The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-07-04
MANY PERSONS
 l.E '. LIVES Frewsk Explode in a Cleveland Store.
 - e .JGHT IN A DEATH TRAP
 - Panic Among Hundreds of Clerks
 and Customers. s Maay Were Trampled Upon and other. Tumbled Dowa stairways snd Several Jumped From
 The windows. 
< .JGHT IN A DEATH TRAP

Cleveland. O., July s.--Seven persons were killed, at least two others were fatally injured and fully thirty more were severely hurt as the result of a Ire In S. s. Kresge's and io-cent stores on Ontario Street today.
 The dead: Emma Schumacher IS. floor walker: Marie Wagner. f5, elefk; Anna Trefali. 24, clerk; Frieda Trsfall. IT, clerk; Elizabeth Refs, IS. clerk; Mary Hughes, 27. shopper: James T.. Parker. years.
 The fire followed an explosion of fife- works on dieplay in the store. opin- ions differ as to the exact cause of the explosion. 4 woman who was at the fireworks counter and the stock was ignited by sparks from device which was being demonstrated to her by a clerk. Fire Chief Wallace and the store manager were of the opinion that the pieces were ignited by sn are light.
 Immediately following the explosion an alarm of fire was sounded and & panic seized the hundreds of clerks and shoppers. A mad rush was made for the doors and windows. Many Jumped from the second and third floor windows.
 The store. which is located near the busiest corner tn the downtown dis trict, was weii-niied with choppers. mostly women and children. Practi- eally all of the clerks were young girls. Although the explosion of the are- works caused consternation, the real panic did not occur until some one shouted '.F'ireF'
 For an instant hush came over tho crowd. Then the women screamed. some fainted and sudden fear ever Tra zeS hv tha nosufbilitv of injury or death. alI on the main floor rushed for the front and rear doors. Quickly they we're damned in the front door- ways.
 During sbs jarn these who had at 1 tempted to escape by the reax door
 wese blocked in their progress. IAs I main door was too small for all who sossrht nafetv there and the rear win- dows were closed with Iron hars. Those who could not escape in this direction turned to the front door. While prac- ] tically every one on the main floor was able to leave without injury through the front door, 1t was mainly because of the jam at that door that the unfor- tunate ones lost their lives. Two or the clerks. seeing no possibility of i'm. mediate escape at the front door, ran to the basement The basement win aows also were barred with iron and their return to the main noor was cut off by the approach of the flames. The other women again forced to the rear of the store by the approaching flames. finally sought safety under counter, where their bodies were found two hours after the explosion. The hve women had been suffocated. The sixth victim, the 4-year-old son of Mrs. George Parker, was knocked to the floor during the first panic There ba law uncon scioua and trampled upon, until suffocated by the smoke. While the panic upon the main floor was in progress. the flames from the fireworks counter rapidly advanced to other parts of the store. The smoke and flames were whirled up the stair way to the second and third floors. There another frenzied crowd of clerks and shoppers endeavoring to find a means of escape by way of the stairs. were frustrated by the suffocaeing smoke. The elevator made several trips during the first few minutes of the fire and took many to the main floor
 Hundreds of persons were near or in front of the store at the time of the explosion Terrified shoppers rushed out of the front doors to the sidewalks. Women and girls appeared in the upper windows, shouting ana pleading for help. Men upon the sidewalk cautioned them to wait until the firemen arrived with their ladders. Hysterical with the fright that was upon them. some did not wait. but hurled themselves to the sidewalk.
 Tn this manner they were severely injured. When one or two had thus faced death it stampeded the others on the upper lodges. and they, too, fol- lowed.