The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1883-06-19 00:00:00

186 CHILDREN .CRUSHIM TO MUTH.

AGONBING-SCENES.

On Saturday night, • 'Lethality unequalled by any
event which has previously occurred in the district
took plea, here, by which nearly 200 children, chiefly
between five and twelve years of age, lost their lives,
and above 100 households have been thrown into sad
mourniug. This terrible event occurred at the close of
• conjuring eut,rtainment given in the Victoria Hall
to school children, by I'. Fay.. The hall, the body of
which will accommodete 2,000 children, and the
gallery a similar number, wee crowded. The enter. ,
tainment lad phased off suocessfully, and at the close
the occupante of the gaUery rushed to the lower part,
where the holders of prize tiekets were to receive the
prisern to which they wore eittitled. It was at this
moment the dreolf al calauatty, which has plunged the
town into deep m turning, lathy el. It appears that
th- prizes lied been dietribute I to the children who were
en"itle.s to them in thi ho ly of the hall, audit i• believed
' thet the chiiiren wb were in the gallery were going
down nt ge. theirs with great hate. There are several
abort flights of stairs leading fr tm toe gallery to the
beeement. Down • portion of these the juvenile* had
got in safety, and they nixt passed alone • passage,
at the en I if which, by • turn, they were
brought ti two short flight. of stairs, about six feet
In wi Ith. It was ab rut the foot of the first of
these two bottom fdghte that the calamity occurred.
At the bolt on of the fight was a large swine door
which it is thoti.dat MA only partially opened. and
bolted to the floor, with an opening of 24 in:hes,
having, it is state I, been used for receiving the
cheques, it being only opened suffieiently to let one
out at • time. The children going hastily along the
paessice, and turning on to the stairs would not be
able to see what was going on, and the opening, it is
believed, had at onci beea blooke lip. The children
were f treed against the wall. ?deny fell, others
tumbled epou them, and speedily some huadreds of
children were thrown in • coutus-d heap behind the
door, an I were thus suffocated. l'he caretaker of the
hall soon became aware of the dreadful ocourreuse.
When he got to the lobby at the point of the gallery
stairs, he foetid • lot id children lying there. He got
them cleared out, and tto going t the door be SAW what
heel happened. He then rushed, by way of the dress
circle, L.i another entree a baling to the stairs
lusher up, awl called upon the children to come out
that way. He socceeded in getting a great portion
to go that way, but the pressure down towards
the door which was blocked was exceedingly great,
and the children were buried seven or eight layers deep.
Theehildren were standing mood lying omitted in all
directions. Some of the chit trio were *W.I./rine and
crying for aid, while many had fallen. Others preassid
on behind, and those mid h were *owl suit 'rated
and dial. The caretaker and those helping nun did
all they c tuld ti Save no m toy as possible. His la,.
Hrs. Graham, ...shoed him, as well SA others; but it
woe • very heavy tadc 'Tbsr ate those that were alive
and reicu, the dying. He say, he and his wife did
all they c tol I to restore animatioe by bething the
templets and rubbing the wrote, and they SUOoWhild in
some Loose—five or six or more.
The shocking sight nearly overcome the caretaker,
and be was twice silmeet fainting. It was • greet
struggle to get the children out He thought it
occurred about live minutes past five, A number had
got away before the calamity occurred, but behind
them teeth had been • large number crushing down,
awl others behind them hat crashed them down.
The force from behind pressed them against the wall
behind the door, and so bl 'eked the do 'r up that it
could not be got open, and made it ea feet as if it had
been wedged. As soon as be found the rood was
b'ocked up he opened the do ire by the dress circle
way and the frmt entrance in towards the road to let
the remainder of the chiidren out. He then kept
working awsy with 'hi help hi had got at relieving the
children in the block • in.. A are it many—ab tot
200, lie thinks —sr •ro go on, olive, Tb, MIA of
le4 11. 61. hsd been Wren in pen that 1,170
children had p•hl for • lolled° t to the gallery. As
the children were token out of the man, they were
carried, some to the II root circle and sum • down into
the body of the hall, where they were tall out iii rows
for identification.

During this time the news had spread in the town.
Sunderland haa never before witnes.ed an heartrend-
ing a scene as wse presented by the mothers shrieking
auil struggling to train entrance to the building in
order to reclaim their children, living or deal. Dr.
Beattie, Dr. Murphy, Dr. Dix in, Dr. Welford, and
I,ther p ,yeiciatie were promptly on the spot, and the
victims wrre removed to other pl Wei in the vicinity.
The scans Inside bales all description. The
children were laid out in rows terrible t beh Id, many
with their faces blackened. Though c in death,
the cheeks were swollen, their lire parched—and the
tear. of thom beholding them could not he restrainet
A. parent, were let in and i lentitled their children,
their -bricks were terrible to bear. They In some
, cure fell upon their dead children, el ieped them in
their arms, and cried nut over their dear ones. In
many instance, the m 'there swooned away, and bad
to be c wriest to one side, where others sought to
restore and console them.

•
Outside the hall such a eight 1351 never before
been presentel. A few years ago, at the pit, after
the Seahant Colliery expl ...ion, the sight WIN appal-
ling. Bit here to-n,ght men were to be seen in the
pablia streets carrying Cray in theft may the deal
bodies of their children. with white clothe over their
faces. The children WI been examined and hued
Meleee before they were given op to their parents or
relatives. At the front entrance of the hall every
low minutes a parent or • friend carried out • dead
body and got into • cab, which drove them to their
residenw. As they 142 the door of the hall in the
cabs the falser., with dead children upon their
knees, showed eigns of great grief, end In cane
where the mothers identified their little ones the
spectacle WU boo:trending. As some mune out,
othere cried and implored to be allowed inside the
building, and the police endeavoured in the kindest
manner to help those seeking their children.