Imperial Valley press., 1927-01-10
SEEK
CHILDREN AMONG
THEATER VICTIMS
Panic Results in Horrible
Tragedy as Youngsters
Are Trampled to Death
BY j. K. KELLY
Omitted Press Staff CorreSpondentl

Omitted Press Staff Correspondent
MONTREAL, Jan. 10. - All
through the night mothers and faith
| crs, i'll AN agony of suspense. moved
in little groups through the city
moug the bodies taken from the
Laurcr Palace picture thcater,
where 7G were suffocatcd and tram
pied to death in a mad stampede
caused by small fire in the bal.
conv.
At the hospitals, others inquired
for their missing among the SO or
more victims, some in Il dying con
dition, being cared for there.
When the morgue rcopcned today,
after being closed for brief res
Eite from the narrowing work of
Identification, ~ of the dead had
been identified.
The story of the tragedy, assem-
hled today from the incohcrcnt ac-
counts of those who survived and
the description of rescue workers,
was a pitiful account of Young lives
sacrificed nccdlcsslv through blind
panic.
About 500 to 1000 spectators were
in the thcater for the Sunday after
noon show. Children prcdominated,
attracted by the children 5 favoritc,
Mary Pickford, in "'Sparrows. - A
minor film tragicallv titled "Get
En- Young, was Pickering on the
screen and the house resoundcd with
the shriIl laughter of children when
Il curl Of smoke was seen issuing
from Il corner of the balcony.
Balcony Packed
As thcater attendants hurried for
ward to put the blaze out, Il flicker
of flame shot through an opening
in the woodwork, startlinglv vivid
in the darkened theatcr. The dread
cry of "fire' was heard and pan
demonium started.
The balcony was packed with
children because of the cheaper ad-
mission, i cents.
AS the mad rush for the exits
started they piled into the two mar
row Stairways, which make two
turns or "elbows - on the left hand
stairway, The stampeding children
were caught in hopeless tangle on
one of the turns. \ medical report
, showed sixty of them died from
suffocation, all air cut off by the
solid mass of bodies piled high
! above thcm.
! So quickly d'd it happen that fire
ltf. Al
10 minutes after the first cry Of
fire were able to accomplish little
in the way of rescue work.
The strength of 10 men could not
move a body from the solid mass. 1t
was necessary to chop through the
wooden stairway under the pile and
through the walls before it gave
way and the bodies were passed out
to the street. Priests hurried from
one to another. administering the
last rites of the Catholic church, to
which most of the children belong
ed. Although the spark of life re-.
manned in only II few bodies, the
ministratiOn went ON. The ma ior-
ity of the victims were French Can.
adams with II few Irish among
them.
Distressing Scenes
The scene inside was SO distress
ing that fircmcn accustomed TO
scenes of death by fire wcpt like
children at the helpless plight of
the little ones, many of whom were
only seven or eight years old.
Only "A few were 1t or over. The
oldest was IS. One little girl of
five, Jeanne IL Are Wen, named for
the saintcd heroine of France, was
lifted from the mass of bodies as
The laughing face that had been
watching her first movie was froz-
en- into an expression Of helpless ter
ror that the rescue workers will
never forget.
The priests of the nearby Hoche-
laga church wcpt, too, as they min
iStcrcd to children to whom, only
that morning they had given com
munion at the altar rail and noted
how the peaceful smile of innocent
piety had been changed to distort-
ed agony.
Perhaps the most sharply stricken
among the sorrowing parents was
Police Constable Albert Boisscau,
whose family of three children was
wiped out, and who had his first
intimation of it when he came
across the body of his eldest daugh-
ter, Germainc, Il, while doing res
cue work.
The owner, Emile +. Lawland,
and the assistant manager, ticket
taker and doorman were taken into
custody about midnight and held
pending coronor's inquest today.
1t is expected they will be charged
with violating law of the province
of Quebec prohibiting the admis-
sion of children under Is to a the
alter when not accompanied by par
ents or guardians.
DELANO BANK FAILS