The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-02-02
ident safely through the crowds is al
most phenomenal

ident safely through the crowds is al
most phenomenal
Many of the Democrats III Topeka
today recall The near-panic in Ma
sonic Temple when President Wilson
made his first speech in Topeka, Feb
ruary %, 1911 The big banquet hall
was packed to capacity and more than
1000 enthusiastic Democrats crowd
ed into the hall to hear the man Sc
tlected to beat Champ Clark for the
presidential nomination.
President Wilson had barely con-
cluded his peroration when the loud
changing of an electric gong in the
banquet hall disturbed tie dinner
guests. Scores of men and women be-
lieved the building was afire. Many
arose from their seats President
Wilson urged the crowd to be calm,
but it was difficult to dispel the
thought that it was five floors to the
ground. When the ringing OF the
gong stopped, the president proceed
ed A few minutes later he was again
| interrupted. This time the banquet
crowd heard the fire engines racing
down Jackson street. panic was
narrowly averted and the unrest con-
tinued throughout the evening.
After the BANQUET an investigation
showed that an electric wire attached
to the elevator had been connected
with the fire gong. But it was a scare
that Kansas Democrats have never
forgotten
The presidents second visit to To-
peka was in October, 1912, when he
was the nominee of his party for the
presidency. He spoke to a crowd of
more than 5000 that packed every
available foot of space in the Audi
! torium and waited for three hours for
the arrival of the Democratic candi-
date on a delayed special train from
Denver.
F'iremen at No. 2, in the city build
| ing, did not move far away from the
| brass poles nor from their fire fight
/ ing togs between the hours of II and
/ 2 today. While there was no particu-
liar reason to fear fire at the audito-
rum during the big meeting incident
TO the presidents speech, they instinct
lively kept on their toes Everything
was in readiness for quick work in
case there was fire alarm in that vi
cinity.
The auditorium is not a fireproof
building but is as safe from fire as
any ordinary brick structure. 1t has
numerous fire exits and complies with
thirty-five hundred or four thousand
people packed into it even fire alarm
would be serious matter. The fire
men realize this and keep it in mind
| on such occasions.
1t was low down charge;
! that made by some of the crowd that
packed Quincy street before the audi
torium opened. They declared loud
enough to be heard above the rabble
that some of the farmers attending
the union meetings at the auditorium
took their dinners with them in order
to hold good seats for President Will
/ sons speech. The farmers had Sc
cured the auditorium for three day
meeting but voluntarily agreed to al
low the president to use it for an hour.
The charge made by the crowd was
due to the word passed around that
delegates to the union meeting had
been seen carrying suit cases into the
auditorium early in the morning.
Jimmie" Porter, small son of Conn
missioner w. L. Porter, is an unusual
boy. He didn't give a whoop today
whether he saw the president or not
Jimmie came down town with his
mother with the idea of going into
the auditorium. Commissioner Por-
/ ter looked out the window at the
crowd and decided the auditorium
would be poor place for a. small boy.
! Jimmie, you can't CO." he said.
You'll have to stay up here in the
| Office
Jimmie didn't bat an eye.
'.All right" he said. there won't
be anything to see down there except
the president anyway"
And he played around Commission
er Porters office while three or four
thousand people, the width of a brick
wall dist ant, shouted themselves
hoarse over the president of the Unit
ed States.
Not all of the audience that heard
President Wilson this afternoon at the
auditorium was on the first floor and
in the balcony. Part of it was up in
the attic. The attic contingent was
made up of Boy Scouts who were
placed there by the committee in
charge of the preparations. They
were there for a purpose. The ceiling
in the auditorium is punctured in vari-
Gus places by trap-doors. 1t was the
duty of the boys to watch, with an
arrnload of small flags, until Presi-
dent Wilson rose to speak, then drop
the flags through the trap-doors. The
result was a shower of tiny flags
| upon the speaker and the audience. 1t
was suggested this morning that each
boy be equipped with a rope on a
block and tackle to catch him in case
he lost his footing. However, that
suggestion of preparedness was not
oil