Friday morning, at the 8 o'clock mass at the St. Stanislaus church, located at Noble and Ingraham Streets, an altar candle fell which caused a fire. The attendance at this mass consisted mostly of school children, a few of whom put the fire under control before the firemen arrived; but before that had happened, a great commotion took place among the frightened children when some of the women at this mass started screaming and saying that the gas pipe had broken and would result in an explosion. The frightened children rushed the doors, which resulted in the jamming of the doorway and many were injured. The greatest catastrophe took place on the front stairs of the church. There the children fell in one big mass,tripping over one another, kicking and trying to free themselves, which resulted in over twenty children being critically injured. The largest per cent of these were boys.

Four of these boys were rushed to the hospital where it was predicted they would die. The stairs were covered with the blood of these children.

In a short time a few thousand people were at the scene of this catastrophe; fathers and mothers crying, looking for their children.

People were asking whose fault was it. Some of the mothers of these children claim that if the Sisters would have done their duty in the case of a fire like this, it would never have happened. They should have kept the children quiet, and marched then out in order, but the Sisters, many claim, were more frightened than the children.

Many people are saying what would happen if a fire would break out at a Sunday mass. To this Rev. Father Barzynski replied thus: I hope that if this ever happens at a Sunday mass, the grown up people will have enough strength and control of their minds to assist the weaker and elderly people, and help keep order in the church."