The Sun.
London, England, 1856-10-21 00:00:00

THE FATAL ACCIDENT AT THE SURREY
GARDENS.

ANOTHER ACCOUNT.
A visit made yesterday to the Surrey Gardena
and inquiries instituted on the spot enable us to
throw some additional light upon the deplorable
calamity which on the preceding evening resulted
,-in the death of seven unfortunate persons, and in
injuries of different degrees of severity to a greater
number of others, as already related in this journal.
It would seem now beyond the range of probability
to ascertain by whom the false alarm of danger was
raised, with what object, or from what cause. The
subject at present is one entirely of speculation,
and it is likely to remain so. The prevalent
opinion, especially on the part of the police autho-
rities and the office-bearers in Mr. Spurgeon's con-
gregation, is that it was a preconcerted movement.
One circumstance goes to support this hypothesis.
It is stated by Mr. Superintendent Lund, who was
present from the commencement of the service,
and occupied a seat 011 the basement of the build-
ing immediately in front of the preacher, that he
saw three men who sat together on the same floor
rise up simultaneously and cry "Fire !" and that
this was the signal for the furious rush that was
instantaneously made towards the places of outlet
from the ball. He has since identified the exact
spot from which they rose, and it happein to be
tl
right in the very centre of the group-floor, there
being a back to the seat which distinguishes it
from alLtbe rest, and marks it:a exactly central po-
Sition. The inference front this statement is that
the threetpersons in ques.iion were acting in con-
cert, and that they had gone early, and deliberately
chosen that particular place in the hall as the mast
eligible for carrying their diabolical machination
into effect. Bue for what purpose was the alarm
given, unless by thieves? It was said yesterday, on
apparently competent authority, that the highly-
skilled metropolitan pickpockets would never think
of originating a rush of the kind which ensued, to
Afford an opportunity for the exercise of their craft,
inasmuch as they would know it would preclude
their acting in concert, which they hold is essential
to success. This statement is given here for what
it is worth, but one would think that this was just
the state of things in which they might expect to
operate with effect. It is worthy of remark, that
• though Superintendent Lund had a number of de-
tectives scattered among the
aeidience
them Was able to recognise P... singleknot one ofpocket, but
the police authorities pickpocket,
cases of robbery rave since heard of some
committed during the confusion.
Besides the detectkives, who were there in plain
clothes, there were eight policemen in uniform in
'different pared of the building, and about 60 office-
'bearers attached to Me. Spurgeon's congregation
were stationed at varlous points to assist people in
getting seats and t, maintain order. There was a
rumour abroad yesterday that just before the
'alarm of fire was; given a person in the congrega-
tion stepper'.. out of his place to call the notice of an
attendant-,;-to an attempt made in the upper gallery-
`'to i".,-elite some gunpowder ; but at present this
8 .ory rests on testimony not altogether satisfactory.
*As to an alarm from fire, it so happens that there
is net a single fireplace or flue in the whole build-
ing, nor within 100 yards of it. But the hall is
lighted with gas, and therefore the occurrence of
fire would not be beyond the range of possibility.
The whole of the calamitous consequences that
ensued from the rush are supposed to have taken
place in the first; 5 or 10 minutes after the alarm
was sounded, 7.nd during the deplorable panic with
which it was immediately followed. Three persons,
one of whom, a woman, was dead, were taken off
the roof of a -refreshment-room which runs along
the northern side of the edifice, and on which it is
probable they had leaped from the windows of the
gallery above, a distance of between 20 and 30 feet.
In the lower part of a window at the east end of
the second gallery the glass was entirely broken,
and there at least two persons were found with their
heads protruding through the panes into the open
air. The window is a great distance from the ground,
and the sug;gestion is that, having broken the glass
with the view of jumping out, they found the leap
so fraught with danger that they gave up the
thought, but could not altogether retreat to their
original position owing to the pressure of the crowd
behind. The little boy who was killed, and whose
name has not -since been ascertained, he having
been carried away by his father to his own resi-
dence, was seen to leap over the balustrade of the
circular stair-ease at the north-eastern tower, lead-
ing from the galleries, a distance of upwards of 20
feet, and fell with great violence on the stone floor
beneath. 'Several of the women who were killed
were found in positions which indicated that, un-
able to bear the enormous pressure of the etowd,
they herl sunk down, or fainted away, and then
been trodden to death. Though the greater part
of 'the balustrade of the 'stairs in the north-west
tower gave way in the fearful struggle to escape
which was waged there, it is asserted that not more
than two persons fell through the breach, and that
no loss of life occurred from that cause. Two per-
sons, however, were said to be trodden down on
the stairs. It is still a mystery how Samuel Heard
was killed, the only man in the crowd who appears
to have lost his life. He was an extraordinarily
powerful man, 24 years of age, and about six feet
high. From his body being found on the roof of
the refreshment-room, and from a severe wound
on the back of his head, the inference is that he
bad leaped out of a window of one of the galleries
above, and been killed in the fall. A man was
seen to jump right through the thick plate glass
panel of the door at the south-east entrance to the
building. By some it is thought remarkable that
he should have performed this perilous feat, seeing
that the door through which he leaped was unlocked
all the night ; but it seems the door opened in-
.wards, instead of outwards, and the probability is
that the pressure of the crowd from the interior
prevented its being opened, which may account for
the circumstance. The fact would seem now to be es-
tablished by the testimony of many persons present
that not only did Mr. Spurgeon attempt to continue
the service after this deplorable accident, but that
several of his office-bearers went round among such
of the congregation as remained, or had not es-
caped, to make the ordinary money collection. I t
would be perhaps but charitable to suppose that at
that time they were unaware of the fatal results of
the calamity.
The whole of the persons killed have been now
identified.

The damage done to the Music-hall at the Surrey
Gardens by the accident is not very considerable.
It consists principally of broken windows, and 501.
will cover it all. The building was minutely in-
spected yesterday morning by Mr Tyler', the
manager of the gardens ; Mr. T. K. Holmes, one
of the directors ; Mr. Horace Jones, the architect,
and Mr. Ellis, the secretary, all of whom expressed
themselves convinced that, beyond the broken
windows and balustrades, the structure had sus-
tained no injury, and that there was no cause for
the alarm which unhappily led to the lamentable
results that have brought sulden bereavement to
several families, and deeply wounded the public
mind.
All the sufferers at Guy's Hospital are likely to
recover.

STATEMENT 0 ---
-B1 MR. MOORS,ACONS. -
ONE OF
At a meeting, ul!
held
atp E
last night at eight eelthe Chapel in Park-street
geon usually presides _oek3 over which M S
T. par-
the following statement , Mr. Moore,
atement • a deacon, made
ac-
cident : with reference to the ac-
" Had it not been for an orw
duty I never could have come here
sense of
am more fit to be in bed. I neverhereto.nigh . I
a more miserable and distressing day
passed through
been. With regard to the o • rigin
g than VA. has'
of the alarmle
night there is no doubt that it originated': last
wicked, designing mer. If ever Satan was
from
to take human appearance and walk atilPermitted'
was on last night. Oh, that dreadful scee earth, it
I must now let you know what particulanres'l have
ascertained concerning the extent of the calamity,v
as preaching to-night is quite impossible. At an
early hour this morning I was at the Gardens, andr
found that seven persons had been killed, five of
whom are lying at the workhouse, and about 25 or
27 others more or less mutilated. Some of these
we fear will not recover, but we must hope for the
best, t'-you are anxious to hear about our poor
pastor—tre 'is very bad. Very bad I say, not from
,!'3" i'llftlira or bruises he has received, but from
the extreme tension on his nerves, and his great
anxiety. So had is he that we were fearful for his
mind this •
morning. tinder these circumstances,
only one thingcould
into the country away from the scene. As we
. knew that a
Burin; the at number of persons would call at
his house day, we gent him early th's
morning; so that
none of his engagements can be
entered into this
week.
From information I h zee
just received, I am
night he is a little batter,
hut still very prostrate.
Mr. Olney (another d
"Let us be more merciful°n) is ill in bed.
to our enemies of last
night than they were to n.
—that man whom we are justified wicked wretch
creant—who first gave the drela e_d in calling a
so much life was lost. Lllearetul signal by which -
many of his audience, burst into tr. Moore, with
even pray for him. Who knows butr''.l Let us
one day stand in this room andown that he may
, his great
crime, and seek for repentance I '
The chapel was not nearly so full as it usually
is en these -occasions ; and the dejected
counte-
nances, the sorrowful.looksTand the tears °
of the audience, would have been alone
sufiLient