Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1913-02-07
TWO KILLED IN
TREATER PANIC
Many Others Are Seriously
and Painfully Injured.
TWO DEAD ARE WOMEN
Between ESQ and 1000 Spectators
Push, Haul and Fight One An
other When Film Catches Fire
in Moving Picture House.


New York City.-Two women were
crushed to death, IS men, wom-
en- and children were injured so bad
ly as to necessitate their instant re-
moval to the operating room of Belle
vue hospital and almost hundred
others were seriously and painfully
hurt in panic in the moving picture
theater at 143 E. Houston-st, known
as the Houston Hippodyrome.
Film Catches on Fire.
Between 750 and 1000 spectators,
it is estimated by several survivors,
were crowded into the Hippodrome,
which for 40 years was used by the
First German Methodist Episcopal
church, watching film called "Dr.
Gar-el-Hama, or the Daredevil Grim
inal," when spark from the small
electric motor which operated the
film set the film on fire. Instantly
there was slight hiss and then a
sizzling sound as the flames quickly
ate their way through the infiammable
substance of which the film is made.
A flash Of the fire got through the
vents in the front of the protector
booth before the operator could
throw the traps across the vents.
The subject of the picture was of
itself enough to carry the spectators
to a high state of excitement. A rail-
road train crowded with Partisan po-
lice was bearing down on handcar
on which "Dr. Gar-el-Hama" was es-
Gaping and was about to crash into
1t when the overstrained nerves Of
the watchers were still further bur-
dened by cry of "fire!" from man
in the rear of the theater. The cry
was taken up by others, who immedi-
ately started for the exit.
Tries to Quiet Crowd.
Arther Davis, lecturer, who was
on the platform explaining the in
tricacies of the plot unfolded by the
| picture drama, called to the specta-
tors: There is no danger; keep
your seats!"
At the same instant an old man
shouted in Yiddish: I'VE shall all be
burned. Out for your lives!"
The spectators quickly lost all
sense of order and in another mo.
ment the entire audience was rushing
for the street, showing, pushing, haul.
ing, fighting one another madly for a
chance to get through the narrow
swinging doors.
The spectators in the balcony joined
their frightened numbers to those on
the main floor, fairly throwing them
selves down the winding stairways
into the same foyer that does exit
duty for both floors.
While this panic ragged within the
building, 200 persons who were out
side the theater waiting for a chance
to get in became alarmed for the
safety of friends and relatives inside
and started up the steps leading to
the foyer and the second fight lead.
inf into auditorium.
Women Crushed to Death
The ingoing rush met the outcom.
ing mob at the doors at the head of
the inside stairway The dense
throngs grappled in a frenzied mass
for an instant and then the ingoing
crowd being less numerous and light.
er in weight, had to give way before
the onsweeping rush of the terrified
spectators.
Two women jumped three feet in
the air and threw themselves bodily
into the crowd on the iron stairway
The maneuver so startled the onrush
ing mob that it split and let the two
women tumble headlong to the side
walk below. Then the whole mob
piled up on bodies of the two women
who had only an instant in which to
put their arms in front of their faces
in vain effort to protect their heads
from the heels of their fellows.
A fire alarm brought crew of fire
men to the scene while the crowd was
still struggling. The firemen forced
their way into the building over the
heads Of the struggling mass and be
gan pulling and hauling women, mer
and children out of the jam and di
recting them to the rear exit which
none had thought of using although
1t was plainly marked. When the
jamb had been cleared the ambulance
surgeons were called into service tc
attend the injured, while the police
formed fire lines and kept thousands
of wailing spectators in the streets al
safe distance. The two women who
had hurled themselves into the mol
at the head of the stairway when the
panic left their minds no alternative
were found afterwards on the side
walk where they had fallen. Bott
were dead, crushed by hundreds o.
heels.