The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-09-02

While touring Constantinople, Dr. George R. Stuart, pastor of the First Methodist church of Birmingham, nearly lost his life, when the floor of room where he was inspecting fancy work done by Near East ref ugees, gave way, according to let ter received in Birmingham Saturday. The room was small. More than 60 persons had crowded into it when the floor crashed, the letter stated Mrs. Stuart, who is also on the tour, suf- fered minor injuries in the crash. Many were seriously hurt by tho fall ing debris, while others were caught beneath the heavy timbers that up- held the floor, it was declared in the letter.
 Dr. stuart's letter follows in full:
 'En Route to Beyrout.
 August 3, 1923.
 "We have done much of our ancient history sight seeing. Our trip to Con- stantinople was very interesting You perhaps noticed an account of our accident. Fifty or 75 of us were crowded Tn a room, 30 feet by 30 feet, with large tables and sewing ma chimes around the walls exhibiting the fancy work of the Near East re- | lief refugees. Suddenly an awful cracking noise and sinking of the floor-the floor gave way in the cen ter and we were all dropped through
 
 splitting and splintering blanks fall ing and overturning tables on us as we went down into a heap on the top of each other. can never forget the awful shrieks of the folks and crack : ing and crashing noise as we went down, apparently to death. The floor hung to the side of the walls, mak- ing a pit into which we were all tumbled. When the crash ceased and we were landed at the bottom, found myself on my back, my legs | pinioned by broken flooring and a large table resting on my breast and screaming and scrambling people all under and around me. We were crushing each other by fruitless scrambling. Many of us men began to cry; Don't scream" Don't scramble" Wait for help" The win dows of the lower room, into which we had fallen, had iron frames. They had to beat them out with big ham mers. Ropes were thrown down from upper hall door from which we had fallen and the men were pulled out. They finally got the table off of me and pried the flooring up and let my legs out and l got on my feet Ihey threw a rope but I declined to take 1t. There were smothering and perlshing women all around my feet.
 got hold of the first woman and round her apparently dead. She oito "Su Ao slSnS or He. had not seen Mrs. Stuart for some time and I expected to find her dead or nangled 1 m some way I got my arms under the shoulders of this uncon- scious woman and began to lift her ana heard the woman under ner cry-DOh, Lord, Havt sercy,p and I recognized the voice of Mamma. l can never express my feeling as l 1 asked, oh, Mamma, are you badly 1 hurt. are you cut or bleeding7" She replied, T don't think am badly in 11red. 1 called for help and got tne unconscious woman out and then got mamma or her feet and found no blood and no limb broken I con tlnued to help until we got six un- conslcous women out of the wrecn- age. While we were working I saw an electric wire getting red hot and the shivered flooring catching fire. l cried, Cut off the electricity" and when l saw the wire cool off and the little blaze rubbed out by a strong hand, I thanked God and .ugged on with the others till the last one was out. The yard was full or bodies lying half unconscious. bruised and bleeding. Red Cross and l trained nurses and doctors were soon on the ground and in two horrse all 1 were ready to go back to the shin. some were on stretchers, some hob bling but all thankful it was no worse.
 Stuarts Slightly Hurt.
 small cut on the leg, slight cut on the head and a strained back wac | my catalog of casualties Mamma bad shoulder strained and bruised In sey erai places. She is pretty well spotted with bruised places but none serious. No limbs were broken. The | most marvellous escabe I ever -saw | Ten young women were ironing clothes in the laundry into which we fell They heard the crashing noise. screamed and ran to the walls of the room and not one received a scratch as everything was precipit- ated to the center of the room If the floor had broken at the walls all of them would have been killed.
 Mamma and l are felling pretty good today and are ready for our | Palestine trip which begins tomorrow morning. We have engaged an a,ito- mobile for the entire trip over Pales- tine. We leave the snip tomorrow morning with guide. Drive to Ra'Al- peek and on to Damascus. We go rom Damascus to Tiberius, Sea or Gallilee, Capernaum, Cana, Nazareth and on through the way thai Jesus went by the well" where he mai the woman" and on to Jerusalem then to Jericho. Jordan, Dead Sea and so on. we shall see every spot of
 
 of Patmos. I shall reserve descrin- ton till our return. We shall gc through Switzerland, France, Eng land, Scotland and Ireland.
 Wonderful Trip
 Excepting our little accident at | Constantinople. we have not had m hour of discomfort. All of us feel Tine and are each day more thank : ful for this wonderful trip which throws light on all our past reading l of history and will give a fresh in- depreciation to all our future read l ing, If we live to be old and retire 1 from active labors, how delightful 1t will be to sit in the evening of life and read the history of these countries which we have visited. We are praying that you may all be spared that no accident or death may l visit you In our absence The weather on board the ship has been | perfect, not hot night, nor sight or sound of insect of any kind It was hot In Athens but we had a good breeze. In the shade it was pleas ant We have not suffered from heat. The nights at Rome and Flor ence were fine Ha
 We have seen so much in so short a time that 1t is difficult to keep things and places separated. Iris like Riley Ferguson's dinner. "Too | many Boou lulnBS on the table at one sitting" But we will do like We did at Ferguson's, we will bring few things home with us. A little 1 shower at Venice is the only rain we have seen and the little shaving brush still sits on the little shelf by the mirror and has never been over | turned by the movement of the ship and you can imagine how small a jar | or lurch would overturn it. The matter of sea sickness never has oc- cured to us. No one has missed a meal As I sit here on the deck and write I can hardly tell that the yes | Sel Is moving. When We left Con