Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1911-08-28
Twenty-Si Dead From Suffocation, 55 In
jured in Pennsylvania Picture House
SMALL BOYS SHOUT OF 'sFIRE''
When Machine Clicke1-In Rush For Exit Foreigner
Fell Down Stairs-Fighting Pile of Humanity the
Foot of the Stairway-Half the Dead Are Children
Manager Led 800 to Safety Over the Stage.

Canonsburg, Pa, August 27.-Twen-
ty-six dead from suffocation, twenty
five seriously injurtd. thirty suffering
from minor hurts. That is the human
toll exacted last night during an in
excusable panic at moving picture
SHOW in the Canonsburg opera house.
The moving picture machine developed
slight defect. There occurred a noise
like click A small boy shouted
firei" at the same time starting for
the narrow exit Bolus Dubrowski. a
foreign miner, giant in proportions,
jumped from his seat and ran wildly
for the same exit. II moment there
was lighting struggling mass after
him. AT the head of narrow STAIR
way leading to the street the foreigner
tripped. AS he rolled down the stairs
ne swept others from their feet who
were awaiting their turn to enter the
theater and soon there was an inde-
scribable pile of humans at the foot of
the steps, battling like mad.
Untanging the Human Mass.
1t was all over within a short time
Volunteer firemen. several policemen
and few level-headed citizens un-
tangled the human mass The unhurt
and those slightly injured were pulled
from the top of the pile. As they
gained the street. they ran screaming
like manicas to all parts of the small
town. Next came the more seriously
I4bIt anu THESE were sent nome OF TAX
en- TO nearby houses, while few were
rushed unconscious to hospitals. The
rescuers finally came to the bodies of
those who had reached the stairway
first. One after another the victims
many of them women and small chill
dren, were carried to the sidewalk.
All had been sufocated.
Rigid Investigation to Follow.
Coroner j. T. Hefran has begun a
rigid inNpStigatinn arrived al the
scene early today and within a short
time had selected jury. The coroner
announced he would investigate the
matter immediately. holding the in
guest here next Thursday or Friday.
lie VIII summon the state building
inspectors to ascertain whether the
laws of the state have been followed.
just Finishing First Show
1t is customary for the management
OF the theater to give two or three
performances each evening and Satur-
day the moving picture machine oper-
ator was about to complete the first
when a film party. Some of the audi
ence had already commenced to leave
the building and others were on the
stairway coming up.
Duhrowsk Was a Victim.
Dubrowskis wild flight through the
theater end his subsequent stumble
down the stairs into those entering
the building was the beginning of the
death struggling jam at the foot of
the stairs. The bodies clogged the
doorway. Men walked over them and
fought for position of safety until
overwhelmed by the weight from the
moving mass behind, they, too, were
crushed 10 death. Dubrowski was one
OF those killed.
Crawled Through Transom to Safety.
When the doorway had been filed,
still other persons walked over the
bodies OF those who had gone down
and breaking the glass transom over
the door they crawled through and
dropped to the street.
Manager Kept His Head.
Meanwhile Manager Ferguson had
endeavored to stop the panic Accom-
panied by his wife. he started for the
stairs when the first alarm was given,
but seeing there was no-escape there
made his way to the stage. Calling
loudly to the frightened people to fol-
low him, he led the way to the rear of
the stage. Fully three hundred es-
capped in this way
Firemen and Police to the Rescue.
Persons standing at the entrance of
the opera house endeavored to extri-
cate struggling men and women from
the rapidly rising pile of bruised and
bleeding flesh. but to no purpose An
alarm of fire was sounded and firemen
and police hurried to the scene. When
they arrived they lent their efforts to
saving those sti1l within the building
and TO opening up the doorway In
ten minutes the opera house was emp
ty and in half an hour twenty bodies
had been recovered Physicians came
from the town and from nearby places
until thirty were at work The dead
We're carried into stores and residences
snd the more seriously injured were
FASTENED to the CapnnshIIrg hoSpitd1
Broken Arms and Legs.
Many of the slightly injured ran
about the streets until taken in charge
by friends, while automobiles were
pressed into service to hurry others
to their homes. where they later re-
ceived medical attention. Among these
were broken arms and legs. but the
greater number of injured were hurt
while making their way through the
transosn and dropping from the fire es-
capes at the rear of the building. Their
injuries were slight in the majority
names of the wounded were not given
the doctors who attended them.
Wilt POSTPONE School Opening.
OF the twenty-six dead, thirteen
were children, seven of them pupils in
the public schools. Today it was de-
cided by the school authorities to post
pone for a week the opening of the
schools.
WouId-Be Rescuer Was Killed.
Arthur McPeake, whose name is
among the dead, was passing the build
ing when the bodies began to pile up
ct the door. The young man rushed to
the rescue and was in the act of drag
ging body from the pile when a man
came hurtling down the stairs. He
struck McPeake on the back, breaking
the young mans neck.