The song revolves around a tragedy that took place on December 24, 1913, in Calumets Italian Hall. Over five hundred striking miners and their families had gathered at the Hall for a Christmas party that night. The hall could only be accessed by a steep stairway; along with a poorly-marked fire escape which could only be reached by climbing out of the windows, the stairway was the only available exit. During the course of the party, somebody shouted fire!, although there was no fire. However, people began to panic en masse, and rushed towards the stairway. While trying to all make their way down stairs, seventy-three people were trampled to death, fifty-nine of which were children. Evidence suggests the stampede was caused by someone allied with the copper company.
Posted on: Wed, 24 Dec 2014 21:22:36 +0000
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