BALCONY COLLAPSES DURING PARADE

["Ottawa Weekly Herald," 11 Jun 1896]

A Balcony holding forty people gives way and twenty or more badly injured.

On Circus day last Tuesday, at eleven o'clock while the throng of spectators was all looking down the street for the first appearance of the parade, the balcony in front of the Rohrbaugh building occupied by Shom's jewelry store gave way under its heavy burden and about forty people fell to the pavement, half of whom at least, were more or less injured.

Some were standing beneath were also injured and several saved themselves from the fall by catching hold of window sills and the adjoining balcony.

The disaster was the most terrifying and a larger number of persons were seriously injured than any that ever occurred before in Ottawa.

The scene was a pitiful one, the suffering and human blood shed was enough to sicken the most stout. Some turned away with horror stricken faces while others in the confusion that followed rushed wildly about in caring for the unfortunate parents, children or friends who were quickly carried away bleeding and insensible into adjoining stores and offices. The injured are as follows:

Mrs. Avery Day - Rantoul; head hurt internally - recovering rather doubtful.

Mrs. G. D. Stinebaugh - Ottawa; leg broken in two places, knee and ankle; spine also injured.

Mrs. N. V. Allen - Mt. Vernon; arm broken, finger dislocated, severe nervous shock.

Son of Mrs. N. V. Allen; concussion of brain - will recover.

Miss Tonette Cowgill - Princeton; jaw cut and bruised.

Mrs. Charles Detwiler - Ottawa; back sprained.

Wm. Young - Greenwood township; ankle dislocated, skin bruised.

Earnest Young; arm broken.

Johnnie Young; concussion of brain.

Miss Mabel Beachy - Ottawa; scalp wound, bruised and badly stunned.

Miss Mollie Edmundson - Ottawa; head and shoulders bruised.

Baby daughter of Mrs. W. H. Tennyson - Norwood; badly hurt all over, head most probably will die.

Nora Tennyson - Norwood; shoulder bruised.

Germpe Corwin - Kansas City; face badly bruised.

Miss Rosa Davison - Princeton; ankle sprained.

Miss Ethel Craine - Ottawa, Poplar Street; arm broken, jaw punctured and otherwise hurt.

Miss Peterson, Osage County; chest and limbs severely bruised.

Miss Mary Jackson - Cutler township; ankles and feet bruised and sprained.

Frank Owens - Ottawa, 5th street; wrist sprained and leg hurt.

Mrs. T. B. Steelman and son southeast of town; bruised.

Miss Annie Allen, daughter of Mrs. N. V. Allen; bruised bodily and nervous shock.

Besides those given above there were a large number of others who received cuts and bruises, the extent of which is now not known.

As quickly as it was possible a bulletin board with the list of those injured was placed upon the street and later results as given above are not quite so serious as it was supposed. No deaths have occurred so far.

Misses Beach, Crane and Peterson were standing ont he walk below and were hurt by the iron railing and people above falling upon them. Walter Pleasant saved himself from falling by grasping the window sill and climbed back. One gentleman was seen to fall head foremost striking his head squarely upon the stone walk but jumped up instantly and apparently was not hurt a bit.