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

The Frightful Accident at Dundee.

tart'. committee before sat on the subject, in the year 1849,
and that they inquired into all the particulars connected
with their working, and into the evidence which could be
given as to the general effect of art education in this
country. (Hear, hear.) The general result was that they
found the position of affairs had materially changed within
the past 20 or 30 years-20 or 30 years ago the question
which was asked of them was whether it was possible to
educate the people of England in art. (Hear, hear.)
Now, the question was no longer could they do it, but
it was would they do it, and to what extent would they
do it. This was the only question now, for that it had
been done, and was now being done, was clear to every
one—he was going to say, who would keep his eyes open
and observe what was passing around him—but certainly
to anyone who would examine the evidence which had
been laid before the Parliamentary committee. They would
see, too, he thought, that, although a considerable sum of
the public money was expended on this object, the evi-
dence satisfactorily showed that this money had been well
expended, and that considerable advantage had followed
from it. (Cheers:) The encouragement of art-education
had accomplished great objects ; it had enabled us to ascer-
tain that which was previously a disputed point, thut the.
Englishman had as good a mental capacity for producing
works of art as the native of any other country—(hear)--
that the English people might be taught and their taste
cultivated as much as other nations could be (hear, hear)
—and it had been shown by the evidence of manufacturers
that what had been achieved had told most materially for
the benefit of the manufacturers of this country. Inquiry
had also shown that there were difficulties in the working
of the system, and difficulties in the way of its extension.
It stood to reason that the system continued as it was at
its commencement would not be suitable when its work
had become more matured, just as the leading strings
that were servicable in infancy became ultimately a
nuisance and an inconvenience. It became necessary
for the same reason that the system of art education—
not because it was. unsuccessful, but because it had been
successful—should be modified in regard to the details
of its working, so as to enable it to attain its object.
(Cheers.) Originally the work was begun with a small
number of schools, founded chiefly at the expense of the
Government, maintained and directed by the Government.
After a time the work was extended—towns in which
schools were desired were allowed to have them established
by themselves; and the system was enlarged in order to
cover the new field of operations. But art education had
spread so rapidly that a very large additional expenditure
by the Government was necessitated, and with a further
extension an increased minute superintendence must be in-
volved if Government aid were continued; and the difficul-
ties inseparable from centralisation would be augmented.
It was therefore of importance to see where the alterations
needed should be made. When the Government expended
largo sums of money in promoting education it was neces-
sary that certain tests should be laid down, in order to as-
certain that the money was properly spent; and the greater'
the area.of operations the more rigid must be the tests, and
the more difficult the working of the systems. For this
reason, in regard to priniary education, the Government
was obliged, in self-defence, to have recourse to the plan
of what was termed, "paying on results," in order to pro-
vide that their expenditure should be properly laid out ;
but this was introducing a principle which must obviously
hamper the liberty of education, for many important re-
sults of education could not be tested. Two schools might
be equally advanced, and yet one of them might be effect-
ing considerably more good than the other, and yet the
good so done might be such as could not be submitted to
the test of results. If this were the case with reference to
general education, how much more so would it be the case
in art education ? To judge fairly by results the Govern-
ment found it necessary to prescribe nearly the same copies
for all schools, and required great uniformity in order to
see more readily which pupil came up to a certain standard.
Now in reading, writing, and arithmetic there was no doubt
great uniformity, but in art training there ought to be more
elasticity and license as to results, for if a master were
cramped by being compelled to direct the production_ over
and over again of the same copies, such a course detracted
from the advantage to be derived from allowing the master
to travel out into his own line, and from encouraging stu-
dents in those branches of art that it may be peculiarly de-
sirable that, from their profession, their position, or their
method of overcoming difficulties, they should cultivate.
The Government had felt that difficulty, and endeavoured,
as far as possible, to meet it by introducing in the various
schools tt large number of subjects, in order to give the
greatest possible amount of scope to both master and stu-
dent. In that way they had introduced a system which,
whatever might be its other merits, certainly did not pos-
sess the merit of simplicity. (Hear, hear.) This was the
state of affairs when the Parliamentary Committee, of
which he was the chairman, came to inquire into it. The
opinion they came to was that the work of imparting cul-
ture could be simplified by taking care that the manage-
ment of the local committee was efficient, by giving the
pupils free play for their own energies, and by allowing in
the system as little interference as possible with the efforts
of the masters. (Hear, hear.) This course has been recom-
mended, and a new code of regulations would be submitted
to Parliament that would tend, at any rate to set the
schools more free than they were. Another point at-
tained had been that attention which had been drawn to
complaints made, not altogether without reason, of the un-
equal division of funds between the central institution at
South Kensington and the provinces, although it should be
considered that the institution had an immense influence
upon the country. The managers of the Art Department
were most anxious that more should be done in the circu-
lation of works of art collected there, and that more should
also be done in the promotion of schools in the provinces,
and he (Sir Stafford) believed that a great deal more would in
a few years be effected in disseminating the advantages of
the central institution, although more was being done than
some persons perhaps were apt to think. Expensive foreign
saleablepcaawuonnhpryaciychhmhwaades
wa
smea
purchased by
etab
members
e
works of art had been purchased by the Government at large
prices ; and these had been lent, or copies or oasts had been
made of them, so that they had been reproduced and rendered
committee an instance in which a majolica plate, originally
cows
sell
wholent nt
professed
5t
so . M;
ae,
ns sdr
ws
tohMe ttoohwne
(d
Cheers.)
witheer s the.) I originalth
sw way it
there
wouldw e
br were
sought
n
to circulate those valuable articles thata would create a
taste for art which fine works of art were capable of engen-
dering. It must therefore be acknowledged that the South
Kensington Department was doing a great deal of good in
yr jorwnsmc thehiepos
which.
reproducedhrf Sae.
tbthauet State
committee
oos
mrl fabulously
4.12a05t
evo Mr. Cole mentioned to the
the country. Mr. Cole had suggested a plan of org anisin;
• a system under which fine works of art could be lent from
the great national institutions centralised at London to the
different provincial museums for limited periods; and by
an arrangement of this nature, which he had no doubt
, would ultimately be carried out, works of art that might be
spared from the metropolis and other places could be ex-
changed or lent, so as to enrich the museums of the cowl-
, try and add novelty as well as contribute to the spread of
knowledge and art, and of objects of interest. The more
the department of South Kensington was stirred up the
better, and he did not regret having been on the commit-
tee that had called them to account for having monopolised
too much of the Parliamentary grant. The only way to
meet the present difficulties attaching to the schools of art
was to have a more enlightened local management, and
a selection should be made of such managers only as would
take an interest in art, and so qualify themselves as to jus-
tify their holding the trust. He hoped that interest would

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. Bor-
wick is pastor), in Bell-street, Constitution-road. The hall
is well known in Dundee in connection with certain 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 1
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 was 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 checktaker 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 Detroit Free Press, Dec. 16.)
A most dreadful accident, attended with loss of
occurred last night shortly before 8 o'clock on

.e Grand Trunk Railroad, about a mile and ha

west of the Detroit and Milwaukee junction through
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 is 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-

structions it passed the junction, when shortly after
wards the engineer thought he discovered an engine
ahead. The next instant he heard the whistle to down
breaks, when he immediately gave a similar order and
reversed his engine. There were with him in the cab
at the time two othOr persons besides the fireman.
Before they could jumpthe two engines came crash-
ing ;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. Some persons in
working among the ruins discovered a portion of a
,)fpersonbonesa s
drew
kae humanldvdress,
ess:from
andbeingthe
ruins
iatnmi
ticket
koaerlgtp
otrh
uponie
o na
ws hohfe
the
h-h
woman's hoop skirt, and shortly afterwards the
e wbaAnothersotttohme
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