Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1908-07-04
Explosion of Fire Works in
Crowded Store Causes
Jam at Door
Scared People Throw Them
selves From Upper Win.
dOWS NeedleSSly

ClGFSlduu, ou1C, July 0.-S6Nou
persons were killed, at least two 9TH
ers fatally injured and fully thirty
more severely hurt as a result of a
fire in S. S. Kresgo's FIVE and ten
cent store on Ontario street today.
The fire followed an explosion of
fireworks on display in the store
Opinions differ as to the cause of
the explosion. A woman who was at
the fireworks counter said the stock
was ignited by sparks from a device
which was being demonstrated to her
by a clerk. Fire Chief Wallace and
the store manager were of the opin-
ion that the pieces were ignited by
the arc light.
| Immediately following the explos-
Immediately following the explo.
sion an alarm of fire was sounded and
a panic seized the clerks and shop
pers. A mad rush for the doors and
windows followed. Many jumped
L1Cui JIG SCCouu duu CulIO uOOT VIII
| dows. H.,
The store, which is located near the
busiest corner in the downtown dis
trict, was we'll filled with shoppers,
| mostly women and children. Prac.
tically all the clerks were young girls.
Although the explosion of fireworks
caused CONSERVATION, the real panic
| did not occur until some one shouted
| fire, and mainly because of jam at
! the door the unfortunates lost their
| lives.
For an instant hush came over
the crowd, then the women screamed
and some tainted. Crazed by the pos
sibility Of injury or death, all on the
main floor rushed for the front doors.
Quickly they were damned in the
front doorway. During thhe jam those
who had attempted to escape by the
rear door were. blocked in their prog.
ress. The back door was too small
for all who sought, safety there, and
the rear windows were closed with
iron bars. Those who could not es-
cape in this direction, turned to the
front door. Ia 81,
While practically everyone on the
main floor was able to leave without
injury through the front door, it was
mainly because of the jam at that
door that six unfortunates lost their
lives. ~
Two clerks, seeing no possible i'm
| mediate escape at the front door,
| ran into the basement. The base
| ment windows were also barred with
iron aud their return to the main
floor was cut off by the approaching
fire. ...-,,..... ~ ..,.4 s
i Other women again forced to the
rear. of the store by the approaching
flames finally sought safety under
a counter, where their bodies were
found two hours after the explosion
Five women had been suffocated, the
sixth, a four-year-old son of Geo
Parker, was knocked to the floor
during the first panic and trampled
| until suffocated by smoke.
While the panic upon the MAR
floor was in progress the flames from
the fire works counter rapidly ad
vanced to other parts of the store
Smoke and flames were whirled ur
the stairways to the second and THIRD
floors. There a frenzied crowd o,
clerks and shoppers endeavored Il
find means of escape. That by wa,
of the stairs was frustrated by thu
suffocating smoke. The elevator
made several trips during the frs
few minutes of the fire and " tool
many to the main floor. .
Hundreds of persons were near, O.
in front Of the store at the time O
the explosion. The terrified shopper
rushed out Of the front door to th,
sidewalk, women and girls appeare,
in upper windows, shouting ant
pleading for help. Men upon th
sidewalks told them to wait unit
| the fremen arrived with ladders
Hysterical with fright, some did no
wait. but hurled themselves to th
sidewalk, In this manner many wer
severely injured. When one or tw
had thus faced death. it stampede
! others on the upper floor lodges an,
| they too, followed. ss
/ The floral exhibit at the Merchants
building at the Fargo State fai
| grounds during the week OF July 20-2t