New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-12-26
Calumet Forgets Copper
Mine Warfare to Mourn
for Panic Victims.
MOVER TRIES IN VAIN
TO STOP CITIZEN AID
Western Federation Heads
Demand for u. S. Inquiry
Unanswered.
MANY HEROIC ACTS

Cry of "Firew That Started Death
Stampede Said Now to Have
Come from Within.
Calumet, Mich, Dec 25.-All Calu-
met mourns this Christmas night for
her seventy-two dead, victims, most Of
them children, Of the panic on Christ
mas Eve in the Italian Hall following
the false alarm cry Of fire at the Christ
mas tree entertainment arranged for
families Of the copper mine strikers
III the bitterness and i'll feeling that
has existed in this strike ridden COM
munity for months is wiped away by
one great, common aff1iction.
\ great mass meeting of Calumet
citizens was held this afternoon TO ex-
press their sympathy and devise ways
and means TO amelorate the sufferings
OF those on whom death mad fallen 50
heavily A committee OF twelve was
appointed to visit each individual home
OF the bereaved families and ascertain
what financial assistance is necessary.
Unlimited funds are assured and no
outside aid will be necessary.
No Outside Aid Asked.
With the kindest feeling for those
who offered il, We ask no outside help"
says the resolutions Of sympathy
adopted. These are our own people
and this is our sacred privilege to care
for our dead and to comfort the liy-
ing"
The statement of Charles n Mover,
president Of the Western Federation
Of Miners. that no benefits from the
citizens would be accepted was dis
regarded. The strikers also met this
afternoon and named a committee COM
prising representatives OF tho nation
alities of the victims to call on the
stricken relatives and learn their
wishes regarding the funeral This
ing TO make arrangements for the
services.
The authorities have so far been un-
able TO trace the man who is said 10
have gone up the stairs Of the Italian
Hall and raised the cry OF fire which is
supposed to have started the panic and
led to the crush in the stairway, caus-
ing the death of the nearly fourscore
men, women nd children. There
seems 10 be little hope he will be sp-
pretended.
Says Fire" Cry Started in Hall.
Another story, that the cry of fire
originated within the hall, was told to-
day by Matt Sari, striker, who lost
his son in the disaster. He said the
cry came from a group Of men and
| women toward the front of the hall
\ fourteen-year-old girl who died
this morning brought the official re-
vised list of dead up to seventy-two.
All have now been identified. Five in
jured are in the hospitals, all OF whom.
II is said. will live. Three little girls in
the Calumet and Hecla Hospital were
able to-day to be up, and they romped
around the Christmas tree set up for
the patients OF the hospital. unaware Of
the fate which had Overtaken some OF
their brothers and sisters and the
father of one of them.
A boy, seven or eight years old, who
was taken to one Of the morgues.
showed signs of life soon after, but no
restoratives and no physician was i'm
mediately available. and death ensued.
one couple entered the Town Hall.
where all the bodies had been gathered.
10 look for their missing child. Their
hopes ran high when they had looked
at seventy of the bodies and failed to
find their loved one. but tie last body
they viewed. the seventy first, was that
of the missing one.
Firemen Worked in Vain.
Members of the Calumet Fire Depart
ment relate many instances of heroic
dllelIlptS 10 TeSCue tuS pdnlcStrlCken
people in the hall. Patrick Ryan ar
rived on the scene a few minutes after
the crush occurred at the foot OF the
stairway. He estimated there were
about one hundred piled on top Of each
other when he reached the. entrance
Of the building. The pile OF crushed
and smothering humanity reached TO
about half the height of the stairway.
They were wedged in so tightly 1t was
impossible to extricate any from the
foot Of the stairs.
A boy OF about six caught hold Of
Mr.. Ryan's hands and begged to be
rescued The fireman succeeded in
pulling the boy partly out, but he was
unable TO extricate the little fellows
legs. The human mass kept pressing
down and it was impossible to save the
boy, whose life was soon snuffed out
A girl Of eight or nine grasped the
hands OF Angelo Curto. another fire
man, kissed them and implored him to
save her. He made a heroic effort to
pull her out, but the crush was sc