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

gattrogolitan.

THE FATAL ACCIDENT AT THE SURREY
GARDENS.

ON Sunday night last some 10,000 persons were
crammed in the galleries and body of the Music-
hall at the Surrey-gardens, for the purpose of
hearing the Rev. Mr. Spurgeon, a well known Dis-
senting preacher, deliver his usual Sunday evening
discourse, for the first time in that building.
The service had commenced, a hymn had been
sung, a chapter read from the Scriptures, and
Mr. Spurgeon was about to open his discourse,
when suddenly cries of " Fire ! " and " The galleries
are falling !" struck the audience IN ith a panic. A few
near the doors rushed out. "One fool makes many,"
says the old adage ; and in a moment the crowd, mad
with fright, rushed, screaming and struggling, to the
principal doorwa)s. The gallery staircases were
soon clogged—frantic men dashed head foremost
through glass windows—terrified women and scared
children thug themselves over the balustrades—
or fell helplessly senseless down the steps and were
smothered as they lay ; others, tumbling over their
bodies, choked up the exit—and then came a crush
and struggle for escape such as few can realize to
the mind. Bones were literally heard to crack and
snap, as the poor sufferers were bent over the balus-
trades.

Mr. Spurgeon during this frightful scene kept bis
place, and endeavoured to calm the apprehensions
of the crowd by singing a hymn, but this failing be
delivered his text, " The curse of the Lord is in the
house of the wicked," with such energy, that the few
persons who had hitherto retained their self-posses-
sion were scared with terror, and tearing from their
seats, either rushed to the side-doors, dashed them
open, plu Iged through the glass windows, or added
their fright and pressure to the seething, strug-
gling, maddened crowd in front. Suddenly the
balustrades of the western gallery gave way some
fourteen feet from the ground ; at the same moment
those of the eastern gallery broke ofl, and in an
instant hundreds of persons flung themselves down
on the flags beneath :
The cries of the frightened and wounded (says a witness
of the scene) were now so loud and piercing, that they
were beard not only all over the gardens, but fur a con-
siderable distance round the neighbourhoods of Waleorth
and liebnington. Many of the inhabitants of these locali-
ties were themselves in the hall at the time; very many
others had relatives or friends there, and, fearing the worst,
their consternation was dreadful. Numbers rushed with-
out hats or bonnets into the gardens, calling for their
children, brothel*. husbands, or *ire*, as the case might
be, and were met by a confused mass of people, who
thought that they would not be We so long as they re-
mained within the gardens, and were therefore flying at
the top of their speed.

Some ran into the lake. Everywhere wounded
people were entreat►ng to be carried to the hospital.

1017

Persons ran about crying " Police ! " and "Are there
any medical men here ?" and relatives went from
place to place to see if those whom they sought were
amongst the injured. The breaking of the balus-
trades and the efforts of the police after a short time
checked the multitude, and at length the crowd was
induced to hold back. In a few minutes they became
convinced that no danger from fire or falling galleries
existed, and many returned to their seats, when the
service was resumed and concluded as if nothing had
b a open ed.

One correspondent writing to the Times, J. R.,
gives the following account :-
1 occupied one of the front seats in the second gallery,
when, during the second prayer, the first symptoms of con-
fusion were manifested. This appeared to me to be oc-
casioned by an intentional rush of some person or persons
who were at the side of the platform, causing in an instant
a great deal of confusion, and inducing the congregation to
rise from their seats in all parts of the building. A moment
after, and the cry of " Fire ! " was raised by a voice in the
body of the hall; added to which a cry of " The bells ! the
belh ! " and in an instant, and in the greatest confusion,
there was a simultanecus rush of the immense body of
people for the doors and windows. Seeing the minister
apparently but little moved and using his utmost efforts to
induce the people to remain in their seats, both by voice
and gesture, 1 jumped on my seat and called out "A false
alarm," " Keep your seats; " but terror had so seized upon
the major part of the congregation that an individual voice
had but little chance of gaining a hearing. It was en-
deavoured to attract the attention and to calm the fears of
the multitude by singing a verse of the hymn that had
already been sung, but, unfortunately, only a few of those
who were on the platform were able to join. I then made
for the staircase, partly to see the cause of the confusion
which had originated below, and partly, also, that it might
be safer in case anything should prove to be wrong. Upon
descending the staircase a horrible sight presented itself—
the balustrade had already been thrown down and lay
broken in fragments at the bottom ; a great number of
people, men, women, and children, lay huddled in a heap
on the second lauding, completely blocking up the stair-
case, and causing numbers who were still crowding down
either to fall upon them, or in their fright to juLap down
the opening caused by the broken balustrade. The police
were unable for some minutes to ascend the staircase to
render assistance, and were obliged to content themselves
by calling to the people not to jump down; while a number
of the congregation above were apparently undecided what
to attempt. After dragging back by main force several
who appeared determined to jump down, calling out at the
same time to those who were still crowding to keep beck,
we succeeded in opening a window close by ; desiring two
or three to jump out, and two or three others to assist
inside, we passed them into the open air—three quite
dead to all appearance, and many others so severely injured
that in some cases, no doubt, death was the result.

Another correspondent, " W. 5.," narrowly escaped
suffocation :

When the alarm was given and the first rush took place
I could not help being Lorne by the crowd towards the
door; but a number of people (men and women) having
fallen, I was knocked down over tbem, the crowd continu-
ing to pass over us and over those who fell upon us.
I fortunately had a stout stick with me, which, having
planted against the floor, close by the wall of the passage,
enabled me with my right arm, my left resting on the
floor, to keep from pressing too closely against the faces
of two women who were under me, and who appeared
already almost suffocated. The door near where se bad
fallen having been got closed by the police, which stopped
the crowd from pressing over us, we were in a short time
relieved from our unfortunate position, and enabled to
get up.

From observations and inquiries made on the spot,
it is beyond question that death in every case ensiled
upon the circular stone staircase, leading from the
first gallery to the ground-floor, in the north-western
tower of the building. It is also an indisputable
fact that every one of the persons killed, sat or stood
during the service until the alarm was given in that
first gallery, and the very individuals who came by
this violent end were trecisely those nearest the
place of exit, and who were the first to run for safety
at the earliest manifestation of the panic.
After the balustrade gave way to the pressure of
the crowd, an example of female heroism and the
force of maternal love occurred, and deserves a
passing record :
Susannah Heard, a young married woman, her husband,
and their little boy, with many others, were jammed up on
the stair and unable to make any progress one way or the
other. She stood nearest the balustrade, and to save her
little boy from suffocation she held him a considerable time
over the hand nil by the neck above the well of the
stairs. At that time a man—probably George Lane, now
in Guy's Hospital with a comminuted fracture of the right
arm—was wedged so forcibly against an iron pillar
which supported the stairs, that she and her Lusband
could distinctly hear the bones of his arm snap several
times. When the balustrade gave way her husband put his
arm round her and kept her from falling through the pp,
she standing while be did so, on only one leg, with the other
hanging over the edge of the stairs, and still holding her
little boy over the gulf. By and by the pressure slackened,
and she was relieved from this perilous position. The
husband at this moment took hold of a woman standing
near him in the crowd to prevent her from falling, and he
found she was dead. It is remarkable, as showing bow
gregarious a crowd is, that though the means of exit
from the building are so many, the
people in the first gallery, where

the greater part of the
re all the mischief was

!

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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.