The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-12-25
CHRISTMAS TREE
EXERCISES BRING
DEATH TO EIGHTY
Austrian Miner Cries Fire and
Rush From Hall Begins.
Women and Children Being
Trarnpled Under Feet.
Mad Rush Over PROSTATE
Bodies of Helpless. Many
Snatched Away by Grief
Maddened Parents as Life
less Forms are Brought Out

CALUMET, MICH, Dec. a4.--Four
score probably dead. seventy-six GER
tain, with probably half a dozen In
jured and n score covered with
bruises and minor hurts. resulted early
tonight during Christm tree exer-
cises held for the children OF striking
copper miners in the Italian hall IN
Calumet
The hall wig emptying ~ the chill
dren when an unidentified man, EVIL
IDENTIFY an Austrian miner, ran up the
stairs and cried fire In at the open
doorway.
Immediately there was rush for
the stairways, men. women and chill
dren swartning down the steps and
pti.ng up half way down - the bot
tom, Little children who could not
20 fast enough to get out OF the way
of those coming behind were crushed
to death beneath she weight piling
down on III I'm The maj ortty, how
ever. were snothered to death
Packed In Solidiy.
The outside door was cIensd by
paasers hy, but the children and wo-
men were SO soiidiy packed at the
bottom Of the stairs and helt way To
the top Of the single flight that they
could not be pulled out. In the mean
tire others within the building poured
out over the bodies Of the rushed ana
lifeiess at the bottom Of az stairs
using them ~ Il T0AUwTfT n CFc7Tf'r
frem the building. So solidly were tnN
bodies M the bottom of the stairs
hacked that X was necessary for ire
men and deputy shersffS tn 81 into the
second story windows with ladders ana
to come down the stairs aad pun ire
children hack of the pile NJ the Dot
tom
only when the deputies appeared IN
the haH at the top 81 the stairs and
forcibiy prevt nted more from rtltns'
IN an those below. 1t took TWO hours
10 clear the hallway, many In the pile
breathing their last while beng taken
out.
First Rescuers Arrive.
The farst on the scene of help In
the work Of rescue were men hers
az the citlza1s alliance Many 81 me
bodies were snatched away by grief
maddened parents, as the bfeless httle
forms were being laid long the walks
and were taken to their homes. SO
the full number likely cannot be ac-
counted for far some time. Seventy
four bodies were taken % the tenn
uorary Ynorgue established in the ked
Jacket town hall where idenuhcauons
are being made ar rapidly AZ possible.
CIamoring about the huilding Is inoo
of several strikers and.others inclua
ing hundreds OF women. Many SOD
birg children were in the crowd look
ing for thar parents, The latest
figures from the temporary morEue
give the following as among the dead
Five men, thirteen women, twenty
one boys, thiity-sevep giris.
The children range In age from two
or three years to twenty. Nearly all
were with mothers or fathers In the
building, but the older persons lost
their heads as quickly as did the lit
tie ones.
Investigation by Chief Of the Fire
Department Trudell tonight shows
that there was no vestig@ or fire IN
the building. There WAS not even a
candle light ID on any OF the three
Christmas trees for the strikers. Wo-
men could not afford TO buy candles
Few 10 Hospital.
Very few OF the injured were taken
IN Calumet and Hecia and Tarnarack
mining companies hospital. but two
only are so badly injured that they
are expected to die. These were kept
An the wards, the remainder beins
sent TO their homes. A number OF
the strikers are making the state
ments, apparently absolutely unbound
ed. that the cry of fire" was given
by some one iiol IA sSAaP0'"S "N'
the strike.
The Burns and Asher detective
agencies. employed by the Calumet
and Hecla and other mining com.
panies TO work during the strike OF
ire las, five months, are seeking &c
md the man who cried Are"
IL caught, he stands in CANCER OF
being lynched The mining com
pa,ies, against which the Western
Federation of Miners has been wag'
Ing a strike of Ave months, Is extend.
ING every assistance to the nercavee
and II helpir to identify the dead. a
subscription Is being raised for the
families that lost children, ard a large
sum has been already ra.sed. The
entire district is pouring m funds
One man, joseph Mihelch.cha. lost
three children. Another man lost his
wife and two children. John r
Wastola, secretary of the Finnish Mu-
.ual Iife Insurance company Is