The Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1860-04-09 00:00:00

ANOTHER ACCOUNT.-LAng PARTICULARS.

On Good Friday this favourite public resort was visited
by seven or eight thousand bolidayieekers, who made
the woods and the gardens ring with the sound of their
merry voices, and engaged throughout the day in
inliocent pastimes. beneath the shades of the trees and
in' retired nooks; and -nothing, occurred to mar their
pleasure, or lessen their glee until abOut nine at night,
when an accideat, as unfortunate as it was unexpected,
spread it, gloom over the proceedings of the day:

The Particulars, are briefly these :—The low state of
the tide, in the earlier part of the evening, prevented
the boat (it appears) from cressing the sandbank oppo
site the stone piet, which involved a delay_ of an houi.
in their-arrival-at. the slip. la meet_the..eight.o'llnek
boat a great number of persons, mostly working people,
congregated opposite the hotel ; and their number
was considerably augmented each minute, up to
nine o'clock, when the crowd was very large.. A
great many were labouring under the influence of in-
toxicating liquor;, and despite the precautionary mea-
sures taken by, and the repeated remonstrance of the
police, and Mr. Hilliar, the owner of the ferry, they
crushed in large numbers to the slip. Excitement was
manifested to an unusual degree, many of the men
scaling
.the walls, defrauding the toll collector and
using improperlang uage. The crowd continned to.increase
—go great indeed was the crush that the rope placed on
the left hand side of the slip, to prevent people froinfalling
into the river, gave way befoie the immense weight pressing
against it, or as is gravely suspected, some mischievous
fellow had cut the rope, whereby from 20 to 30 persons,
including men, women, and children, were precipitated
to the' muddy bed of the river. The supposition that
the rope had been Cut receives some countenance, from
the fact that an open clasp knife was timed by a con-
stable next morning in the mud under the spot where
the rope gave war Had the tide been in at the time,
the lois of life would, in all probability, have been most
fearful. As it was, however, a scene of indescribable
excitement ensued. Those on the slip rushed towards
the tollgate, screaming and crying ; and a poor woman,
a servant in the employ of Mons. Victor Pontz, of Tra,n-
mere-lodge,- Tranniere, was trampled to death by the
now greatly agitated crowd ou the slip.. The place was
not, however, void of men possessing presence of mind.
A gallant seaman leaped to the bed of the river and
brought away two or three females in a state of partial
insensibility. A great number of persons assisted,
inclUding the police, whose efforts were most praise-
worthy. Not the least busy were Mr. and Mrs. Hilliar,
and their servants. By Mr. Hilliar's orders ladders
and ropes were instantly procured, and the
poor creatures, who presented a very muddy
and dirty appearance, were rescued from the
mire and conveyed to the hotel, where they were
attended by -two stranger' surgeons, and. Mr. Hilliar's
private physician; who, we are glad to report,, ascertained
that, with the exception of the woman who was killed,
and a lad who had his arm broken, the sufferers had
escaped with slight bruises. All their clothes were:
washed and trimmed, and they were enabled to proceed
next morning to their homes. Many reports are flying
about the town; but, as far as we can ascertain, the
above is a truthful statement of the facts. It is but fair
to add that Mr. Hillier and his wife paid every attention
in their power to the unfortunate persons who were so
unexpectedly thrown over the slip,