Imperial Valley Press

146 Perished In Tent Fire: Officials Held

HARTFORD, Conn., July 7. (UP)—Thirty-six burned bodies—mostly children—lay row on row in the state armory Friday afternoon, still unidentified in the disastrous burning of the "big top" which killed 146 persons Thursday in a brief moment of sudden death.

The death toll figure of 146 was official as of 1:30 p.m., and came from State War Administrator Henry B. Mosle who took charge of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey disaster Thursday and remained at his post checking dead, injured and missing throughout Friday. He believed the figure would be the final one unless some of the dozen critically injured still in hospitals died.

110 IDENTIFIED

Of the dead, 110 were identified, many with quick gasps of recognition by parents who filed through the big armory, lifting the edges of blankets to look for their children who went gaily to the circus and died as flames licked across the big tent.

Mosle said about 35 persons were reported as missing by friends and relatives and pointed out that the 36 unidentified bodies checked approximately with that figure.

Seeking to avert any more such disasters, the state police commissioner ordered the World of Mirth shows, appearing at Waterford, Conn., to suspend until the owners could obtain "a fireproof tent and adequate fire-fighting equipment."

A fund was started for families

(Continued on Pg. 6, Col 1)
Circus Fire Toll Mounts to 146

Any unclaimed and unidentified victims will receive a mass interdenominational funeral service.

Mayor William Mortensen was arranging the details. Local hospitals were crowded with 208 injured, 14 of whom were reported to be in dying condition.

CIRCUS OFFICIALS HELD

After a night of questioning canvasmen, performers, roustabouts and spectators, Police Court Prosecutor S. Burr Leikind arrested five circus officials on charges of manslaughter.

They were J. A. Haley, vice president of Ringling Brothers, Barnum & Bailey; Edward Versteg, chief electrician; David W. Blanchfield, chief wagon and tractor man; George W. Smith, general manager, and Leonard Aylesworth, boss canvas man.

All the men spent the night in Hartford city jail and were released on bail shortly before they were arraigned before Police Court Judge Walter J. Sidor who continued their cases until July 19. They were represented by counsel and all were silent.

Police Prosecutor James F. Kennedy told the United Press they had been charged because of evidence of "gross negligence." The circus own fire department was "impotent" he said and this despite its menagerie fire in Cleveland in 1942 which, he charged, had demonstrated the department's inadequacy.

RELEASED ON BAIL

Haley and Smith were released on $15,000 bail each, the others on bail of $10,000. Leikind refused to disclose the evidence upon which he based his charge but it was learned that authorities were suspicious of the spotlights which sat high in the corners of the main tent.

The lights were beamed on the "Flying Wallendas" who just had started their high tight wire act in the white hot glare of the big spots when a flash of flame appeared in the slanting canvas roof.

A second later the red tiny spot became a mass of flame and panic broke out below despite the attempts of performers and attendants to quiet the crowd.

When the stampeding audience refused to join in the singing and other efforts to restore order, the performers joined in the rescue work and the "sad-faced clown" and other renowned artists began carrying out the bodies of the men, women and children they had come to entertain.