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

The Frightful Accident at Dundee.

The Scotsman publishes the following particulars
regarding the accident at Dundee, of which a brief
account was published in The Sun of yesterday :
" The melancholy occurrence took place at Bell-street

Hall, a large concert room situated immediately below the
United Presbyterian Church (of which the Rev. Mr. Ber-
wick is pastor), in Bell-street, Constitution-road. The hall
is well known in Dundee in connection with dertain concerts
and other entertainments given in the place from time
to time by Mr. Springthorpe. The hall is badly constructed,
so far as regards the public safety, the chief access being
very dangerous. Entrance to the hall is gained by a broad
flight of stairs leading down from Bell-street into the large
area beneath the church. The top of the stairs is guarded
by an iron gate, and as this opens inward it is not difficult
to understand the danger that must arise from a great pres-
sure without. On Monday evening a very large crowd of
people assembled at the gate desirous of obtaining admis-
sion to a promenade concert, which, under the title of
Springthorpe's Exhibition,' had been announced as one of
the attractions of New Year's evening. When the adver-
tised hour arrived the man in charge opened one half of
the gate for the purpose of admitting the people to the hall.
On this being done, the pressure of the crowd from without
was so great that the man was overpowered, and the other
half of the gate burst open. Those in the front rank were
swept through the narrow opening and forced down the
stairs with great violence. Much confusion and alarm pre-
vailed, and efforts were made to stem the pressure from be-
hind. These for the time however proved unavailing. The
people next the gate were pushed in a mass down the stairs,
and those behind pressed upon them and overthrew them.
Before the pressure could be stayed a confused heap of people
several feet deep were piled up in the small space of about
six feet at the bottom of the stairs. Nearly three-quarters
of an hour elapsed before these were extricated from their
position, when it was found that nine young women and 10
men had been crushed to death.. In addition to the 19 per-
sons who were thus killed, a large number were more or
less severely injured."

EDINBURGH, Tuesday Night.

The latest news from Dundee gives the number
of sufferers in the catastrophe at Springthorpe's
Music-hall on Monday night as 19 ; 20 was the
number reported this morning. The stair, on
which about 100 people were suddenly heaped, was
7ft. wide, and consisted of 15 steps. It wets exte-
rior to the hall, and the strong gate at the top had
been partially open for some minutes, admitting
two or three people at a time. Suddenly it gave
way, and tho foremost of the crowd were precipi-
tated, prostrated, and piled upon a square space at
the foot of the steps exterior to the hall. Some who
were caught in the awful crush were able to call to
the crowd behind, but their cries were unheard or
unheeded, and the crowd still rushed on, un-
aware of the frightful massacre caused by
their violence. The scene is described as most
horrible. Suffocation appears in most cases
to have been the cause of death, there
being few cases of broken limbs. Some of the sur-
vivors; however, were much injured in extrication.
One or two were extricated only to die in their res-
cuers' arms. Many providential escapes are re-
corded. The chccktaker narrowly escaped with his
life. The calamity caused immense 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 deceased evidently all
belonging to the humbler classes. Three-fourths
were boys and girls of 12 to 18. The day was, as
is usual throughout Scotland, a general holiday. A
judicial investigation is being made.

Frightful Railroad Accident on the Grand
Trunk of Canada Railway.

(From the Lama Free Press, Dec. 16.)

A most dreadfuj. accident, attended with loss of

life, occurred last night shortly before 8 o'clock on
of Grand
Trunk 'Railroad, about a mile and half
west
the Detroit and Milwaukee junction through
the
a collision between the day passenger express west
and a freight train going east. The particulars which
have been gathered thus far are nearly as follows :
The passenger train was behind time, and had made
all the necessary passes, according to the telegraphic
instruction, until it had passed New Baltimore sta-
tion, where, it s said, it had orders to cross the
freight going east of the Detroit and Milwaukee
junction. When it arrived there, according to the
story of the operator at the Grand Trunk junction
it had orders to proceed all right. Under these in-
passed the junction, when shortly after-
gineer thought he discovered an engine
wstarurcte
stitohnes
eitn
ahead. The next instant he heard the whistle to down
breaks, when he immediately gave a similar order and
There were with him in the cab
persons besides the fireman.
p the two engines came crash-
ingjump - together in frightful contact, literally making
chaos of everything connected with both. The en-
gines were dovetailed into each other in an insepar-
able manner, and the mail and baggage car of the
passenger train driven partially through the forward
passenger car, thereby causing the frightful catas-
trophe which followed. The passenger train, which
consisted only of two coaches and a baggage car,was
crowded with passengers. Both cars were filled to
the utmost, so much so that scarcely even standing
room could be obtained. After the accident those in
the forward car who were not helplessly injured en-
deavoured to get out as soon as possible. It is said,
and we give it upon the authority of one of the pas-
sengers, that the baggage man, who, it appears, had
charge of the train,
there being no conductor aboard,
or one of the breaksmen, shut the, hind door of the
car, and would not for some time allow' the pas-
sengers egress, stating that there was no danger.
Immediately after the smash occurred the stoves
were upset and the cars took fire. In an almost
incredible space of time the flames enveloped the
whole, with the exception of the last car, and how
many perished time alone can tell. After recover-
ing from the shock those who escaped turned their
attention to the rescue of those in danger, and suc-
ceeded in delivering several from the burning mass.
While thus engaged they were forced to witness a
sight which fairly curdled the blood in their veins,
and towards the recital of which the pen denies its
office. The mail agent, George W. Millen, from
Port Huron, was found to be jammed in between
the baggage and forward passenger car. His leg
was firmly held between two pieces of broken tim-
ber, and all efforts to rescue him before the devour-
ing flames reached .him in their folds proved futile.
The most Herculean efforts to extricate his crushed
and bleeding limbs were used, but the rapidly
spread-
ing flames drove the labourers from their work, and
they were forced to witness him perish before their
eyes, his heartrending shrieks for help piercing their
ears, until stifled amid the smoke and flames of the
devouring element. God of. Heaven, it was a
sickening sight, and completely enervated the ener-
gies of those around in their duties to others pro-
bably equally terribly situated. After the fire had
burnt down his charred trunk was taken from the
ruins, the head, arms, and legs completely devoured,
and the body roasted to a cinder. As we have
stated, it is not known how many persons perished.
We can, therefore, only as yet surmise the number
sacrificed to the catastrophe.rnins discoveredS a Some persons
of a
in
working among the
woman's hoop skirt, and shortly afterwards the
bones of a human being among the ashes. Another
person drew from the ruins a portion of the bottom
of a silk dress, and a ticket upon which was the
address, " Miss Mary Boorlingham, Oneida, N.Y."
But whether this belonged to any one who perished
has not yet been discovered. It is said that a
lady and two children were in the car, who
have not turned up, and that a physician
who was in. the city awaiting the arrival

of a sister or some female relative or both,
mourns their absence. It is probable that
five or six have perished. Beyond the melancholy
death of Arr.:Millen no other names have transpired.
The names of the wounded, so far as could be ascer-
tained, together with the nature of their injuries, are
as follows :—Mr. Davidson, express agent, Detroit,
head and face severely ; a family named Ashley,
for North Danforth, Massachusetts, consisting of a
mother, son, and daughter, were more or less in-
jured. The mother was severely injured about the
head and face, and the son, it is feared, is injured
internally. He was completely bewildered for some
time. The daughter, Mary, had her arm broken,
and her leg severely bruised, and appeared to be
suffering intense pain. They were on their way to
Wisconsin, where they intended to settle. Mr. Wat-
son, a gentleman from Canada, internally, so badly
as to be unable to give an account of his residence
and friends. Ebenezer Hillyard, Mount Clemens,
severely about the head, face, and body ; N. Avery,
Port Huron, slightly ; T. L. Wells, head and face
slightly ; Mr. Smith, Detroit, head and face,
slightly ; Hubbard Davis, head and face slightly ;
Henry Newton, near Ypsilanti, head and back se-
riously ; W. S. Lloyd, Cedar Falls, lowa, head and
shoulder slightly ; Martha Montgomery, daughter
of J. 0. Montgomery, Whitefield,. N.H., head, se--
verely ; Mary W. Green, Topsham, Maine, head
slightly ; James Bickell, London, C.W., arms and
legs, severely; R. L. Walter, Brownstown, Michigan,
shoulder and breast, slightly ; John Law, Toronto,
slightly ; J. Prescott Eldridge, East Constable,
New York, leg severely. These are the names of
the principal sufferers. There are two or three
others, however, who are reported to have found
refuge in some of the adjoining farm houses, where
their injuries, said to be slight, were attended to, A
special train left the central depot about 10 o'clock
for the purpose of removing the sufferers to the city.
Owing to the obstructions on the track only those
who were able to walk returned by it. Another
special was despatched over the southern road to re-
move those whose injuries required careful handling.
They were all brought in at a late hour, and their
sufferings kindly administered to as was pos-
sible under the circumstances. The majority
of them are strangers in a strange land, and should
receive the kindest treatment from our citizens. It
is almost needless to say that all their baggage was
destroyed, which to several is an irreparable loss.
The mails were also burnt, with the exception of a
I few letters.