The Sun.
London, England, 1863-03-12 00:00:00

CALAMITOUS LOSS OF LIFE.

At this time of universal rejoicing it is sad to have to
state that a deplorable loss of life occurred in the city of
London on the night of the general illumination. Six per-
sons, all of them women, were crushed or trodden to death
on Tuesday evening in the vast crowd which was attracted
out of doors on that occasion, and which roamed about until
an advanced how of the night. Two of the unfortunate crea-
turesmet their death near the Mansion-house about s o'clock
in the evening, and the remaining four perished at the foot
of Ludgate-hill at a later hour. The bodies of three of
them now lie at St. Bartholomew's Hospital, of two more
at the dead-house in Huggin-lane, Queenhithe, while ano-
ther remains'at the National Refreshment-rooms in Far-
ringdon-street. Four of them have been-idensified-byrefa,
tives and friends,but two are as yet unrecognized. The names
of the former are Phoebe Crystal, a widow, of 9, Bridge-
s r reef, Hammersmith ; Charlotte Donegan, wife of a labour-
ing roan, residing at 27, Fort-street, Spitalfimds ; Charlotte
Jane Mitchell, 20 years of age, who had resided at Union-
place, Hackney; and Ann Harding,of 1, Vineyard-gardens)
Clerkenwell, a nurse. The woman whose body lies un-
claimed at the house in Farringdon• street is described as
about 30 years of age, with fair complexion and light brown
hair, dressed in a black stuff gown, red and black shawl,
gray cloth cloak, and lavender-coloured kid gloves. She
was carried there shortly before midnight, while yet alive,
by a man to whom she was an entire stranger, and in whose
arms she immediately afterwards died. The landlord, Mr.
Thorpe, like a good Samaritan, to his credit took the dying
woman into his house after she had been refused admission
at two different taverns in the neighbourhood. The body of
the other woman, not yet identified,which lies at St. Bartho-
lomew's Hospital, appears to be that of a person turned 20
years of age, with light complexion and hair having a natu-
ral curl, and dressed in a gray cloth cloak, a white collar
trimmed with pink,a gray shawl, and a dark-coloured gown.
These particulars are stated with a view to the identifies..
don of the deceased,inasmuch as during the whole of Tuesday
night numbers of people made anxious inquiries at the city
police stations about missing friends, especially at that in
Bow-lane. The deceased girl Mitchell had been employed
as a needlew man at kessrs. Copestake and Moore's, in
Cheapside. Her sister, who was with her when she was
crushed to death, is also said to have received serious in-
jury in the crowd.

It would appear that the women Donegan and Crystal
were killed about the same time and near the same spot—
viz., at the east end of the Poultry, opposite St. Mildred's
church. At that time, about 8 o'clock, the crowd was so
dense and surged about so fearfully that Inspector Shelford
and Hubble, the gaoler at the Mansion-house police court,
who had been drawn into it, and both of whom are tall,
strong Teen, were obliged to cling to a van to keep their
feet. Donegan was accompanied by her husband, who car-
ried their child, about 12 months old, in his arms. A fear-
ful rush took place in the direction of Charlotte-row, in
which she was thrown down, and in trying to save her the
father let the child fall. The mother was trodden to death,
but somebody caught the baby as it fell and threw it into a
passing van, by which its life was saved. Phoebe Crystal,
who is thought to have fallen in the same rush, had her
skull fractured. Two oft he deceased's sons called at Bow-
lane police• station yesterday and claimed the body. The de •
ceased was accompanied at ihe time of her death by one
Sarah Partridge, wife of a harness-maker residing in Long-
lane, Smithfield, who was also hurt, but not seriously.
The open space in front of the Mansion-house, as on the
day of the Princess's entry into London, was sure to attract
and it did attract, an enormous crowd on Tuesday night be-
cause of the oxtraordinary splendour o. the illuminations in
that locality—the tronts of the Royal Exchange, Bank of
England, and the official ri sidence of the Lord Mayor
being all brilliantly lighted up ; while the whole of the
ornamentation with which the last-named building was
co,rere'd in anticipation of the ceremony of Saturday stilt
teniail.ed net an at r. ction to sightseers. it
comes impat under the c,reunn.tancea to know w.-ot
were the police regulations in the coy or the occasion. Tle
were very sin.p'e, and had reference chiefly to the carriage
traffic. The whole city police force numbers about 6'►o teen,
and all the available men--but how many does not appear—
wet e distributed along the line of streets in which the illu-
mination was most coi.spicuous. Their primary, if not their
only duty, was to regulate the a arriage traffic, and especially
to prevent two lines of it proceeding in opposite directions at
the same time. For instance, peop e in carriages, cabs,
vans, and the like entering the City at Temple-tar and going
East, had to pass up Chancery-lane, and by way of Holborn
into Cheapside, and thence along Cornhill and Le Adenhall-
street. Part of Aidgate-street being torn up at present they
might pass by way of Billiter-street into Fenchurch and
Gracechurch-streets. There they had the option of crossing
London-bridge, or returning westward by way of Cannon-
street, Ludgate-hill, and Fleet-street, through Tempte-bar.
There is reason to believe that as evening advanced this ar-
rangement was infringed in many places. Certainly, at
intervals, the traffic flowed along Fleet-street in three or
four lines abreast, though in the same direction, so as mate-
rially to abridge the roadway for pedes rians. Once in the
great line of illumination the people had to take care of
themselves, and all the side streets were free for others to
join at will. During the whole evening the crowd was vast
beyond conception, a considerable proportion of them being
women.

There were many casualties from pressure during the
afternoon and evening besides those resulting in death. An
unfortunate boy named William Harvey, about nine years
of age, living in New-street, Hackney, received injuries near
the triumphal arch at London-bridge, which yesterday ren-
dered necessary the amputation of a leg and a hand at Guy'a
Hospital, to which he had been removed, and where he now
lies in a precarious condition. About the same place Harriet

Church, residing in Lisson-grove, had her leg broken, and a
man f ell from a van, breaking seven of his ribs. They were
taken to Guy's Hospital. Ann Hawkes, residingin Windsor-
street, Islington, was crushed in the crowd in Mansion-

house-street and taken insensible to St. Bartholomew's Hos-
pital. John Macpherson, residing in Norton-road, Kentish -
town, fell in Upper Thames •street and broke his leg. He
was also conveyed to Guy's Hospital. Between 20 and 30
people, with scalp wounds, broken legs and arms, dislocated
shoul ters and the like, were taken to St. Bartholomew's
Hospital in the course of the night, and received the atten-

tions of Mr. Ludlow, the house surgeon. Five of them re-
mained as patients in the institution, and the rest were con-
voyed to their homes.

HEALTH OF LONDON.

It appeors from the week,y return of the Regis-
trar-Gener,l that in the week that ended last Sa-
urttay tt,e to:*0 number of deaths was 1,370. The
aver-ei t:ortiht-t ot deaths for weeks (in 10 years,
1853 62) co : k,,pot,di, wit h last wefl is, with a
!o popu.ation, t,456; and a
ac. till with the estimated number
totmer was less than the latter
by 86. It vvs stated iu last return that smallpox
show, d dvcijed increase. The deaths from it then
recorded were 42, and the same number appears in
the present return. Five deaths by smallpox oc-
curred in the Whitechapel district, 4 in the Strand
district, 2 in the sub-di:rict of St. Mary Padding-
ton, 2 in that of Litrielr.:us, and 2 in, that of Kora_
road. Ten were returned by the Smallpox Hos-
pital. Measles was fatal in 38 cases, 6of which
were in Westminster, 3 in the sub-district of St.
Peter, Walworth. There 67 deaths from -scarlatina,
4 of which were in Kentish-town, 13 in Islington,
5 in West London, 3 in St. Mary, Paddington, 3
in Spitalfields, 3in Peckhum. The weather was
unusually warm for the first week in March. In
1r e
the third week of February the mean temperature
cf the air was 39 degs.; in the last week of that
month, 43.4 degs.; and in the first week of March,
4
deg
werel successively2lsn h10687e, 4l;
6
three wt2he,oelskses9.ttilh4e9 d; et aht
those
sae m
ff
from
P bronchitis, 3
hisi s
72, 72, and 88. Besides lour nonogom pneumonia,enarl• the
death of a centenarian was recorded in the week, a
female annuitant, who died in Pear-tree-cottage,
Waltiam-green, on the 2d of March, at the age of
101 years. Last week the births of 957 boys and
875 girls, in all 1,839 children, were registered in
London. In the 10 corresponding weeks of the
years 1853.62 the average number (corrected)
was 2,075.