The Express.
London, England, 1865-01-04 00:00:00

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DrEr Y „ FLVENINCI, JANET

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DaBADIFUL ALCM

lIDART AT DUNLoghe,
_
By special telegram received on Mendaybtright
(says the likotanne) we learn that a dreadful accident,
which resulted in the death of nrneteen parsons sod the
serious injury of many others, took Oboe on that averring
ad Donde& The melancholy occurrence took plum et Ber
street Hall, a large COONS room situated immediately
below the United Presbyterian Church (of which the Rev.
Mr. Berwick is the pastor), in WI -stmt. Cossiltution-
Iced. The ball is well known in Dundee in oeunexiori
with certain corioarts and other entortainmente given in
the place from time to time by Mr. Springthorps: The
hall is badly contracted, so far as regards the pub-
lic safety, the chief aroma being very dangerous.
Entrance to the ball is gained by a broad flight of stake
leading down from Bell. street into the large area beneath
the church. The top of the darn ir guarded by an iroe
gate, and as this epees inward it is sot difficult to under
stand the danger that most grime from a great pressure
without. Os Monday evening • vary large crowd of people
assembled at the gate desirous of obtainiag admittance to
a promenade concert which, under the title of "Spring-
thorpe's Exhibition." had been announced as one of the
attractions of New-Year's evening. When the advertised
hour arrived, the mire in charge opened orruhall of the
gate for the purpose of admitting the people to lite ball. Os
this being done, the pressure of the crowd from without was
so greet that the man was overpowered, and the other
half of the gate waa burst open. Those in the front rank
were swept through the narrow opening, and forced down
the Mein with great violence. Much confusion and alarm
prevailed, sod efforts were made to stem the strong pre*
sure from behind. Thaw for the time, however, proved
unavailing. The people next the gate were pushed in a mew
down the stain, and those hada premed upon them and
overthrew then,. Before the memos could he stayed a con-
fused heap of people, several fad desp,were piled op in the
small apace of about six feet at the bottom of the stairs.
Nearly three-quarters of an hoar abided before these were
extricated from their politic*, when it wee found that nine
young women and ten men had been crushed to death. lu
addition to the nineteen persons who were thus killed, •
large number were mote or lees very seriously Wore&
EDINBURGH, TONIIDAT Moro.
The latest news from Dander gives the miler of suf-
ferers in the catastrophe at Springthorpe's Music-hall on
Monday night at 19; 20 was the number reported this
morning. The stair, oe which about 100 people wise
suddenly heaped, was 7ft. wide, and consisted of 13 steps.
It was exterior to the ball, awl the draft gate at the
top had been partially open for some minute', admitting
two or three people at a time. Suddenly it gave way,
sod the foremost of the crowd were precipitated, pro-
strated, and piled upon a square space at the toot of the
step exterior to the ball. Some who ware caught in the
awful crash were able to call to the crowd behind, but their
miss were unheard or ualteeded, and the crowd still rushed
on, unaware of the frightful mammas caused by their vio-
late& The scene is described as moat horrible. Suffocation
appears in most eases to have been the cause of death,
there being few mem of broken limbs. Some of the sur-
vivors, however, were mach injured in extrication. One or
two were extricated only to die in their rescuers' arms.
Many providential maps ere recorded. The checkteker
narrowly escaped with his life. The calamity caused im-
mense excitement in Dundee, and great anxiety for young
people thought to be in the crowd. Many touching scenes
took place in the identification of the bodies, all of which
have been now claimed. The dammed evidently all belonged
to the humbler dames. Three-fourths were boys and girls
of 12 to la. The day was, as is usual throughout Scotland,
a 'mural holiday. A judicial investigation is being made.

A BRCOND CRARING•CRO3B RAILWAY.

(From the Morning Post.)
The new,:siilay will own menet, at a junction
with the Ham .roed, pass under the centre of the
Chalk-farm- under the Regent's Canal, along
High-street, Camden-town, under the North Western end
Metropolitan Railway, slang Totteeham-emirt-road to
Oxford-street. theme down St. Mertin's-lane under the
Strand, without altering the level, and so on to a
Junction on the littord-bridge at the Charing-cross
tatioo. The jutted= with the main line of the London
and North Western will be made near the bridge by
which Stanhope.atrest and Stanhope-place are carried
over that railway. Of the three new streets to
be made in connexion with this railway, the first
commences at the junction of Oxford-street and High.
street, with Tottenham-mart-read. and terminates at the
inaction at Little St. Andrew-street and Tower-street with
St. Martin's-lane ; the mooed begins at the junction of Lom-
at:re and Cranbourn-street with St. Martin's-lam and New
King-street, and terminates on the north side of Obandon
street ; and the third is a short line of street, commencing
et the south side of the Strand, and passim on to Ernkin
street, Adel phi. Powers are given by the act to step
up Duke-street end York-alley, and to appropriate
the site between Villiers- street and Rockingham-
street for the purpose of the railway. The streets
first earned ere to be of the clear width of 110 feet,
and the new Buckingham-street is to be not lees than 30
feet in width. The new streets are to be completed and
paved at the cost of the companies. The act requires that
there shall be a fore-court in frost of the station in the
Strand equal in depth to that in front of the booking-office
and hotel of the South-Eastern Railway at Charing-roes.
and powers are given for the purchase of the property in
the Strand necessary to provide this clear and open area.
There is to be a station at the junction of Tottenham-
court-road and Easton-road, et which all pamonpr trains
except the express are to stop to take up .44 set down
passengers. In passing under the Metropolitan or Under.
ground Railway, near Totteuluim.court-read, the works
are to be so carried on es not to interfere with
the traffic on that line, nor in any way to
alter its level. The plans for the houses of the new streets
are to be referred to the approval of the Metropolitan
Board of Works. The time tired for the completion of the
railway end works is five years. The company undertakes
to run a morning and evening train for working men at
(arm not exceeding one penny fee each foamy. The
capital of the oompany is fixed at 990,0001., and borrowing
powers of 3:10,009/. The line throughout will be an um
derground one, and at the crossing of the New-road and
Tottenham-court-road it will be "a lower deep" than the
proieut Metropolitan, and will pass under the Underground.
The frontage of the London and North-Western Station
at Chering.crom will be about as large as the present
station. This liee will provide the third line of direct com-
munication already sanctioned by parliament between the
railways on the north and south sides of the Thames. One
now in work is by the West London Extension. which con-
nects the London and North Western and the Great Western
with the southern lines by means of the bridge at Kensing-
ton ; the second is the London, Ch Ahern, and Dover, which
connects the Great Northern and the Midland by means of
the bridge at Blackfriers ; end the third is the one above
trecribe, which will bring the London and North Wester&
trunk on the whole of the South Eitatent system by means
of the bridge nt Ifungerfonl. Preparations are now being
made for commencing the construotion of this important
link of the metropolitan railways in the coming spring.