Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-08-28

six dead from suffocation. . serious
~ injured, 50 suffering from minor
hurts. That is the human toll exact
Cd last night during an ineXeusable
panic at Il moving picture show III
the Canonsburg opera house. The
moving picture machine developed a
slight defect. There occurred a noise
like Click 4 small boy shouted
Fire. at the same time starting for
the narrow exit Bolus DuhroWski. =
foreign miner, a giant in proportions.
jumped from his seat and ran wildly
for the same exit In a moment there
VAS a fighting. struggling mass after
him. Al the head of 4 narrow stair
way leading 10 the street the foreign
e. tripred. As lie rolled down the
stairs he swept from their feet others
who Were awaiting their turn e en-
ter the theatre. and soon there was
an indescribafle pile of humans at the
foot of the stairs, battling like mad.
Fhe revised list of the lead
Murray Hill. aged Il; Francis Bird.
0C0loredt Il; Marcella Robinson; Il
Arthur McFreake. %; Mrs. Callie
Young, %; sydney Rttiger, 80.
Youngstown. O.; Lulu Fisher. Is;
Glencampbell. Pa; Paul Mastie. 10;
Mrs Fred Marshall 81; Mrs Blanche
r Kelly Baby of Mrs. Kelly, about
four months old Carl Lane. -;
Margaret Lane. months; Walter
Neish, IA George Kay 10: Mrs.
Charles Miller AGdkeesport. Pa Bolus
Dubrowski, miner; George Owen Cole,
e. Elizabeth Gleditsch, &; Elizabeth
ts. q
Richards. Is: Ludwig Nugil. %. Iiar-
I'D Shaner, IL; Mrs Mary Ann Laird
Aslmpbel, Is: Annie Laird, 5, daush-
ct Of Mrs. Campbell
1t was al over within a short time
Volunteer firemen. several policemen
and few level headed citizens untan-
glod The human mass. The unhurt and
those slightly injured Were pulled from
tile top OF the pile AS they gained the
street taey ran screaming like maniacs
To all PARTS of the town. Next came
tire more seriously hurt. and those
we're sent bone or taken to nearby
houses while a few were rushed MI
conscious To hospitals. The reseuers
Games to the bodies Of those who had
reached the stairway first. One after
another the victims. many of them
women and small children, We're car
ricd to the sidewalk. All had been sur
focated.
Coroner James T. Hefran has begun
rigid Investigation.
IT is customary for the management
OF the theater to give two or three
performances each evening and Sat
HfdaY evening the moving picture op-
lit
whsI - fin parted. Some of the audi
eucc had already commenced to leave
tie binding, and other persons were
on the stairway, coming up.
Duhrowski's wild flight through the
tGeater and his subsequent stumble
down the stairs onto those entering
the building was the beginning of the
death struggling jam at the foot of the
stairs The bodies elogeed the door.
Men walked over them and fought
for positions of safety, until over
II hclned by the weight from the NOV
ing mass behind they, too, were
crushed To death
When the door way had been filled
stiu other persons walked over the
bodies Of those who had gone down
ard breaking he glass transom over
the door they crawled through and
dropped TO the street
Meanwhile. Manager Ferguson had
eadeavored TO stop the panic Accom-
panied hy his wife he started for The
stairs when the first alarm was CIV
en- but seeing there was no escape
there made his way to the stage. Call-
Jig loudly to the frightened people TO
follow him. he led tile way 10 the rear
of the stage Fully 200 escaped in this
way
Persons standing Al 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 flremen
and police hurried to the scene. When
they arrived they lent their efforts to
saving those still within the building
and to opening mp the doorway
Ia 10 minutes the Opera house was
empty and in half an hour % bodies
had been recovered. Physicians came
from the town and from nearby places