The Express.
London, England, 1866-10-15 00:00:00

DRURY LANE.

The competitive examination for Macbeths is
still going on nt this theatre, and Mr. H. Talbot, the third
candidate within a fortnight, made his first appearance on
Saturday before a large and friendly audience.

PANIC IN A THEATRE.—OD Saturday last a fright
occurred in McVicker'e Theatre, Chicago, which came
near resulting in a fearful tragedy. The gauze used over
the flies for the purposes of producing different light effects
caught tire, went up in a puff of flame, and some of the
smoking portions came down on the stage. Some of the
audience saw them fall and shouted " tire." Immediately
they were seized with such a panic as can only be occa-
rioned by an alarm of fire in a crowded building. The
shrieking of women and the cries of the men soon told of
the dreadful crush which was taking place. There was
for a time the utmost alarm felt by all, not so much on
account of the dreaded conflagration as of the casualties
which threatened to occur in the passages. Mr. McVicker
came forward to the footlights and earnestly implored the
excited audience to ha still, assuring them that there was
no fire in the building. After some time the panic began
to subside, and eventually order was restored, no accident
having occurred, a circumstance which seemed to be
almost miraculous, —New York Time*, Sept. 27.
FATAL ACCIDENT AT CHATHAM.—At a late hour
on Saturday evening a deplorable accident occurred at
Chatham to Mr. Johu Shap ey King, a young man about
17 years of age. eldest son of Dr. J. King, principal staff
surgeon at Chatham Dockyard, who met with his death
through falling over the deep trench surrounding Chat-
ham garriaou, at that part of the fortifications near the
Cornwallis battery and Fort Ainhurst. The unfortunate
deceased, who had recently received an appointment as
assistant clerk on board the Fisgard, 42, flagship, at Wool-
wich, had arrived on a visit to his father in Chatham
Dockyard on Saturday afternoon, and about 8 o'clock in
the evening went out for a walk with an acquaintance
named Cooke, sun of the Bev. D. Cooke, of Trinity Church,
Brampton. They were shortly afterwards joined by two
young women of their acquaintance, and the whole pro-
ceeded in the direction of the residence of Mr. Cooke. passing
along the rear of Chatham Barracks, the path skirting the
deep trench from which it is protected by a fence. After pro-
fteding a short distance Mr. King remained behind, telling
his companions to proceed. The night was then very dark,
and nothing more was seen or heard of him until about a
quarter of an hour afterwards, when a corporal of the
Royal Marines and a woman who were passing near the
spot, were attracted by hearing loud groans proceeding
from the bottom of the trench. The woman at once ran
after the companions of Mr. King, while the corporal pro-
ceeded to the barracks to acquaint the guard. On lights
being obtained and the trench examined, the deceased was
found lying at the bottom quite insensible, with a severe
fracture of the skull and other injuries. A stretcher was
immediately procured, on which he was placed, and con-
veyed to Melville Hospital, where he died in about a
couple of hours after his admission. The gold watch and
chain belonging to the deceased were found lying at the
bottom of the trench, and it would seem probable that the
deceased had intended to rejoin his companions by a short
cut, and that having got over the fence for that purpose,
he missed his way in the dark and walked into the trench,
which at the spot is very near to the footpath.
ACCIDENT ON THE SOUTH WESTERN RAILWAY.—
A serious accident happened on the South Western line at
the Andover and Basingstoke Junction on Friday night.
A goods train was proceeding on the main line, and one
en the Andover line, and to prevent their coming in con-
tact at the junction it was the duty of the signalman to
stop one of the trains. Through a defect in the signalling
apparatus, however, it did not act, and the consequence
was that • collision took place, by which a number of
=no were thrown off the line, and several sheep were
The traffic was delayed considerably.