Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1906-01-27
''Why Sit We Here
Until We Die. ="
CONTINUED FROM FIRST PAGE.

the drivers hurried TO St Joseph's
Hospital. which was also soon Alled.
a call for more physicians was sent
in 60 the Electrical Bureau, City
| Hall. from the two hospitals.
| Operator James Tobin received
! The message and within a few Sc
conds the other operators were send
4 ing ont dispatches summOning the
/ district police surgeons from the
! Sixth, Eighth. Ninth. Tenth. Elev-
Tenth and Twelfth districts and di-
! recting them 20 report at the two
Hospitals Immediately. In some i'm
/ stances patrol wagons were detail
| ed TO hurry the surgeons from their
| homes TO the Institutions. and with
! the doctors once inside. the drivers
! OF the wagons lost no time in COW
ering the ground 20 the hospitals.
Great credit is given the Electro
| cal Bureau for it's promptness in
isummoning police aid 20 the scene
iof the accident. Within a few mo-
ments after receiving the first call
from the Twelfth district. in which
the accident occurred. four patrol
wagons were being rushed 90 the
scene with an haste and several am
tbulances were ordered out. At the
same time details OF police were be
ling summoned from the station
houses at Twenty-third and Brown
and from Twentieth and jefferson
lstreets and were on their way 20
lthe scene.
The first the police knew OF it
Twas at 9.45 L. NJ. when some one
lsent I'm a riot cali from Eighth and
lGirarj avenue TO City Hall With
Tout loss of even second. a message
was dispatched 20 the Tenth and
Thompson streets station for a de
tan. and a few minutes later an a
l5Tm of fire was turned in.
10 was only a few seconds later
lthat calls for police aid were being
lsent in 20 the bureau and the police
Icallcd out. Bat for the prompt ar
Trivial of the engines and bluecoats
lthe list of dead would have been
horrible 90 imagine.
| Philadelphia, Pa. Jan. %. 1906.
| a misstep taken by Mrs. Annie
Ford. of 92f Poplar street. in de-
ascending the staircase OF st. Paul's
IAfrican Baptist Church. Eighth and
Poplar streets. with her three-year
Iold grandson i'm her arms. resulted
in the disaster i'm which seventeen
persons were killed and perhaps fif-
lty injured on Sunday night.
/ According to statements of sever
lal persons who saw the fearful acct
dent. Mrs Ford tripped and fen just
as She reached the bottom Of the
stairway.
Back Of her came tho crowd of
worshipper- hurrying TO leave the
| smoke-nUcd church. Several wo
men in the vanguard fen over Mrs.
| Ford's body, other feet caught in
! their skirts. and in q few seconds
1.-THE members of the congregation
were piing ON top OF each other.
/ Others from above pushed for
ward until the crowd on the stair
case became "a STRUGGLING frenzied
Imass OF humanity. The stairway
/ became jammed with tho frantic.
panic-strickcn throug. and then the
. Dauistcr gave way under the ire
Imoudous strain Then mon. wo-
mon and children topplcd over 20
thc ground floor.
This is the version of the acct
don, given hy the pastor, Rev. +.
vs.. Johnson. yesterday and corrObo-
I rated by Charles Johnson. ono OF
the church trustees, who was on tho
ground floor and saw Mrs. Ford fan
7 followed Dog Che human avalanche.
J PASTORS ACCOUNT CONFIRMED
/ Investigation by various city of
fciaIs has confirmed This cXplana-
.tion Tnov agreed that there We're
enough doors and aisles leading
from the the CHURCH 90 accommodate
the congregation. Fire Marshal
|I.attimcr n his report TO Director
Potter asserted. however, that the
south aisle of the church was filled
with chairs. thus diverting the STAN
peded worshippers TO the north
B Stairway. where the crush took
place.
The calamity resulted in an order
- issued by Director Potter 90 Super
5 inteudenr OF Police Taylor 10 see
lthat the theatres are held mp 90 a
j strict compliance with the buildina
flaws. In this connection he mas iu
, lstructed the superintendent TO place
. policemen IN every theatre for three
81 consecutive nights 90 see that there
Z is no overcrowding and that the
laisles are kept perfectly clear.
Z The list OF casualties was brought
L lup.
b. Many persons were reported miss
d ing 10 the police yesterday who have
e h not been found among the dead. II
Z is believed that several persons who
4, escaped injury in the panic are wal
I dering about the streets in dazec
. condition. One young woman, Cls
I Ira Jackson. was found yesterday
e morning wander ing about Tenth and
e Jackson streets. Her clothing wa'
S torn and her arm was injured. She
G did not remember where she lived
D She was taken TO st. Agnes Hospi
- tai. According TO physicians at the
- various hospitals where the injured
were taken, most Of them will re
covev.
|