush was over 10 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 list of the identified
dead: Sarah Ruling, Mrs Lawrence,
Mrs. Patton, Ruth Framer, John Ber-
ry, Anna Alexander, aged 40; Mamie
Mckinney, Susie Holmes, Mrs. Mary
Weblock Charles Gardiner, aged IA;
Mamie Mccall, Ambrose Slaughter, 8
years old Cathrine Sewell, Ruth
Trainor.
The disaster occurred while a col
lection was being taken up. The pas
tor had just concluded his sermon,
the text of which was, why sit we
here until we dep
Following the collection there was
to have been a baptism. Some of the
colored people had left the church and
the others were about to go. AS the
4 pastor was arranging the pulpit pre-
paratory to beginning the baptismal
service a woman in one of the front
rows gave loud shrek of Fire" In
stantly 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 pull
pit. Then followed a half dozen cries
of fire" and the whole congregation
became panic stricken. The pastor by
this time realized the seriousness o.
the situation and, in loud voice
which only added to the confusion
called to the terror stricken people tc
be seated No one listened, and de
spite his frantic appeals rush start
ed that meant death to many wht
were in it.
At the rear Of the church, on thu
second floor, there is a wide doorwa.
which leads to a stairway to the cas-
size of the building Each stairwa.
has a sharp bend, which proved to b.
the principal contributory cause TO
the JAM The front door on the frs
floor is wide and easy of exit.
When the rush started those in tn
rear of the church did not full
realize what was wrong, and wer
slow to move The frantic shriekin
of the women and children becam
louder and more general, and man
were knocked down in the two aisle
of the church. Then came the tel
rible rush down the stairs. For som
unknown reason every body tried t
get down the left side OF the building
comparatively few attempting to leav
by the right stairway.
The horrible shrieks sent up by tn
PROSTATE persons added to the COZ
fusion, and by this time even the COO
err ones in the rear of the fightin
mass. men, women and children, b'
came terror stricken. Strong men, l
fear that the building was falling
leaped over the heads Of women an
children and fought only for thei
own safety, The terrific crush In tn
bends of the stairs became so grea
that the ballustrade, which was onl
a frail wooden affair, gave way. Their
was a terrific crash as half hundre
persons were precipitated to the foo
distance of 10 or IL feet. Thi
heightened the intensity of the PAM
and the rush became an awful jam.
When those who came down tn
front stairs had left the building,
terrible sight presented itself to tn
rescuers. The first floor and tn
stairway to the bend were covere
three deep with the dead and dyin
On the street hundreds were shriel
ing for help and looking for the
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