The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1913-12-24
Unknown Man YellS Fire" at Christmas
Celebration and Children Rush to
SuffOCatiOn-EffOrt to Escape

she III the hall and close the man who called fire. She
identifies him large man, with heavy beard When the
first heard she realized danger instantly and reach
ed up and gasped him by the shoulders in an effort to make
him sit He escaped grasp however and soon the
of fire taken up by others The rush of the excited
children towards the door rghpl behold Mrs
asserts She herself succeeded in getting her little daughter
out of the building safety after sembance
stored
Another who in the building asserts the man
who calico fire. spoke two languages first English and
then Austrian She she heard the cry distinctly both
times
Others who in the building that the call
heard from stage as we'll as from the doorway after
alarm first came.
Words Inadequate describe the terrible in the
Italian hall Immediately afterwards The dead lay every
side old men, women and little boys and girls their bodies
hudded up heaps and srewn ont along the chairs the
ofor the stage in little Office adjoining the main hall and
kitchen at the of the hall and beneath the stage
Hurried calls sent out and every physician in
town was The living separated from the
dead and many that thought to be dead recovered from
ents and relatives dead suged into the building and
many them took charge of the bodies of their loved be
fore the authorities could take charge of the situation The
moaning the injured mingled with the sobs of bereaved par
ens brothers. sisters and friends Paed the horror the
calamity the officers quietly circulated here and there helping
where they could.
After the injured cared tor the dead gathered
together and removed the Red Jacket hall where %
porary provision was made keep them until Identification
was made
AT tie rear of the building there fire escape
but few of presence and those who did seek to
escape from the rear part of the building did by jumping
fro the windows of the kitchen Perhaps dozen reached
points o. safety in this manner the distance being short that
few were seriously injured
Several hundred of the children escaped from the building
over the escape better order having apparently been main
taind there than in the front part of the building
The italian hall is a comparatively new building having
been erected about five ago supposed to be well
prepared for emergencies of this kinds The front stairway
about eight feet wide leads up from entrance perhaps
ten feet from the doorway At the topof the stairway is
small landing perhaps eight feet wide by six long Leading
off fro mthis is the main doorway There is room little
larger the landing the top OF the stairway and connect
ed with 1t by narrow doorway Here occurred almost as
heavy loss of life the foot Of the stairway and in the
stairway.
At the end of the building furhest from the street is
spacious stage elevated from the main doorway about three
feet 1t was here that distribution of Christmas presents
clothing Shoes being made Beneath this stage and
considerably than the main floor is the kitchen rather
spacious in size There deaths in this portion OF
the building many elsewhere The fire escape at
the rear of the building one but proved ehectuai
in saving many lives.