The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1911-03-10

terror fearing that the buildings weuli
topple onto them. There was excite
ment everywhere, the general impress
sion being that Whiting had just under
gone an earthquake. Like at Gary and
at Crown Point the Knights of Pythias
were also here in session and adjourn
ed their meeting.
UNEARTHLY NOISES IN GARY.
The explosion last night caused |
great commotion in Gary and no previ-
Gus incident in the city's history ever
produced such universal terror.
At the first shock hundreds rushed
from their homes and within a minute
thousands were gazing into the heav-
ems expecting to see the black clouds
of a cyclone or some celestial
earthquake and this increased the
terror.
FIRST SHOCK AT S:22 p. NJ.
The first shock was recorded in THE
TIMES ONCE. 524 Broadway at s:24 D. m.
Then followed the second one or two
minutes later which served to increase I
the universal fear.
Windows ratified, transoms shook |
buildings trembled and other unearthly |
noises were produced. Violent blasts |
slammed doors and blew things around |
| and in the bar rooms invisible hands |
moved the glass ware of unseen agents |
rocked the earth.
POLICE LOOK FOR BOMB.
1 From the Gary police station squad
| of officers rushed out into Broadway
where hundreds of people were stand
| ing in the street. At first the police
thought that another series of labor
| he had hop nH
officer and Waterman in the city was
on the alert.
i OPERATORS FLEE IN TERROR.
| For while 1T was though that the
Aetna powder mills had gone up but
the vibrations seemed too muffled, al
though strong. to be near. Efforts
were made at once to get into connec-
ton with the Hobart telephone ex-
change which handles the Aetna wires
but this was not accomplished for
some time as the girls in the Hobart
Exchange had fed from their key
boards terror stricken. The girls were
finally Gained down and the informa-
ton son reached Gary that the Aetna
mills were unframed.
NEGROES ARE SCARED.
| IN the south end there was great
terror among the colored folks when
one old darby cried out that the end
, of the world had come. 1t took soma
time before the superstitious were as
, sured the whole AFFAIR was more I'M
canny to them because the sky was
clear and the moon was visible.
What might have been a disaster was
/ averted at the Orpheum theatre where
500 men, women and children were at
tending the vaudeville performance but
promptness on the part of Manager
| Vernon Young and his well trained as
sistants demonstrated their ability TO
handle emergencies.
PANIC AT THEATRE.
graphic description of the scene
at the Orpheum is given by Harry
Parker a local real estate man who
was injured in the famous Indiana Har-
Dor cyclone a few years ago when his
home collapsed killing his father
II was sitting near the Eighth ave-
nue. exists" said Mr.. Barker. when
the doors ratified. At first those nearby
thought that a boy on the street was
shaking them but the rafting continu-
ed with greater violence until every
door and window in the building was
shaken
II PEOPLE WE'RE ALARMED.
Iothers quickly made for the exits to
/ open them. The doors responded easily
and / thought that a cyclone was on
Ius until l saw the clear sky. Then the
1 second shock came. some cried
Fire" and the house was in up
roar but the open exits served greatly
to allay the fear. The act was stopped
0 and many rushed for the doors. A
woman tainted and then seeing that
there might be mad rush myself and
0 another man shouted that there was
no trouble and for every one TO go
back to their seats.
AT the second shock it seemed if
the walls were shaking and we were
afraid that the building was going to
). collapse
;; TIMES ANSWERS INQUIRIES.
1, Similar rights the part of the
,. audience were reported at the other
theatres. In the steel plant the vibra-
+ lions shook the heavy machinery and
;: the rafting was like the roll of ba t
y terry of artillery. All buildings were
it shaken and several windows wer.
II broken. Pythian lodge members lef
d their hall pell NELL.
W Hundreds of telephone and persona
1T inquiries reached THE TIMES ONCE al
:; of which were answered stating tina
the explosion had been caused by th'
% powder mills in Kenosha Wis. In
lquiries came into THE TIMES office from
s. South Bend and as far Indianapoif
20 asking If the Aetna mills had gone up
WINDOWS BROKEN AT HARBoR.
IL Indiana Harbor. March 1o.-Panic
in the FIVE cent theaters, excitemen
c: on the streets and in the homes. an,
S. broken windows more than fifty o
r them followed in the wake of the Wis
tconsin explosion here last night
d. The explosion apparently followin,
O the shore line of the lake A big win
l. dow in the store of the Harbor Frui
sr company on Michigan avenue fell t.
the sidewalk into fragments A shoy
90 window was wrecked in the Contra
1; Drug Store on Michigan avenue. Win
90 dows were also broken in Johl