South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1913-12-25

tangle OF human beings and placed in
the front OF the hall
other men began 10 pull the bodies
OF the dead and helpless from the
stairway ma las them i'm a row be-
side the building. This disposition of
the crumpled bodies was found i'm
practicable because OF the hysteria it
caused among the spectators and the
corpses were carried back into the
haH as soon as il was emptied Of the
frightened persons All the chairs
We're lined with bodies and other
eorpses had 10 be pis"ed in the kitten
en- ot the hall and beneath the stage
Hall Becomcs MOrgue.
Inside an hour. nearly everyone in
Calumet was as near the scene as it
was possible 90 get The police form
ed a Gordon about the place and kept
back the crowd. After much effort. a
lane was opened through the crowd
and the bodies OF the children were
carried through the ranks of the
means and fails 10 Red Jacket Village
nall which was made into "a rnorgue
IL was many hours before ali the
bodies were identiGed.
During the confusion several bodies
or children were wrongly Identified
by mothers and taken away. only 10
be returned later by the parents who
had found their own offsprings safe.
In other cases parents ran about for
some time uncertain whether their
children We're dead or alive. Many
mothers tainted. while fathers ours
ed all those who interiered with their
search for lost girls and boys.
Call For Little Ones.
For hours frantic women ran the
streets calling for their little ones.
Efforts were made 90 calm the fran
tic women and many were taken into
homes that had not leen bereaVed 80
that they might have proper atten-
ton. In this way sometimes. hus-
bands and wives We're separated.
OF the 700 persons in the hall. more
than three fourths were children.
many of them having gone without
their parents These fathers adm
mothers soon rushed 10 the scene and
added 10 the confusion. They did
not understand what had taken place
and hindered the rescuers by insist
mg or Information as 90 what was
the matter.
Thero was fire estape at the rear
or the huildinZ. but only those who
~ ere very near it could make any
use ~ .t until after the fatal rush
was over. Probably not more than a
hundred Df-sOns escaped the first
rrsh way Of this fire escape.
Arnu score more jumped from the
wiIdrv- fear which they sat As it
was rOc many feet from the ground.
the jump did not cause injury.
Emergencies Provided For.
The italian hall was built about
five years ago and was well provided
foi emergencies. 10 was thought.
The entrance Nas hallway about
ten feet deep s. stairway about
feet wide Ted up tbs vestibule 90 "a
small landing about s by 80 feet.
The main door co. the hall opened on
this landing. There is "a small cloak
room abort ten feet square 10 one
side OF the main door. The loss OF
life was heavy al the small door OF
this room. The rush apparently
turned many against the door of this
room and crushed them 10 death
within she doorway.
Tho greatest numb ber ~ dead N
any one place however. was az the
bottom % the stairs. Those who
reached the stairs first. We're evi-
IDENTIFY hurled 90 the bottom by those
ucrlnd. and in thls fashion the starr
way was filled 20 the ceiling
That death ir most instances was
due 10 suffocation under the weight
of those who fell last was indicated bv
the fact that few OF the cOrpses bore
marks of injuries. Bodies were crum-
Piled and broken but the features were
not cut or bruised.