Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1915-12-07
JOE HARRINGTON
in STAND WHEN
BLEACHERSFALL

| DEEHGlEAOTM
Joe, Harrington, SON Of 13Ws,sR. y Far
ringten. Baslin attendance at the game
at Madison when the Minnesota team
defeated the Badgers. He was In the
stands at the time the .bleachersg col'
lapsed and In a letter. to this. city
describes the panic at the time OF
the accident Harrington, a former
student at Punahou andswell known In
| inter-school circles, is at present in
attendance at the University of Wis.
consin at Madison. Regarding the
accident, the Honolulu 10y says:
University of Wisconsin,
Madison, Wis, November 20 1915.
Sixteen thousand spectators. sat ter.
rified and In excited anxiety as they
watched three sections of bleachers,
every seat of which was filled, col
lapse, during the second quartet of
the Wisconsin, Minnesota football game
played this afternoon at Camp Ran:
dali, Madison. / was one of the sl6, 900.
approximately two thousand more,
packed like sardines on bleaeher sec.
tons DID, EE, FF, fell from heights
ranging from 25 to few fact, as the
slaves literally collapsed and let the
great stands fall. Outside of a few
minor. injuries only one was. badly
hurt.
II all happened ina few seconds.
Wisconsin had scored kick from
placement in the first quarter. Min
nesotas came back in the next period
and ran down the field for a touch
down. Respective rooters went wild
as their teams scored, and both yelled
and jumped around in their places.
The play was again on, and | was
following the work Of the teams in
terestedly, when really weird sound
arose from the ofllookers. 1 looked up
in flash, and straight before me, on
the other side Of the field,l1 saw the
bleachers sink. First very small
portion ins the middle and then SEQ
tons adjacent to it gave way under
the wave-like motion and took with
them huge mass of people,
Happened in Second. e
1t all happened in second. A cry
Of establishment and then there SEEM
ed to be q complete silence for short
period Everyone fell that. someone
was loosing his life In. plain sight.
And why no one was killed no one
knows. It looked as 1.-THE group were
falling into crack in the earth.
The next second saw people rushing
from all sides. That.they expected to
pick up a few dead bodies. from out
of the pile need hardly be said. Peo-
pie. of the other. grand stands exclaimr
ed in horror. Some started leaving.
the rest of the bleachers, but they
were very small fraction. Those on
the standing bleachers were largely
rooters, men students, and they did
not leave. s
No Serious injuries.
The teams stopped playing and peo-
pie gathered around the wreck. All
waited in suspense for bad news. But
they waited in vain for the only injury
reported was sprained ankle. How
ever, later reports said that some sui,
fered broken limbs. -
/ In a short. time all was fairly well
cleared The people who hadibeen on
the wrecked bleachers were allowed
to stand down on the side lines. Very
few left the. field and the game pro-
eeeded; but there. was less, interest.
No, one could understand, how such a
calamity could take place and no,one
be seriously or mortally injured. 1t
was a miracle indeed.
Faulty Construction.
investigated the bleachers latter
ward One look at their bracessand 1
wondered why ALI Of them had not.
gone down. The rear braceseswere
placed at an angle on smooth board
and held in place by nails, partially
driven through them. / Kicked one
out of place with the heel of my shoe.
The front and lowest part of the bleach
ers we're braced against heavy poles,
driven into the cinder part of. the
track. 1t was very wet yesterday so
these were not in solid ground. The
bleachers we're. so arranged that the
greater part of the tremendous weight
bore down on these stakes.
sWhatSprobably started the. bleachers
falling was the jumping about of the
rooters When few of the supports
had given way, this section, bore down
on the adjacent section and SO on I'M
Til three groups, each containing 500
people and still fraction of two 9TH
ers on both sides, holding another 200,
collapsed. $3.50
Today's game is the last football
game that will be played in old Camp
Randall. BY next spring the new