The Sun.
London, England, 1858-09-15 00:00:00

FURTHER PARTICULARS.

Hitherto the Surrey Music Hall; the scene of the
present disaster, has been free from accidents of a
serious character, but about twenty minutes past
eight o'clock on Monday night occurred an event
which will remain for years vividly impressed on
the minds of thousands. About that hour the hall,
which was only re-opened on Friday evening, was
crowded with visitors. The performances were pro-
ceeding in a steady and satisfactory manner, and
everything seemed to work smoothly, when all at
once the happy and smiling faces of the audience
assumed an aspect of terror. The cause of this
sudden change was the act of some wanton villain,
who had fired a pistol, which, from its report, must
have been heavily loaded. In an instant Mr. You-
dan was on the stage and entreated the people to
keep their seats, and assured them that there was
nothing wrong. He also offered a reward of £5 to
any one who could point out the man who fired the
pistol. These prompt measures on the part of Mr.
Youdan had the desired effect. The people kept
their seats, and there was every appearance of the
amusements of the evening being proceeded with.
The devices of the conspirators, however, were not
exhausted. From the part of the gallery in which
the pistol had been fired, three men sprang forward
to the front, and simultaneously called out " Fire !
The place is on fire !" A tremendous rush was made
by the audience. Screams and cries of fear pro-
ceeded from all parts of the immense hall, order
was at an end, and persons were seen leaping over
the front of the gallery into the pit, and On to the
stage. Mr. Youdan ran at once to the steps lead-
ing from the gallery to the street, in order to stop
the rush, and if possible to restore confidence. He
was not a little surprised to find on the steps a
woman's mantle on fire. This had evidently been
thrown on the steps only an instant before, and he
quickly trampled the fire out. All Mr. Youdan's
efforts, however, to restore confidence failed,
and he was pressed aside by the terrified crowd.
The professionals were alarmed at the presence of
a large number of frantic persons running about
the stage in search of a place to make their exit.
A window was at last pun& and the people dashed
through it head foremost. Others in the top gallery
made their way out by getting over the front of
the gallery and descending by the pillars into the
lower part of the building. The confusion and
disorder, shouting and screaming, were beyond the
power of description. The crush was tremendous.
Numbers were injured, more or less, by the com-
pression : and others were thrown down and
trampled underfoot. When the place had become
almost empty4t was found that several persons had
been killed—they had been literally crushed to
death. Such a heart-rending sight is happily rarely
witnessed. Here lay several young men and a
young woman lately in the full enjoyment of life.
One of the dead bodies was removed to the shop of
Mr. Cecil, druggist; another to the White Swan
Hotel, another to the Q in the Corner, Paradise-
square, and two were left upon the floor of the
refreshment-room at the Music Hall. Two other
young men were lying apparently lifeless, but upon
examination it was found that life was not extinct.
They were conveyed to the Infirmary, where every
attention was paid to them, but it was evident to
. the medical gentlemen that the life of one was fast
ebbing. All the bodies of the deceased except one
were found on the steps leading from the gallery,
and besides presenting evidences of having been
crushed to death, also bore marks of having been
trampled upon.
It is scarcely credible that a conspiracy so diabo-
lical could possibly have been invented. That it is a
conspiracy, however, seems clear. There was nothing
to warrant the apprehension of danger—all was
proceeding satisfactorily. It is known that shortly
before the discharge of the pistol a man went down
the steps from the first gallery and complained
of an escape of gas. A search was made to dis-
cover the leakage, but not the slightest trace
could be discovered. Then came the pistol shot,
but, as before stated, it was prevented from causing
the mischief it would have done by the energetic
conduct of Mr. Youdan. But when order had been
almost thoroughly restored there arose from the
same place simultaneous shouts of " Fire !" One of
the deceased persons was found lying outside the
doors of the hall. He had been trampled upon and
was considerably injured about the neck and head.
Mr. Booth and. Mr. Potherby, surgeons, were in
attendance at the hall shortly. after the calamity,
and rendered every assistance in their power. Mr.
Councillor Marshall, Mr. Inspector Linley, and Mr.
Cecil also arrived at the hall before it was cleared
of its occupants, and.used all their endeavours to
calm the fears of the excited multitude.
Several hours after the calamity, some of the un-
fortunate sufferers were identified. The young
woman is Ellen, the daughter of William Staley,
scissor filer, Gaol-lane, Sheffield-moor. One of the
young men was identified as Frederick Morton,
timed 18, fender grinder, lately employed at the
Union Wheel, and living at Springwood Inn,
Hampden-view ; and one of the young men con-
veyed to the infirmary was Wm. Harrison, grinder,
Steven-hill, Hallam. Harrison is likely to recover,
but his fellow-sufferer's case is hopeless. The
bodies of the'three persons now remain to be iden-
tified, as well as the one just alluded to. The body
lying at the Q in the Corner is that of a youth ap-
parently about 16 years of age, and the others are
young men, their ages varying from about 19 to 25.
We understand that it is Mr. Youdan's intention to
defray the expenses of the funerals of the respective
sufferers.

The building is capable of accommodating from
3,000 to 4,000 persons, and was erected at a cost of
£lO,OOO.

METROPOLITAN TOLL REFORM.—The Royal
commission appointed towards the close of the last session
of Parliament to inquire into the practicability of providing
a substitute for the, metropolitan toll-gates within six miles
of Charing-cross will commence its sittings early next
month, in order to be able to report at the commencement
of next session. Viscount Eversley, late Speaker of the
House of Commons, will preside over the. commission, and
will have ~the valuable assistance of Sir J. T. Coleridge,
late a judge of the Court of Queen's Bench, in conducting
the investigation.

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