The Washington times., 1909-05-07
More Than thousand Per-
sons Go Down at Close
of Marathon Race.
PANIC FILLS HALL,
DELAYING RESCUE
Many Expected TO Die-Hospitals
Filled and Still in Con-
fusion.

/ SEATTLE, May I.-As cheers for the
winner In a Marathon race filled the
( National Guard Armory late last night,
the gallery railing gave way and 1000
/ excited spectators were dashed TO the
! floor below
! Disorder and panic followed. Men
and women scrambled franticaIIy for
the doors, trampling the fallen and
making any attempt at rescue impos-
sible for many minutes
/ It is certain this morning that
the list of injured viii reach $50 and
the doctors at the hospitals declared
that many OF them viii die. The hos
pital attaches are rushed TO the limit
/ caring for the badly hurt and cannot
/ give exact figures
+ The disaster was at the finish OF the
Marathon race, which was the feature
/ of the indoor track championship meet
OF the Pacific Northwest Association of
the Amateur Athletic Union The big
crowd had filled every point OF vantage
and was massed in the big spectators
gallery Just above the finish mark The
race had been most exciting throughout
and despite the fact that It was nearly
dawn. the crowd had held fast.
Crash At Supreme Moment.
Finally in the last lap f. Jackson, of
the Seattle Athletic Club. the favorite
with the crowd, sprinted ahead and
took long lead. As ne broke the tape
the crowd overhead began to cheer.
Those behind crowded forward on those
IN front, and there was an ominous
cracking sound.
Capt Maurice Thompson, Of the Sc
attle Guard. shouted to the crowd be- I
hind to fall back, but his signal ap-
Darently was not understood, and the 4
pressure became more and more in !
tense.
There was 1nother warning shout. |
and then the entire rail fronting the !
balcony gave way, and the ZOO or more
persons who were I'm front were pre-
cipitated to the floor, a distance OF |
seventeen feet.
Wild Panic Follows.
In an instant one OF the worst panics
IN the history of Seattle had been pre- |
cipitated- The uninjured persons start /
ed on a rush for the exits, men and |
women screaming wildly, while from /
Ihe great 1nmbied mass Of humanity
piled on The floor Of the armorv came /
understandable means and screams of 4
frigh and agony.
1t was fully tive minutes before those I
IN charge gos heir heads about them
and started tO relieve the tangIe of 1
bruised and PROSTATE humanity Men
and women were piled in a seemingly 1
ineztricable mass on the floor, and 1
many Of them had suffered broken /
limbs, while others were bleeding from /
scalp wounds and contusions.
AInpuls nces were called in haste and L
soon physicians from ever Institution /
IN the city were on the seem. Mean
while the officers Of ths gard who /
were IN the aTmory, had res tored some /
SemDl2nce or order and all OF the police /
reserves were hurried 70 the armorJ. /
Taken To Hospital.
A Gordon was thrown about the build
ing and no one permitted to enter, |
while the soldiers and policemen care
fully ranged the injured in long rows |
about the drill shed. AS fast as a |
doctor got through with a patient he /
or she was carried out TO a waiting /
ambulance or patrol wagon and taken /
to a hospital
All the wards were soon filled and
the authorities pressed into service |
other city buildings to act a. tempo /
rary asyiums for the wounded. while /
those whose h,--~ts were not of too Sc /
rious a nature we're conveyed 20 their |
homes.
While This was going on an immense
crowd that hat heard Of the disaster |
gathered about the armory and was |
soon forcing the police lines. Many had |
friends or relatives among the hurt. and /
so fierce was their onslaught that the |
70 strenuous measures to keep them |
back
Firemen Keep Order.
FINAL! che members Of two dre-truck |
companies were called out, and they re-
lieved the police and soldiers who were
giving first aid inside. Bafrled here,
the crowd started for the general and
minor hospitals, where the more seri-
Ously hurt had been taken, and soon
blocked the streets there so that the
ambulances could not get through |
! Police reserves. after a hard fight, man
aged to remedy this
1t is charged today that the officers
| ia charge OF the armOry were directly
/ responsible for the accident, as they
/ permitted the gallery TO become over
| crowded. It is declared this gallery
never was designed to hold a large
crowd, that its capacity was intended
by the architects TO be only TO those
who could be seated, and that this was
well understood by the Officers cCm-
manding.