The Press. — London, England, 1856-10-25 00:00:00

! 1018 done, appear to have made for one door, there being at least three others equally convenient, and affording equal facilities of escape. The whole of the persons killed have been now identified, and their names are, Samuel Heard, aged twenty-four ; Harriett Mathew, aged sixteen, un• married, an apprentice to a draper at Islington; Harriett Barlow, aged thirty, married; Harriett Johnson, twenty, unmarried, dressmaker ; and Eliza beth Mead, forty-three, married, 7, Love-lane, Stock well. The two other persons killed were Mrs. Grace Skipper, of 40, Dobson. terrace, Kennington, and a little boy, whose name cannot at present be ascer tained, making seven in the whole. The number of wounded i, not yet clearly ascertained, but some ten or fifteen suffered severe injuries. The damage done to the music-hall by the accident is not very considerable. It consists principally of broken windows, and 501. will cover all. Tha building was minutely inspected on Tuesday morning by Mr. Tyler, the manager of the gardens ; Mr. T. K. Holmes, one of the directors; Mr. Horace Jones, the architect; and Mr. Ellis, the secretary, all of whom expressed themselves convinced that, beyond the broken windows and balustrades, the structure had sustained no injury, and that there was no cause for the alarm which unhappily led to the la mentable results that have brought sudden bereave • ment to several families, and deeply wounded the public mind. A corone►'s inquest was opened on Tuesday at St. Mary Newington Workhouse, before Mr. Carter, and several witnesses examined with the view of dis covering the origin of the panic. John Heard, a tanner, brother to the deceased Samuel Heard, stated that he and his brother were in the first gallery from the floor : We had been there about ten minutes or a quarter of an hour when we heard a cry of "Fire !" and then the people began to rush out in dreadful confusion. When the alarm was given we were close to the door, and we rushed to the staircase in the north-western tower. I lost sight of my brother in the confusion, and never saw him again alive. When I last saw him he stood beside Jae in the gallery. I saw no appearance of fire, nor am I able to say from what part of the building the cry of " Fire!" arose. I fell on the stairs full five steps down, and as policeman after wards raised me up, and I escaped, but with the loss of my boot. There was a great pressure on the stairs, occa sioned by the people rushing down. When the alarm was given I heard nothing said in particular, except that there was a fire, but I don't know who made that observation. When I fell on the stairs there were several people beneath me, and I particularly noticed one woman who was bent nearly double, and seemed dead. Louisa Johnson, sister of the deceased Harriet Johnson, stated : On Sunday evening I accompanied my sister, Harriet Johnson, to the Surrey-gardens. We went into the hall, into the first gallery. We stood close to the door at the top of the stairs. After we hail been there three quarters of an hour, my sister said " The house is falling," and we ran down the stairs. I had not seen or heard anything to lead to such an impression. I fell, and a number of people fell upon me. I and my sister were the first that got into the staircase. I took hold of the banister➢ and fell, the staircase being so narrow. I then lost my recol lection. I was afterwards raised up and taken out. I did not hear any alarm given besides what my sister said. As soon as she told me the place was falling I rushed out. She did not speak loudly, but she might have been heard by a few people around us. When we ran out she was behind me, and when I fell she fell upon me. I do not believe my sister had auy motive in calling out that the place was falling. A juryman : As you rushed out of the door did you meet any persons coming down the other stairs? Witness: No, I did not. The staircase was free. As soon as I heard what ray sister said, I rail out screaming. Other persons followed. I fell, and they fell upon me. I took hold of the banister rail to slip down. I could not run down fast enough, as the staircase is so narrow. Several other witnesses gave similar evidence. Nothing definite transpired as to the origin of the cause for a cry of fire, and the inquest was ad journel till Friday, when further witnesses were exit mined. Mr. Otway, a surgeon, first gave his evidence, and deposed to the fact that in the several cases of the deceased the head was so pressed down upon the chest as to impede respiration, and produce death from suffocation. Mr. John Illidge stated that he distinctly heard the cry• of "Fire " raised, that the cry was repeated from one side of the hall to the other, followed by the tinkling of more than one bell, and that as the con fusion and alarm increased he distinctly saw several persons put their hands to their mouths and shout, " The galleries are falling." In his opinion it was a preconcerted arrangement to create confusion. Mr. W. Soames, who gave his evidence very learly, said : I stood under the gallery immediately opposite the main entrance. A. rush took] place into the lobby from the gar lens, which produced a bustle in the hall, followed fill me listely by screaming in that vicinity, and a general looiing iound to that spot. The word " Fire " arose more as a matter of inquiry than an alarm, and immediately it flew across the hall like a flash. Suddenly the avenue gates were opened, and there was a rush producing a 16. THE PRESS. sound as if a fire•engine were coming. Then the panic arose. I had not then heard the tinkling of bells, but I did occasionally the breaking of chandeliers. I assisted in breaking the glass in the windows to give additional means of exit. if it had not been done more lives would have been lost. NI hen I was breaking the glass a person came up to me and said, " Be quiet, don't do that, but trust in God." I replied that I quite agreed with him in that sentiment, but at the same time I considered myself justified in what I was doing, in giving additional facilities to escape. Ido not believe the disturbance arose from a preconcerted measure, but from the foolery of opening the avenue doors when the hall was full. The panic arose from an accidental and unforeseen circumstance. Superintendent Lund saw two men, and a lad about sixteen or seventeen and consilerably shorter than the other two, rise up in the body of the hall, imme diatAy opposite the grand entrance. One of them held up his arms and called out what he believed to be "Fire, tire." The cry was immediately repeated, and it was impossible to describe the scene that ensued. He jumped down from the orchestra. There was a tremendous rushing, and he heard the greatest noise at the north-west gallery. He saw no one attempt to arrest the parties who raised the alarm. It appeared to be a general panic after the first alarm. The alarm was certainly not caused by the swell mobsmen, for they were outside the avenue gates. Several other witnesses gave similar evidence ; one, Thomas Fullager, declared that he saw two men enter and whisper together, as if bent on mischief. One came out and laughed and went in again, and soon after there was a mob of people ; there was no rush inwards. Two men forced their way into the hall, and he heard one say "Jack has played his cards well, and has won his bottle of brandy. I wish he had put the gas out." - The coroner shortly after summed up, and the jury raturned a verdict of "Accidental Death." THE REPORT UPON THE CITY GAS WORKS, by Drs. Taylor, Hoffman, Brandt, and Carrington, is strongly in faviur of the company. " The result of our in spection (observes the report) is, that the City Gas Company cannot be charged with the neglect of any precaution known to science for preventing a nui sance to the neighbourhood ; and if a nuisance is really occasioned, it is one which arises from causes that cannot be avoided by the means which are at present at the disposal of gas manufacturers." THE MONSTER BELt., to be placed in the Clock Tower of the New Palace at Westminster, has at last arrived at its destination uninjured. It has been safely raised from the billy-buoy moored by the side of Westminster-bridge, and placed on a temporary erection before being finally placed iu the tower. The bell was satisfactorily tested one day this week. BISHOP BuniFIELD has issued instructions for the disposal of the whole of the furniture and effects of London House, St. James's-square, previously to giving the residence up to his successor. Bishop Maltby has given similar instructions for the disposal of the furniture and effects of Auckland Castle, Bishop Auckland, Durham. THE METROPOLITAN BOARD OF WORKS held a special meeting on Monday to consider a statement upon the financial condition of the several parishes and districts, with the particulars of outstanding loans and mortgages, and an estimate of the sums to be raised by the board for the year ending 31st De cember, 1856; and to assess such sums as the board should deem necessary. Atter a lengthened and uninteresting discussion, an amendment, moved by Mr. Bristow, that the whole of the financial state ment be referred to a committee, was negatived, and the board adjourned. The board met again on Wednesday to consider the whole question of the northern and southern drainage, when the following amendment to the Sea Reach plan VMS adopted : That the engineer's plan marked 13 in his report dated the 26th of September, 1856, be adopted, and presented to the Commissioners of her Majesty's Works and I'ublic Buildings; and that it be intimated to them that this board have also had under consideration other plans for discharging the sewage into the river below Gravesend, but that it appearing that such extension would add be tween 1,000,0001. and 2,000,0001. to the outlay, and that this sum would be spent not to benefit the inhabitants of the metropolis, but to meet the wishes of the people of Kent and Essex who reside on the banks of the river, this board has declined to entertain any such scheme; never theless, if it shall be the opinion of her Majesty's Govern ment that such an extension is desirable, this board will readily undertake the work, the Government providing such additional outlay out of the national revenue. The engineer was instructed to prepare the necessary plans, and the board yesterday met to consider the mode of proceeding in laying the same before her Majesty's Commissioners, and a motion to that effect was carried on a division. A GALLANT ACT is related of a poor labouring man at a fire in Eldon.street, Finsbury, last Tuesday. An eye-witness writes:— A fire broke out on the premises of a bootmaker, in the first floor it was said, and the flames were bursting forth from the windows in huge sheets—all at once a woman's hand was seen waving from the second-floor window SATURDAY, (which was very small) signing for help. No fire-escape was there, and a ladder was fetched ; it was not long enough. Another—it was also too short, it was held up by fifteen or twenty men in their arms. Up went a man—a poor workman, through the flames, and un this ladder, swaying to and fro, reached the window, smashed in the frame, and rescued the poor woman from a horrible death. Had he not had great courage lie could not have done it, for the flames were round him in coming down again, and if he had but missed a step he must have been killed on the apt. Ought not such an act to be rewarded? In a contemporary paper it is said "the fire escape came and the aged female was rescued;" but it was by this man, and she was safe on the ground ere the ma chine came. I may mention that the whole of the upper part of the house was burnt, so that the woman was rescued from certain death. THE itEGISTRAR GENERAL'S RETURNS for the week show a rate of morality indicating remarkable healthiness in the metropolis. The number of deaths amounted only to 971. The registrar of the Borough-road sub-district states that during the last seven years the average number of deaths registered by him on the first eighteen days of October has been thirty; the number this year has been only three, which, " considering that the population of the sub-district is about 17,000, is a proof of the good health which they now enjoy." The births of 1,585 children were registered. A POOR ARTIST, George Franklin, aged thirty years, residing at Hackney, committed suicide on Monday, front starvation. THE AUTHORITIES AT THE NATIONAL GALLERY have given orders to hang Turner's works during tho vacation, and they will be visible to the public, toge ther with some other accessions to the gallery, on Monday next, the 27th inst. THE DEATH OF A PAUPER LUNATIC in St. Pancras Workhouse is related this week. He was confined in the padded room during the entire night of Sunday last. His confinement took place in consequence of his excessive violence. It does not appear that he was visited during the night, and on Monday morn ing the attendant found him hanging by his handker• chief from one of the window bars. Vrotinrial. THE SUNDAY LEAGUE held a meeting at Good ramgate, York, last week, and the question of open ing the public buildings and permitting musical per• formances on the Sunday was fully discussed. The meeting was a very stormy one. Mr. Brown, of Colliergate, presided. Mr. W. Loaden proposed the first resolution, in favour of the movement. Mr. Alderman Rountree opposed the resolution ; and Mr. B. Wales moved an amendment, that opening the public institutions, dre., on Sunday was a direct violation of the fourth commandment. Mr. T. Monkhouse supported the amendment; but, alter a stormy discussion, the original motion was declared to be carried. A TRIBUTE TO THE MEMORY OF LLYWELYN, "the last independent Prince of Wales," has been origin ated in Wales. At a meeting recently held the fol lowing resolutions were adopted . That the brave and illustrious deeds of Llywelyn in defence of the principality of Wales, and the heroic manner in which he sacrificed his life upon the altar of patriotism, entitle him to the respect and gratitude of all who love Cymro, Cymru, and Cymraeg. That a general and strenuous effort be made to raise a fund by means of voluntary subscriptions among the natives and friends of Wales for the purpose of erecting over his grave, or on some other spot eminently associated with his name, a monument worthy of his great renown and of his country's regard and veneration. It has been agreed that the subscriptions shall no; exceed 2s. 6d. each. THE COALBROOK DALE SCHOOL OF ART was opened last week. Mr. J. A. Hammersley, master of the Manchester and head of the Lancashire schools, delivered the opening address. He referred particu larly to the advantage to all classes of a knowledge of the principles of art:— The question therefore of art education comes home to every one of us. Few, probably, have reflected upon the extent of influence which this branch of science has upon character, yet it is quite certain it has a great deal to do with the forming the life, in moulding the temper, and in influencing our happiness. If purely technical, if a mere matter of paint and pots, of lines and forms, I should myself abandon the brush at once, and have done with such unmeaning daubs. But it is not so. One of the originating motives influencing you in instituting this school has been that art appeals to our nature, meets our sympathies, and operates upon the life. Art may likewise be safely advocated upon the ground that it is the great instrument by which we are enabled to appreciate the works of God, and to see the beauty of His creation. Probably not six persons in this room have seen the beau ties of nature to-day. The fact is that we go through life, nearly all of us, blindly ignorant of the beauties and un worthy of the glories that surround us, yet God himself is writing daily the great book of beauty, is hourly spreading before us its pages for our instruction and improvement. I believe these schools of art will enable us to see Nature as we ought to see her—as a great book of beauty; and I am content to rest their advocay upon that ground.