The Sun.
London, England, 1863-06-27 00:00:00

The Frightful Accident at Cremorne.

Yesterday afternoon Mr. James Bird, coroner for
West Middlesex, held an inquest upon the body of
Carlo Valerio, aged 25, who expired in the morning
from the effects of injuries received while perform-
ing on a wire rope at Cremorne-gardens the pre-
vious evening. On Thursday evening, about 8 o'clock,
the gardens were unusually full, and the deceased
mounted the tight wire rope to go through his evo-
lutions. Police-constable Avenel!, 224 V, who was
on duty in the gardens, said that when deceased had
reached a point about 10 yards from the end of the
rope, and about 300 feet from where he had started,
something gave way in the tackle of " the fall" at
the end from which he was furthest. The effect was
instantaneous. The wire rope became slack at once,
and the deceased was thrown right off. He fell
headlong to the ground, from a height of 40 feet,
and alighted on his head on the gravel of the pro-
menade. Dr. Ree and other medical gentlemen, who
happened to be in the gardens, rushed to his aid.
He was removed to his residence in Stanley-villas,
Chelsea, and died there at 3 o'clock the next morn-
ing. His skull was fractured and his spine was be-
lieved to have been injured. Mr. Thomas Bartlett,
machinist and master carpenter to the gardens, de-

scribed the tackle. The wire rope, which was pro-
vided by the deceased himself, weighed about 5 cwt.
At the end furthest from the ballroom it was made
fast by a " fall," composed of an iron chain and a
strong cable, One end of the chain was fastened to
a massive iron hook, fixed to an elm tree. When a
man was on the rope the strain on the hook would
be about 2 tons. The hook was calculated to bear a
strain of 6 tons and the chain of 5 tons. The hook,
however, broke right in two, and the rope of course
fell slack, causing the accident. The witness believed
that in some way the lightning of tiV ednesday night
had softened or otherwise affected the iron, and
caused it to give way. Mr. M'Cullogh, of the
Cadogan Ironworks, expressed a similar opinion
as to the cause of the accident. The iron in
the hook was of the best quality and manu-
facture. The hook would certainly have been
calculated to bear a strain of 6 tons at least.
Mr. E. T. Smith said that when Carlo Valerio ap-
plied to him for an engagement he declined to allow
him to perform, and it was only after he had been
furnished with proofs as to his great ability and
perfect competence to perform with every prospect
of safety to himself that he would consent. Even
then he informed deceased that be should personally
provide the ropes and tackle, as he would not incur
any responsibility with regard to the matter. He
advanced deceased £5O to buy the wire rope, and
deceased himself borrowed powerful cables from the
Steamboat Company. Nothing, he added, should
ever induce him again to permit a performance of
tbis kind in the gardene. The jury returned a ver-
dict, that deceased lost his life from injuries from
a fail in Cremorne-gardens, through the giving way
accidentally of a certain iron hook. The proceed-
ings then terminated. The effect of the occurrence
on the crowded audience on Thursday night was a
general feeling of horror and pity. Several persons
fainted, and one lady was so much affected that she
had to be conveyed to St. George's Hospital.

THE HARVEST IN FRANCE.—The first bread of
this season's harvest was baked on Wednesday last by
Messrs. Leroy and Masson, bakers to the French Emperor.
The wheat was gathered on the farm of Arbaud, province
of Arles.
—We reed in the Moscow Gazette:—" All the RUSSIAN SPECULATIONS'ON WAR WITH ENGLAND
com-
merce of England is on the sea. Thirty thousand mer-
chant vessels convey on the ocean English property which
Mr. Cobden estimates 100 to 120 millions sterling. The
course which these ships follow in the Atlantic, as well as
on the Indian Ocean and the Pacific, is so well defined,
thanks to the indications of Capt. Maury, that it is like a
high road. That power which, traversing these parts, should
seize English vessels appearing there would deal a
open
terrrible blow at British commerce, and this is what
i) ed for
.
our sailors and vessels of war would be erfe 11
able to do in case of war England.
with
their activity would then be A
to our vessels vast field
without presenting any great dangers, The space is
such that the pursuit of an enterprising
cruiser would
be very difficult, and a good captain could
of cargoes without having to engage ine
affair o destroybcombat.
scorespurin
the war in the East, after th • of Petropaulowaki
an American merchant ship, on its arrival at Shanghai
announced that it had been stopped at sea by a Russian
frigate, and that it was
only released in consequence of its
American nationality
being proved by the papers on
board. The rumour
of this affair spread in the commer-
cial world, and the merchants in the Chinese ports would
only entrust their merchandise to American vessels.
Hong Kong at once expected an attack from the Russian
fleet. Admiral Sir J. Stirling, commanding the English nava
force in those regions, wee unable to comply with all the
demands for escort which were addressed to him. The
rumour wss, however, false; there was not then a single
Russian ship at sea. If a false report led to such a panic,
what would be the effect produced 1)). twenty or thirty of
our cruisers I"'
RAILWAY AND PUBLIC COMPANIES IN PARMA-
MENT.--
Yesterday the committee of the Commons threw
out the bill for the Blackburn, Chorley, and Wigan Rail-
nay, which had been previously passed by the committee of
the Lords. In the Lords the case of the Bradford, Wake-
field, and Leeds was opened by Mr. Phinn; and the bill of
the London, Brighton, and South Coast was passed without
opposition. The following bills were passed in Lord Redes-
dale's committee :—Leominster and Kingten Railway ; Mid
Kent Railway ; West Shropshire Mineral ; Hemel Hemp-
sted and London and North-Western; London and Bright on
new line at Crcyd. n); and Ogmore Railways. In Mr.
Massey's committee the following were passed :—Watford
and Rickmansworth; Dulas,Valley Railway; Okehampton
and Lidford ; and Merthyr, Tredegar, and Aberr,a. venuy
Railway.