The Express.
London, England, 1858-09-18 00:00:00

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LONDON, 8.4777RDAY, BEPT. 18.

SPORTING INTELLIGENCE.

A SPECIAL EDITION of the " EXPRESS,"
sesteining the resells of the day's Races, is rib-
fished every evening during ths Sporting Season, at
six o'clock.

Tres inquiry into the late melancholy catastrophe
at Sheffield, which resulted in the death of six per-
sons, is not yet eoncladed, wad the evidence hitherto
addend throws no light whatever on its mysterious
origin. The explanation first given, and supported
by the testimony of two witnesses, that the alarm
arms from as explosion of gas, is disproved by the
evidence of the engineer. appointed, one by the pro-
prietor of the Hall, the other by the Coroner sad
jury, to cumin* the pa fittings of the piece. After
thoroughly testing the pipes and jets in the part of
the Hall where the alarm originated, they report it
as "impossible that any explosion ceuld have taken
" place." There seems to be a strong local feeling
that the alarm was not the result of socideot at
all, but of some premeditated act of wan-
ton malice or mischief. Without definite proof
it would of course be most unjust to assume this
had been the case. But the existence of such a
feeling, and the prevalence of hearsay rumours and
hearsay evidence in support of it, make it the more
imperative that the matter should be thoroughly
sifted to the bottom, and, if possible, the truth die
co vend.

Whatever the origin of the alarm, however, the
immediate cause of its tragical results is plain
enough. Six peewee were killed because the stairs
of the Music Hall were too narrow to allow a free
egress. Had the stairs been bread sad open, the
youths that now he dead would in all probability
have been alive and well, and all the bitter-
nem of sudden grief and desolation white
has fallen on their homes would have been evicted.
Such a consideration gives to this local tragedy a
national importance. If the loss in such cases were
unavoidable, we could only acquiesce in silence; bat
if it can be averted by a little skill and foresight, it
become a duty to speak, and endeavour to procure
such protection far the public. And we know very
well that it is not only possible, but easy to diminish
the risk of such fatal results. We cannot prevent
the recurrence of panics in public unemblies, bat we
may do much towards rendering them comparatively
harmless. Experience proves that no amount of
wisdom or firmness on the part of its temporary
leaders will avail to keep a mixed tanititude of
people in their seats under the excitement of &madam
alarm. The speaker may retain the utmost prommes
of mind, and promptly assure the bewildered erowd
that all is well, but his voice, however calm and
strong, is soon drowned in a Babel of terrified ac-
clamations that convert the imaginary iato a real
danger of the most appalling kind. Young and old,
wise and foolish rash forth on an unreasoning end
irrational impulse of frantic terror. But we may
seedy provide against the more serious and fatal
remits of such a panic. Nearly all the fatal accidents
that have happened in such oases have occurred in
narrow passages and staircases. The remedy is •
mechanical or architectural problem of no great
difficulty. It is simply to provide in every building
means of egress numerous and free enoagh to empty
it, however full or of whatever size, in a few minutes.
This is sorely not beyond the reach of modern science-
On the contrary, we know it can be done, and
in some of our existing public buildings is
to a considerable extent actually accomplished. Mr.
Ilaseison, for example, in a letter published yokes-
day, •mares the public that Dram-lane Theatre—
which is a moth larger house than the Moak Hall
at Sheffield—can now be emptied in ten minutes,
now that he has restored to use all the doors in the
place, some of which had been kept permanently
closed. Drury-lane is one of our older buildings, in
which provisicia for free egress is often very meek
neglected. The Sheffield Music Hall, however, is • new
erectios,not yet finished eves, bet so defective in sow
struction,so wanting in broad door-ways, wide stairs,
and open pansies, that the people were an hear
coming out. The only wonder, ander snob circum-
stances, is that the result was not far more fatal;
that, instead of eight or ten, thrice the number did
net receive semas or mortal injuries.
The fact that this Hall was a new one makes the
daty of calling public lineation to such a arises
defect the more important and imperative. Such
Halls are rapidly isaltiplying in our large towns.
Within the butt few years Mimic Halls have been
built and opened is Liverpool, Birmingham, Hai-
chaster, Bradtwd, end within the last few days, as
we all know, at Leads ; mush:, indeed, is almost the
only art that cat be mid to flourish in our great
manufacturing towns. In these centres of national
industry, of hard earsehanical toil, it dose, however,
!lowish and spread, and the most interesting social
feature of its progress is, that it is growingly appre-
elated and esjoyed by the ineehanic, the artisan, and
the operative. These grand halls have their
" people's" nights, whoa the factory workers
are admitted for a Rita so email se to
be fairly within their means. Every town
of any sire will by and by have its Mamie
Hall ; and with this modern facilities for spanning
vast spaces with glass and iron, the new buildings
will be far larger than the old. lf, however, this

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