Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1913-12-30
Death Toll Reaches Seventy-Two
in a Christmas
Tragedy.
CITY IS GRIEF STRICKEN.
Unlimited Funds Available for Re-
lief of the Bereaved-
Dead all Identified.

Calumet, Mich, Dec. 26.-On thu
day set aside for rejoicing over thu
birth Of Christ, this city mourned it,
dead-seventy-tW victims of a false
alarm of fire Most of the dead are
children who had gone to a Christ
mas eve celebration in Italian hall
arranged for the families of striking
miners Of this section.
AS a result of the tragedy, caused
it is believed by drunken man who
thrust his head into the hall en-.
trance and shouted "fre," all bitter.
ness between the different factions
in Calumet is wiped out. There is
no i'll feeling. There is nothing but
dumb grief which is beyond the pos
sibility Of tears.
A massmeeting was held yesterday
afternoon at which 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.
with the kindest feeling for
those who offered it, we ask no out
side help states the resolutions of
sympathy adopted. these are our
own people, and it is our sacred
privilege to care for our dead and to
comfort the living
The statement of President Meyer
of the Western Federation of Miners
that no benefits from the citizens
would be accepted was disregarded.
The strikers also met yesterday
afternoon and named committee to
call on the stricken relatives and
learn their wishes regarding the fun
erals. This committee will meet to-
day to make arrangements for the
services.
The authorities so far have been
unable to trace the man who is said
to have gone up the stairs of the
Italian hall and raised the cry of fire
which is supposed to have started
the panic which led to the fearful
crush in the stairway. There seems
to be little hope that he will be ap-
pretended.
Matt Sari, a striker. who lost his
son in the disaster, declared the cry
came from a group of men and wom-
en- toward the front of the hall. A
14-year-old girl, who died yesterday
morning, brought the official revised
list of dead up to seventy-two, all of
whom have been identified. Five in
jured are in the hospitals. 1t is said
they will live.
Three little girls in the Calumet
& Hecla hospital were able yesterday
to be up and about. They romped
around 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 of 7 or s years of age, who was
taken to one of the morgues, show
ed signs of life soon after, but no
restOratives and no physicians We're
Immediately available and death en-
sued.
One couple entered the town hall
where all the bodies had been gath
cred to 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
the last body they viewed, the seven
ty first, was that of the missing one.
Members of the Calumet fire de-
partment relate many instances of
heroic attempts to rescue the panic
stricken people in the Inflated hall.
Patrick Ryan arrived on the scene
a few minutes after the crush occur
red at the foot of the stairway. He
estimated that there were about 100
piled on top of each other when he
reached the entrance. The pile
reached to about half the height of
the stairway.
They were wedged in so tightly it
was impossible to extricate any from
the foot of the stairs. A boy of
about caught hold of Mr.. Ryan's
hands and begged to be rescued. The
human mass kept pressing down and
it was impossible to save the boy. A
girl of or 9 grasped the hands of
Angero Curto, another fireman, kiss
ed them and implored him to save
her The crush was so great he was
to give up the attempt
and she persisted.
Mrs. A. Nimela, one of the victims,
was suffocated while standing up;
John Burrir1, fireman, who wit