The Hawaiian gazette., 1913-05-27
(By' Federal Wireless Tclcgraph.)


LONG BEACH, May 24.-(Spe-
cial to The Advertiser) - Amid
scenes of indescribable confusion.
thirty-fve to forty persons were
killed and one hundred or more
injured when section of the
Long Beach municipal auditorium
floor caved in and precipitated
five to seven hundred persons
through the floor below and on to
the sand twenty-five feet beneath
A majority of the killed and in
jured are old persons, who had
been waiting for hours for the
auditorium to open.
The accident occurred while the
crowd of British, celebrating Vic
toria Day, were marching into the
auditorium. They crowded in be-
hind the third section of the pa
rade and the floor gave way be-
meath the jam.
Widest Confusion.
Scenes of widest confusion fol.
lowed the crash of the building.
Men, women and children fight
ing, scrambling and struggling to
Force their way out, while many
.of those who escaped fought
desperately TO penetrate the seeth-
ing mass TO rescue loved ones, who
were caught in the accident. The
cooler heads of the crowd sent
phone calls For physicians and I'M
dertakers, while the alarm was
sent to Los Angeles. The request
was made that every available
doctor be sent to the stricken
place.
Mob Fights Police.
With the first grinding noise of the
collapse Of tine floor, a terrible cry went
up from the assembled multitude, many
of whom recognized in the fraction OF
n second that followed the floors fall
that the disaster would be terrible
Alarmed by the sounds of the injured
and the cries for help of those who
were near, almost the whole of Long
Beach turned out and crowded to the
auditorium, where police and tiremen
fought in vain to keep the people back
The mob of Teseuers and spectators
charged again and again toward the
building, but were beaten back A
party of fremen and police penetrated
into the building and began dragging
/ RI nd
injured and those who had escaped in
jury, but who were too dazed or fright
ened to assist themselves.
Some Unrecognizable.
The first body to be taken from the
building was that of woman, crushed
out Of recognition. Then, in rapid sue
cession, order began to be restored.
The fremen and police began taking
out the bodies and laying them in a
cleared space on the sand of the beach
The frantic crowd was allowed to file
past and gaze at the faces of the dead
As some Of the bodies were recognized
1 there would be a break in the LIND
| heart.rending cries would pour forth
and then the line would surge forward
| again, the members of it peering anx
iOusly Mt the distorted, mutilatcd fea
lures presented to view. As the in
jured were carried from the building
they were taken in charge by quick
! ly organized corps of physicians anC
nurses and were given emergency treat
ment.
Emergency Hospitals.
The most seriously hurt were hurrie,
into every kind of available vehicl
and taken to hospitals and privat
homes, where later. when more physi
clans arrived from Los Angeles by spe
cial trains by the Pacific Electric, the,
were given attention.
The Long Beach auditorium is
large structure, built over the famou
long wharf 1t is used for all gather
inds of public nature and seats sev
eral thousand persons. Only the fac
that there was not great throng Of
the first floor prevented the list o.