Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1913-12-30
80 KlLIdsD IN PANIC AT TREE.
Tragedy Occurs at Entertainment
Given TO Children of Miners.

CoppSE Hltne StflkeTS III an ltallan
hall because of needless panic
caused bya false alarm of fire.
While several hundred miners and
their wives looked on, the children
pressed eagerly towards the stage to
receiveS SUhristmas presents. At this
point man put his head in at the
door ofsthe hall and yelled fire"
The CRY was taken up by those in
the halls Every one started for the
doors. x13'le weaker were thrown to
the floor md those behind tried to
climb ovs those ahead of them.
All Exits Blocked.
The stairway and other avenues of
egress were blocked so effectually
that those inside could not get out,
and those without could not get in
to aid the panic stricken crowd in the
hall. It3was some time before the
panic subsided
The alarm was spread outside the
hall bysa&few persons who had been
near the door and escaped unhurt. A
crowd soon assembled and the work
of clearing the hall was begun.
The principal exit was a narrow
stairway fat the back. Of the hall.
When this had been cleared of the
bodies chat filled it to the top and
a quick accounting had been made
1T was found that IA corpses had
been piled up aside the hall build
ing. It is Thought that dozen 9TH
,ers We're carried away by friends.
& The dead that were piled up be-
side the hall Included 81 girls, 10
boys, 1$wQn,en and Ave men,
Iszeif men and women stood
about the building, some dazed by
the sudden change from holiday fes-
tivities to tragedy, others calling hys-
terically for missing children and a
few even threatening violence to the
rescuers for keeping them back from
the long row of bodies.
Few Taken to Hospitals.
many doctors who hurried to the
scene as soon as the alarm was
spread, for those who were not killed
in the first rush were held upright
and safe by the very force Of the on
rush towards the exit. Only three
injured persons were taken to the
a 70
sisted by friends.
For many days the children Of the
copper mine strikers had waited ex-
pectantly for the Christmas tree ex-
ercises that had been arranged by
the Woman's Auxiliary Of the West
ern Federation of Miners. The en-
tertainment was set for the early
evening, and the hall, which is on
the second floor, was soon filled to it's
limit. The children selected to recite
Christmas selections and sing carols
had finished their part Of the pro-
gram and the man selected to play
the part of Santa Claus had appeared
to distribute the presents that were
piled around the large Illuminated
tree.
The children were instructed to
march up the aisles to the trees so
that the presents could be handed to
them. The aisles we're filled with
the boys and girls, when a large,
beared man thrust his head in at the
door of the main hallway and shout
ed "ire."
The cry was repeated throughout
the room in several languages as
parents rose and rushed forward to
get their children. Many lives were
crushed out in almost twinkling.
Then the physical impossibility OF
further movement brought the pan
icky persons to their senses. 1t was
realized too late that there was no
fire, but most of those in the hall
could not get out Of the jam they
had caused.
Policemen and firemen hurried to
the building. Several officers climb
ed the fire escapes and entered by
the windows. In a short time the
uninjured and the faint had been
pulled from the tangle Of human be-
ings and placed in front of the hall
Other men began to pull the
bodies of the dead and helpless from
the stairway and lay them in a room
beside the building. This disposi.
tion of the crumpled bodies was