The Washington herald., 1907-07-19

left in packed grand stands and crowded
streets. 1880 persons in the immense
throngs which had gathered TO see the
parade Of the Elks. dropped to-day, vic
tins Of a phenomenally deadly combina-
ton Of heat and humidity
Men, women, and children fell as though
under fire from some unseen ambuscade.
Five are dead. and IN ten crowded hos
pitals from forty 10 fifty more are dying.
Broad street. along which the parade
passed, looked Ike battle field. Emer-
gency hospitals We're hastily constructed
under grand stands and in side streets,
while about the hospitals the stricken
ones were laid in rows upon the grass
outside. Stores and wagons were convert
ed into wards. Automobiles. carriages,
and every form of vehicle was pressed
into service 10 help out patrols and am
balances.
Drink AduIterated Lemonade.
Lemonade, in which adulterants had
been placed. and which was sold freely
TO the crowds. was one of the factors in
the phenomenon
Chief Police Surgeon Patterson said to-
night that many Of the casts were due
also 10 the fact that the sufferers had
started out early in the morning with
little or no breakfast and had sat or
stood for hours,
mo definite or complete record could
be kept of the cases, said DR.. Patterson.
Probably as many more again as our
official figures show were treated and
sent directly to their homes. I have
never heard Of anything like this be-
fore"
During the hour that victims were fall
ing thickest, the music of the bands
was almost drowned by clanking bells
OF ambulances and patrols.
Looked Like Great Disaster.
Scenes about Broad and Arch streets.
from which point the medical forces
were being directed by Dr.. Patterson and
his staff. conveyed the impression that
some great disaster had occurred
Men and women were being carried,
fainting. from the crowds and from the
stands, and were being laid out on the
street Patrols and ambulances were
dashing up, loading, and dashing off
again; doctors, with red crosses on their
sleeves. were battling hard. pouring water
on the stricken and administering stimu-
Iauts; men. with megaphones on tele-
phone booths, attached high above the
street TO telegraph poles, were shouting
out such messages as these:
send two wagons to Broad and Green
streets"
-Four people down at Broad and
Spruce"
'Thirty-hve have just fallen in the
crowd at Berks street
Don't send any more 70 the Pennsyl-
yania Hospital; it's being swamped."
Thunder shower Saves Lives.
And through ali this bedlam, with bands
playing lively music and flags gaily flying
the paraders kept on marching Now
and then an Elk would topple over OF
stagger toward the ropes. The gap would
close up, ana his comrades go marcniag
on
At 3'o'clOck the Elks were dropping out
Of the lines by scores and seeking refuge
At this time terrific thunderstorm came
up. putting an abrupt end to the parade
and sending the crowds to shelter.
Had this not happened. and had the
heat continued an hour longer" sa.d
former Director OF Public Health Coplin
tonight the victims would have ranged
into tens Of thousands and the death list
would have been appalling"
Stand upon stand had been erected on
Broad street from Diamond north TO
Reed. distance Of three miles, the
route Of the parade. The affair was
scheduled to start at 70 o'clock this
morning, and thousands of people came
into the city 10 see it, By 1880 the three
miles Of blazing asphalt were lined