The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-07-04
FIREWORKS EXPLODED
AND STARTED BLAZE
Panic Among Hundreds Of Shop
pers on First Floor Followed
by Another AbovcChil
Knocked Down and
Trampled to
Death.

~ and fully thirty more were Sc
4 verely hurt. as the result OF a
FIRE In S. S. Krcsgc's and 10 cent
store on Ontario Street. to-day. The
Emma schumaker, eighteen. floor
walker
Marie Wagner. seventeen, clerk.
anna anna Trstail rraIa,; tM,ntystour. clerk.
iEltzabeth Refs, eighteen. clerk.
Mary Hughes. twenty-seven. shopper.
James L. Parker, four years.
Fireworks exploded.
The fire followed an explosion Of
fireworks on display in the store.
Opinions differ rs to the exact cause Of
the explosion. A woman who was at
the fireworks counter said the stock
was ignlted by sparks from a device
which was being demonstrated to her
by clerk. Fire Chief Wallace and
the store manager believe that the
fireworks were set off by an arc light.
Immediately after the explosion an
alarm OF fire was sounded, and panic
seized the hundreds o: clerks and shop
pers 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 in the downtown dis
5trict. was we'll filled with shoppers.
mostly women and children. Practi-
4 cally all the clerk1r>Eerc young girls.
Although the explosion caused con-
sternation. the rtA II panic did not occur
until some one Shouted "FTlre.'' For
an instant hush came over the crowd.
Then women screamed. some tainted,
and sudden fear overcame others.
Wild Rush for Doors.
crazed by the possibility of injury
or death. all on the main f!oor rushed
n n " ~ -
they were jam.ned In tie 'front.' door
way. During the Jam those who had
attempted to escape3by the rear door
were blocked in their progress. The
main door was too small for all who
sought safety there. and the rear win
dows were closed with iron bars. Those
who could not escape in this direction
tically every one on the main floor was
bic to leave without injury Through
the front door, 1t was chiefly because
of the jam at that door that the un-.
fortunate ones lost their lives
Two OF the clerks, seeing no possi-
bility of immediate escape at the front
door. ran to the basement. The base
ment windows also were barred with
iron, and their return to the main;
floor was cut off by the flames Three
other women. forced to the rear Of the
f ~ s."o dpPAodGIla 1ea IianeS.
finally sought safety under counter,
where their bodies were found two
hours after the explosion. All five
had been suffocated.
The four-year-old son Of Mrs. George
Parker was knocked to the floor dur
Ing the first panic. There he lay un-
conscious and trampled upon until suf-
located by the smoke.
Another Panic Above.
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 floor.
There another frenzied crowd OF clerks
and shoppers endeavoring to find
means Of escape by way OF the stairs
were frustrated by the suffocating
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 r1shed
out OF the front door to the sidewalk.
Women and girls appeared In the @up-
per windows. shouting and pleading
for help. Men upon the sidewalk cau-5
toned them to wait until the firemen,I
arrived with their ladders. Hysterical|
with the fright that was upon them,
some did not wait, but hurled them
selves to the sidewalk. In this man-
ner9 many We're severely injured