The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1913-12-26
CHRISTMAS EVE
CELEBRATION
Continued From Page One.

tie children struggling under an al
most unbearable burden Of distress
and grief. A great mass meeting OF
citizens was held yesterday afternoon
to express their sympathy Int devise
ways and means to amelcorate the
sufferings of those on whom deaths
had fallen SO heavily. A committee OF
12O was appointed to visit each in
dividual home of the bereaved families
and assistance what financial assist
ance Is necessary. Unlimited funds
are assured and no outside aid will be
necessary.
with the kindest feeling for those
n offered 1t, we ask no outside
help" states the resolution of sym
pathy adopted. "These, our own peo-
pie, n this is u sacred privilege to
care for our dead n to comfort.
The statement of President Meyer
Of the Western Federation Of Miners,
that no benefits from the citizens
would be accepted, was disregarded.
The strikers met yesterday afternoon
and named a committee comprising
representatives Of the nationalities of
the victims to call on the stricken
relatives and learn their wishes re-
garding the funerals.
The authorities have been unable to
trace the nan 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 n caused the death of the
nearly -four score men, m and
children. There seems to be little
hope that he will be apprehended.
The theory that the cry Of fire
originated within the hall was sub
stantiated by Matt Sari, a striker who
lost his son in the disaster. He
asserted the cry came from a group
Of men n women toward the front
Of the hall.
All have now been identified. Five
injured are in the hospitals, all Of
whom, it is said, will live. Three lit
tie girls in the Calumet and Hecla
hospitals were able to be I'D and
about and they romped around a
Christmas tree set up for the hos
pital patients w Of the fate
which had overtaken some Of their
brothers and sisters and the father of
Of them.
A boy Of 7 or 8 years Of age who
was taken to n of the morgues
showed signs of life soon after, but no
restoratives were Immediately avail
able Inc death ensued. .
One couple entered the town hall
where the bodies had been gathered
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 seventy-first, was
the missing one.
Members Of the Calumet Fire de-
partment ella many instances of
heroic attempts to Rescue the panic
stricken people. Patrick Ryan arriv-
ed on the scene a few minutes after
the crush occurred at the foot Of the
stairway. Ha claimed that there were
about 100 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 it was i'm
possible to extricate any from the foot
of the stairs.
A boy Of about 6 caught hold of
Ryan's hands and begged to be res
cued. The hremen succeeded in pull
ing the boy partially 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 8 or Q grasped the hands of
Angelo Curto, another fireman, kissed
them. and impIored him to save her.
He made a heroic effort to- pull her
out. but the crush was so great he
was compelled to give up. She per-
ished. Mrs. A. Niemela, one of the
victims, was suffocated while standing
up. John Burril, a fireman. who wit