The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1863-01-27 00:00:00

THE CHAPTER OF ACCIDENTS.

Prurient. CALANITT AT LOCARNO. —A correspondent
writing from the neighbourhood of the Lego Maggiore,
gives the following account of a terrible occurrence
which has recently taken place at Locarno :—This town
is one of those pretty little half-Italian half-Swiss towns
which line the north-west shores of the 1111/0 Maggiore;
but not being minutely described in " Murray," it is
comparatively little known to the English tourist, who
hurries past it to the more fuldonable Raveno or Belin-
rate. As the steamer floats past the traveller will
notice • clean-looking town, backed by • chain of hills,
the most striking point in the picture being the cupola
of • tine old cathedral-looking church. It is of this
building that I have to speak. The church of La
Madonna del Sasso, with it. dome towering over the
other building, its coloured marbles, and its quaint old
fresooes by Luini, is the one sight of Coe little city.
On Sunday, the 9th instant, there W/11 present ill that
church a great congregatiou, composed, as is usually the
ease in this part of Europe, almost entirely of women.
The men lounging about the piazza pointed out to one
another the enormous quantity of snow which had fallen
:luring the last six days and night. in an almost un-
broken column. The landscape glittered in its white
covering, and even the buildings of the city looked like
a scene in sonic fantastic play. Suddenly there was a
dead, heavy fall. " Evidently," they said, "another
dialant avalanche ;" and then a scream and a niunuur
of great horror, which spread through the quiet streets.
All rushed to the spot, and found a scene which the
letters I have been describe as horrible past all concep-
tion. The dome which covered the body of the church
had never been cleared of the constautly-falling snow,
and the immense weight accumulated was too great for
the strength of the worn-out building. The whole
dome gave way, and fell on the congregation then
kneeling in prayer. In that position fifty-three female
corpses were found, after the ruins had been cleared by
the inteprid bravery and the untiring labour of the in-
habitants. One female, a bride of twenty years of age,
named Bonn, was alone extricated alive, and was car-
ried to her home with some "hope, of recovery," says
my informant, but she had broken one arm and both
legs. One old man alone perished among the fifty-three
women who fell victims in this awful ruin. It reruns
to me that there mast have been great carelessness
somewhere, when, alter nearly a week's incessant fall,
the snow was still left to accumulate on the tottering
cupola of a mediaval church. Fifty-three women have
perished; bet imagine what would have been the de-
struction bad this catastrophe happened on one of the
sitt festivals of the church. There would not have
been 50 but 500 corpses, now recently buried in the
Campo Smite of that little town.

11111.•111CHOLT DEATH OP • MAGIRTIATI. We
regret to have to record the melancholy death of E. A.
Burrow, EN.. of Carleton Hall, near Egremont, and
one of the justices of the peace for this county. The
deceased gentleman was at Bootle on Saturday, and left
that piece, in his own conveyance, about seven o'clock
in the evening. Nothing was beard of him until about
half past nine o'clock on Wednesday morning, when his
body was found in the river Eat, by P.C. Birkly
Wood. The deceased gentleman was fifty-two years of
EXTHAORDINART LICAPI.—On Friday, when the
passenger train which leaves Dumfries for Carlisle at
2.26 p.m., was nearly opposite Noblehill, about half a
inile beyond Dumfries station, the engine driver saw an
old man walking southwards between the line of
on which the train was proceeding. The engine-driver
sounded his whistle, but the old man took no notice of
it. warning, and before the ernin oould be stopped he
was struck on the back by one of the buffers of the
engine and knocked down. Fortunately he was thrown
to the outside of the rails, and though insensible when
picked up, Man found, on being taken to the Infirmary,
to have sustained little injury. . .

„
ONE IiAMEILILIPEK SHOT BY ANOTHEIL—A shocking
affair took place on Saturday on the estate of Sir
Thomas Whinhcote, Bart., Ashwarby, near /Renard.
The head and under game keepers were out rabbit
shooting, the former taking the line of the hedge, and
It. latter occupying • position in the field acme
lance away. Suddenly a rabbit started from the hedge
bottom, and the keener fired, killing it instantly. Some
of the shot struck the root of a tree, and one, glancing
off at an obtuse angle, entered the eye of the under.
keeper, penetrated the brain, arid killed him on the
spot. An inquest on the body of the poor fellow has
been held, and • verdict in accordance with the above
facts wae returned.

TH2 G•LI AT BRUARNIA—During a furious gale
which prevailed at Brussels on Tuesday, the lofty
chimney of the manatutory of 11. de Harps fell with
a tremendous magi, burying several workmen beneath
the ruin,. Three men were killed on the spot and a
fourth was carried in a desperate state to the hospital.
Two others are iniuing, who ere suppoeed to be still
buried beneath the rubbish. The ehnuney in question
had been considered dangerous by the oommunal
authorities, who had ordered its demolition, and it was
while that order was being carried into execution that
the whole construction came down.
ANOTHER DRATH OF A YOUNG LADY BY FIRE
THROUGH CRINOLINE.—Another !shocking death of a
young lady through the use of crinoline took place at
an early hour on Friday morning, the victim being Miu
Harebell, the daughter of the solicitor to the Metro-
politan Railway, and niece to the under-sheriff. From
what could be gathered it appeared that on Thursday
night the family of Mr. Harchell, residing at 42,
upper HArley.ureet, Cavendish-square, gave a arty,
and about one o'clock in the morning, whi the
dancing was being carried n with the greatest vigour,
load shrieks and screams were heard to proceed from
the ball-room. This was immediately followed by the
young lady (Mies Harebell) rushing through the
dancers, with her dress, a light fancy ball dress, com-
posed of muslin, all in fiames. This caused the
greatestooasternation and confusion. The unfortunate
young lady rushed down the stairs, and on reaching
the hall the servants placed inata and other things over
her and ultimately extinguished the fire but not
till the greater part of her body Wall bur i bunt n a most
frightful manner. Medical assietuce was at come
called in. but it was of no avail, aa the unfortunate
lady expired shortly afterwards. it is imagined that
bet dregs wee waited towards UN gran% in whiala aka
was burning.