Uniontown, PA Windstorm Hits Circus Tent, Jun 1917

STORM HITS CIRCUS, WOMAN DEAD

Uniontown, PA., June 2. - At least one person, a woman, was killed and over fifty injured six of them critically, when a wind storm struck the circus grounds on which Barnum and Bailey's circus was showing here late in the afternoon, wrecking the big tent. Six huge elephants, with a number of circus horses, frightened by the accidents, stampeded through the grounds, injuring many in the crowd and wrecking smaller tents. The body of Mrs. Mary Hileman, fifty-five, of Addison, PA., has been taken from the wreckage.

The Iowa City Citizen, Iowa City, IA 2 Jun 1917

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ONE KILLED, MANY INJURED, CONNELLSVILLE PEOPLE ARE IN PERIL WHEN CIRCUS TOP FALLS

Mrs. Elizabeth Hileman of Addison, Dies of Shock When Storm Hits Tent

Crowd is Panic Stricken

Mrs. Helen Freeman Struck by One of the Tent Poles: Mrs. Ernest Kooser Has Narrow Escape: Ralph Bitner is Buried Under Wreckage

One woman was killed, a score of persons were seriously injured, and hundreds received sever shocks. When a storm hit the big tent of the Barnum & Bailey circus at Uniontown last evening, sending the canvas and poles crashing down on thousands. The "big top" went down at about 5:30, just after the people had been admitted to see a belated matinee performance, which had not yet begun. Many Connellsville people were imperiled and some slightly hurt.

The crowd, consisting mainly of women and children, had not yet all been seated, and the band had just begun to play, when the wind came. People who witnessed the catastrophe from outside say it was a miniature tornado, a funnel-shaped cloud of black in the sky, which struck the tent. The corners of the canvas snapped up, and were sucked up by the wind, being carried over to the north side of the arena. Back again the canvas swayed, the center and side poles crashed down upon the heads of the panic-stricken crowd, and then, with another gust, everything fell - tiers of seats, poles and canvas

Dodging the falling poles and crawling under the wet canvas, women and children fought to free themselves. The shrieks and screams were terrible to hear. Elephants in the menagerie tent nearby began to stampede and their trumpeting added to the noise and confusion.

A number of people were found unconscious by the rescuing parties. Mrs. Elizabeth Hileman, 32 years old, of Addison, died on her way to the hospital. Fright is said to have caused her collapse and heart failure was given as the cause of death. There were no marks on her body to indicate that she had been struck by falling timbers.

Mrs. Earl S. Areford, one of the best known women in Uniontown, was seriously injured, carried to the home of William Park near the show grounds, and later removed to the hospital. Mrs. Areford was struck on the head, but rested well last night and is believed out of danger.

At least 30 were so seriously injured that removal to the Uniontown hospital or treatment by physicians was necessary, and hundreds more are suffering at home from slight contusions, bruised, and shock, whose names will likely never be known.

Coroner S. H. Baum made an inquiry as to the cause of the catastrophe last night. No arrests were made, but it is expected an inquest will be held into the death of Mrs. Hileman at which time a complete probe of the disaster will be made. Coroner Baum said last night that it had been reported to him that the tent had not been securely fastened.

Persons whose clothes were ruined or who paid for tickets which were not redeemed issued attachments from the offices of aldermen on the property of the circus. Circus officials disclaimed any responsibility for the accident. Their loss will reach $35,000 in addition to the amounts lost by reason of being unable to give a night performance.

The last section of the show did not arrive in Uniontown until late yesterday afternoon on account of experiencing difficulty in loading the equipment on their cars from a muddy lot in McKeesport. The great crowd waited until 5 o'clock when the big top was in place and it was announced that the afternoon performance would begin. The performers were ready, but had not appeared when the storm broke. Had horses or wild animals, been in the tent at the time of the accident, many people might have been trampled to death and the catastrophe made much more serious. As it was, circus men declared openly that it was a miracle that thousands were not killed.

The crowd returning from the grounds was the sorriest looking aggregation ever seen at the county seat. Parading down the main streets they were covered with dirt and mud, their clothes were torn, and many were without hats.

Many Connellsville people were in the wreck and though none of them were reported seriously injured all suffered more or less from slight bruises or from fright.

Mrs. Ernest R. Kooser was the worst hurt of the injured from this city, sustaining a fracture of a rib on the left side and being otherwise bruised and shaken up when a rope caught her and dragged her from the top row of a tier of seats to the bottom. It was not until evening that it became apparent to her that a bone had been broken.

Ralph Bittner of the West Penn office force was buried under the wet canvas for a short time but succeeded in crawling out of the tent. Other West Penn people who attended the show and who had exciting times getting out of the wreckage were Mr.
And Mrs. E. R. Kooser, Mr. and Mrs. R. P. Kamerer, and Mrs. Daniel Durie and family. Mr. Bittner suffered slight skin bruises. The others escaped without injury.

Mrs. Helen Freeman, a Tri-State telephone operator here was stunned by a falling pole, and so seriously shocked that she was unable to work last night.

Miss Jane Gans, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J. L. Gans, was seated on the side of the tent from which the wind carried the canvas. Miss Gans' first impulse was to jump to the ground from her row of seats, and had she done so, she might have been injured. She was restrained from jumping by other people with presence of mind.

Kirk Dilworth, high school student and son of Mr. and Mrs. K. K. Dilworth, was thrown from his seat into the reserved seat section below, in the panic. Whether a pole struck him and knocked him from his feet, or whether someone pushed him down, he does not know. Luckily, his fall among the reserved chairs did not render him unconscious, and he was able to get out of the way of the people who would have trampled over him. He crawled under the seats and canvas to safety, then re-entered to help a woman and baby out of the tent.

Stephen Rutherford, Edward Anderson and Robert Gilchrist of Scottdale were among those present. They were pinned under boards for a time, and after being liberated, joined one of the rescue parties.

Will Percy of the West Side and little son, John went to Uniontown to see the circus. It was to have been the boy's first circus. Learning that the performance was to be very late, however, they left Uniontown about 1:30, not waiting to see the show. There was some alarm among their friends here until they turned up safely.

Many other Connellsville parties motored to the show, but did not wait for the performance because of its lateness. In fact, it is said, that there was a small crowd in the tent because of this late start, and that is one reason why there were no more injured than there were.

W. J. Bailey of Kerr street, Uniontown, and his son, Frank Bailey, who were both cut and bruised and injured about the body, are former Ohio Pyle people. Mr. Bailey is a brother-in-law of Frank Dull of Connellsville.

Captain R. S. Morton, commander of Company D. Tenth Regiment, was at the circus when panic developed he and several other men aided considerably in calming those in their section of the stands.

Bert Miller of South Race street jumped from the back of the stand in which he was sitting and assisted Miss Martha Schmitz of Connellsville out of the tent.

Local men report seeing men with big gashes in their faces where tent ropes had caught them. Another man was cut through to the bone on his shoulder by a rope.

Frank Payne of this city, was sitting near the middle of the tier of seats when the canvas fell in. A woman behind jumped clear of him, and others in the rear seats scrambled past. This left an opening to the top of the tier and he slid down a pole to the ground.

Lieutenant Gilmore Hayman, in charge of the detachment from Company B, Third Regiment, was in a section where the seats collapsed. He said much jam would have been avoided had the women been more calm. At first inflation of the tent, women in this section became frightened and when the stakes let go they made a scramble for safety.

Emma Jo Stillwagon was also scratched and bruised when caught in the jam inside the tent. Miss Stillwagon went to the circus wearing a new hat with a paradise in it and came out wearing a man's old straw hat which she found after losing her own. She also lost a valuable bracelet.

W. M. Rogers, superintendent of line construction for the West Penn, suffered bruises from being scratched about the arms and legs. His son Walter, was also hurt.

Other Connellsville persons at the circus who escaped unhurt were L. E. Hankinson, Mr. and Mrs. F. E. Keolkor and children, Mr. and Mrs. W. F. Soisson, Mr. and Mrs. T. B. Donnelly, Misses Jane and Anne Donnelly, Misses Genevieve and Eleanor Soisson, Edison Soisson, Harry L. Bishop. Attorney and Mrs. Basil J. Soisson, Mr. and Mrs. James B. Stader, Mrs. John R. Byrne, Miss Mary Byrne, Miss Virginia Byrne, of Everson, and Misses Madeline and Teresa Brennen of Scottdale.

The Daily Courier, Connellsville, PA 2 Jun 1917
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