The Sun.
London, England, 1870-01-25 00:00:00

THE LIVERPOOL CATASTROPHE.

The very sad event which took place at Liverpool on
Sunday seems to have been the conclusion to a Roman
7atholic revival or " mission," as it is called. On the first
Sunday of the year the special services began. They were
o have concluded on Sunday last ; the services of that
wening were, however, cut short by a panic which caused
,he immediate death of 15 persons. The bills issued for the
neeting earnestly appealed to Catholics to attend St.
Toseph's Chapel, in Grosvenor-street, Liverpool. The ap-
?eal was very generally responded to. We are informed
says the Livdrpool Courier) that immense crowds of eager
)ersons—men, women, and children—responded to the
)ffered " extraordinary grace of a mission," and that espe-
ially on Sunday nights the congregations have been
exceedingly large, numbering from 2,000 to 3,000
persons. In several instances the attendance
tas been so great that extra services have
oeen held in the schoolroom under the chapel. Even
with this addition, the building was inadequate to accom-
modate the multitudes seeking admission, and hundreds
have been turned back. The church is situate in a locality
noted alike for its overcrowded and vicious character. It
,s computed that the Roman Catholic population of St.
Toseph's parish numbers 17,000, the large proportion of
whom belong to the lowest class of society. Among this
lense mass the mission seem to have exercised a great
power; it is regarded by the fathers as one of the most
successful ever held in this town.

The building is described as "a plain, unpretentious,
orick structure, ordinarily intended to accommodate about
2,000 persons. The central portion of the body of the
chapel is pewed, but there is also standing room for several
hundreds under the three galleries, which run round the
sides and the west end. Underneath the chapel is the
schoolroom, which will hold from 500 to 800 persons. There
are only two modes of ingress or egress, one at the
northern and another at the southern end, and both
fronting Grosvenor-street. The south doorway is the
larger of the two, but neither is much larger than
the dimensions of an ordinary house door. It was at the
north entrance where the terrible struggle for life took
place, and as shewing the defective construction it is
necessary to be more minute in its description. On entering
the doorway there is a small landing, only three or four
yards square, immediately to the right of which the visitor
lescends by four or five steps into the schoolroom, the
chapel being reached by an ascent of six steps from the
same landing. Thus in the event of any sudden rush out
Jf the building the contending streams from the chapel
and schoolroom would have to fight their way over a nar-
row space, in which probably not more than three persons
could ordinarily walk abreast."
Into this building more than 3,000 people sought en-
arance. The chapel being filled, the schoolroom was occu-
pied; and it was in this room, the room underneath the
.hapel, that the confusion first arose. The greatest reli-
fious fervour prevailed in both meetings. It appears that
.bout half-past seven o'clock a drunken man went into
:he schoolroom and listened some time to the discourse
that was being given. Shortly before the rev. preacher
cad brought his remarks to a conclusion, the man, in
t loud and insulting tone of voice said, " I have been
Listening to you long enough," and he was about making
further observations, when a cry was raised of "Turn him
out." Several of the congregation who were near the
fellow expostulated with him and asked him to desist, but
ne became very excited, flung his arms wildly about, and
cared anyone to place a hand on him. The cries of "Turn
aim out " became louder, accompanied by stamping of feet
and some of the congregation went towards him for the
purpose of ejecting him. A scene of confusion ensued, and
It being evident that a row was about to occur, some of those
in the schoolroom tried to get out. The noise caused
by the stamping of the feet reached the chapel, and the
service was momentarily suspended. It is stated that at
this time a man in the street shouted out "Fire," and he
was also seen to hold a lighted lantern towards one of
she windows of the church. This created a fearful
panic. The church was crowded to its utmost capacity—
the galleries and aisles being literally crammed—and the
atmost consternation prevailed. Many of those assembled
in the school-room smashed the windows and tried by that
means to get into the street, but this only increased tho
general alarm. Those in the body of the church near to the
entrance door to the schoolroom made a simultaneous rush
from the building, and, on getting to the steps leading
into Grosvenor-street, came into contact with the crowd
pouring up the steps leading from the schoolroom.
several persons threw themselves from the galleries into
the body of the church, but the majority of those seated
to the galleries kept their places, thereby lessening
the terrible consequences which resulted. As it was
the collision between the crowds coming from the
ohurch and the schoolroom proved to be of a most
rightful character, for it resulted in no fewer than
fifteen persons being trampled to death—many of them
being females. The doorway was completely blocked up
oy those who were amongst the first to gain it, and they
were trampled upon by those who followed. Large
numbers fell with their heads over the steps of the door,
and in consequence of being able to inhale the air escaped
suffocation. The -priests who were conducting the
services, and also the resident priest, of the church
entreated the congregation to remain quiet, and
upwards of 2,000 took their advice. They pro-
ceeded with the services. Those of the congregation
who were lucky enough to reach the street safely did all
to their power to help their less fortunate fellow-creatures.
The panic outside was as great as that within the church.
The police confined their attention to the rescue of those
unfortunate beings who lay prostrate near the doorway,
and having succeeded in getting the whole of the bodies
~xtricated, spring carts were sent for, and the unfortunate
L.reatures were conveyed to Rose-hill Bridewell. In a few
minutes the melancholy fact that fifteen of the unfortu-
nate beings had ceased to live was recorded. All the
bodies were removed to the deadhouse. None of them
bear any marks of external injury, so that the inference
is they were all suffocated. Five persons who were
more or less injured were conveyed to the Northern
Hospital on stretchers or in cars, and one of them is a
young woman 19 years of age. One of the injured men
is apparently 50 years of age, another 30, and another 21.
Two of the men were so delirious last night as to render
restraint necessary. In the cases of three of the wounded,
serious results are not anticipated, although the patients
have sustained violent shocks.

Mr. Clarke Aspinall, borough coroner, opened the
inquest at two o'clock on Monday. At that time fourteen
bodies had been identified by their friends, and one only,
that of a man about 35 to 40 years of age,
remained unknown. The coroner referred to the sad
character of the inquiry. A catastrophe more
unlooked for could scarcely occur. He had summoned
the jury somewhat peremptorily because he was sure
they would feel with him that the thirteen
bodies lying at the dead-house should be consigned to the
keeping of their friends as speedily as possible. He pro-
posed, therefore, that they should at once proceed to view
the bodies, after which he would adjourn the inquiry until
Friday next, when he hoped to be able to proceed, and
finish at the one sitting. The jury then proceeded to
view the bodies, and also visited the scene of the acci-
dent, after which the inquest was adjourned. Several
friends of the deceaeed were present during the proceed-
ings, and frequently gave way to audible expressions of
grief.

THE PRICE OF EMINENCE.—At the last meeting
of the St. Pancras guardians some of the members com-
plained that the guardians were introduced not only into
the proceedings of religious meetings, but even into the
pantomimes.

A POET'S BLUNDER.—There is in Philadelphia a
Tennyson Society, to which some months ago the Poet
Laureate sent a Welsh motto. lie described it as a
very old 6ritish apophthegm; and he seems particularly
fond of It, as he states that he has placed it on
the pavement of his entrance-hall. These are the
words as given by Mr. Tennyson—"y Gwyr yn erbyn y
byd ;" and he translates the phrase, "The truth against
the world." It is now authoritatively stated that this bit
of 'Wein' is misspelt; that "Gwyr" ought to be " Gwir;"
that the sentence in its present state, if its means any-
thing, means " The men against the world."
CAPTALN MONCRIEFF'S GUN-CARRIAGE. —On
Monday afternoon, Captain Bloncrieff's gun-carriage and
platform, constructed upon a much larger scale than any
previously experimented with, was submitted to a pre-
liminary trial at the practice range of the Royal Arsenal,
Woolwich. The gun used was a 9-inch Woolwich
muzzle-loader, weighing 124 tons, and the shot
2401 b. The heaviest gun to which the principle
had hitherto been applied weighed seven tons.
Various modifications had likewise been introduced,
and before the trial commenced, Capt, Monerieff was
anxious to have it understood that the experiment was
simply to consist of a few " adjusting shots," in order to
test the gun in its enlarged form for his own experience.
Sir Hope Grant, quartermaster-general of the army, was
on the ground, but not officially. The wei:;ht of tho gun-
carriage itself was 2 tons 2 cwt., and the platform weighed
9 tons 1 cwt., and the elevator 7
tons 141 cwt., while
the ballast at the end of the elevator which will lift the
guns above the fort or the flush deck of an armour-plated
vessel after it has been loaded under cover, weighed 14
tons 15i cwt., making with the gun a total weight of
nearly 46 tons. Three shots were fired 'with charges of
18, 30, and 351 b., the latter being within 31b.'of the battet-
ing charge, when further trial was postponed iu order
that the rear axletree might be strengthened, as it showed
• •.
-.11i9.4;taku.0,00. Stlikgl9 grAP,ltr.99.ll49Fo.odal