Lewiston evening teller. [volume] (Lewiston, Idaho) 1903-1911, 1906-01-22

Philadelphia. Jan. 22.-The cry of
fire" in St. Paul's Baptist church
(colored) precipitated an awful panic
last night which resulted in Il deaths
and many injuries. Had the attend
ance last night been larger the death
list would have been appalling.
The blaze was trifling one and was
! eXtinguished before the arrival of the
fire department. The pastor strove in
vain To quiet the terror stricken con-
gresation, which at the first cutlery
started enmasse for the exist.
When the rush started those in the
rear of the church did not fully realize
what was wrong and We're slow to
move. The frantic shrieking of the
women and children became louder and
more general and many We're knocked
! down in the two asles of the church.
! Then came the terrible rush down the
stairs. For some unknown reason
4 everybody tried to get down the left
/ side of the building. comparatively few
attempting to leave by the right stair
/ way. one eye witness says that per-
| haps a dozen persons got safely down
! the stairs when several people tripped
! and fell and caused the narrow way
to become damned. Several men on
| the first floor attempted to hold the
/
then the human stream came tumbling
down. The weaker ones fell only to
be trampled upon and crushed by those
coming from behind
! The horrible shrieks sent up by the
PROSTATE persons added to the confu-
! sion and by this time even the cooler
once in the rear Of the fighting mass of
men. women and children became ter
ror stricken. Strong men in fear that
the building was falling. leaped over
the heads of women and children and
! fought only for their own safety. 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 terrific crash
as half a hundred persons We're pre-
cipitated to the floor, a distance Of
| about ten or twelve feet. This heigh-
tened the intensity of the panic and the
rush became an awful jam.
When those who came down the
front stairs had left the building a ter
rble sight presented itself to the res
cuers. The first floor and the stair
way to the bend We're covered three
deep with the dead and dying. on
the street hundreds were shrieking for
! help and looking for their missing
/ loved ones. The rescuers did not know
/ Captain Hamm and policeman who
arrived on the scene just as the last of
the panic stricken people We're rush
ing from the edifice. took charge and
turned in a general alarm for ambu-
lances, policemen and fremen. With
the help of scores of colored men and
white people who We're attracted to the
scene the dead and the injured We're
extricated from the terrible mass OF
humanity and laid on the sidewalks If
Eighth street The ringing of the fire
bells. the clang of ambulance gongs
the almost total darkness and the thick
fog added to the grewsomeness Of the
scene and caused utter confusion for
a time order was soon brought about
however. and every one who could not
stand was placed in an ambulance and
rushed to a hospital. No time was ia
ken up to see if any victim was dead
and within an hour after the disaster
occurred the streets had been cleared
Of the mass of people and the church
door closed.