, 1859-01-22


The results Of panic fright ut the Victoria
Theatre, en- Moaday, were truly calamitous.
Within a lew minutes, in a shorter time than it
must occupy TO relate the catastrophe, sixteen
persons were crushed to death, and q mnch
larger number more or less seriously Injured.
1t appears that the at.endunce Ut the theatre ca
Ro1lDG:dtay is 30 large as 10 induce The ma1ag-
ers to give two performances, one in the after.
noon and one in the evening. On Monday last
great numbers attended the afternoon perform
ance, which commenced at one O'Clock. Before
it was concluded the audience began to collect
in the approaches for the evening performance,
and the gallery entrance Was besieged ut au
early hour By m eager crowd. It was not cog
sideEed desirable to keep them in the street. and
they we're admitted. In short time the stair.
csse Leading TO the gallery was crammed from
the bottom to the top. The managers had made
prudent provision in anticipation Of this. They
had closed the door ct the top Of The gallery
stairs, so as to prevent either mgr IS or cxress
till the morning occupants Of the gallery should
have cleared awuy. Ia order to facilitate this.
operation, a side lobby leading do1n 10 tue
boxes were thrown open, the stream Of people
descending oy which would have poured ont at
the principal entrance, without interfering With
the ascending crowd. On the ordinary stair.
case there are foue landings and the crowd as
cended to the third, on which the money takers
box VAS placed, and where there was barrier.
About half. past four o'clock cry Of "Fi1e'' was
,
evidence that it originated in the dress circle Of
boxes, either from the accidental Ignition Of a
box OF fusees. or from . boy having ignited one
TO light pine, and at the zane time set fire to
the remainder in the box. The appearance OF
fire, as seen by tous OF ire pe.sous, was but mo.
mentarF, and the burning fusees We'o instantly
trampled out The CRY, however, spread faster
from the boxes to the pit, aud FROM the pit to
the-galery. A rusa began in the boxes md
pit, hut it vas immedlatsly checked BY tae
servants Of the theatre. woo behaved with I'D.
mirable promptness and c3olness. IN the gal
lerY the alarm spread like electricity. The
people seated there could not see auy ire, but
they heard the crY; they thought .oulY Of the
danger, and they instantly made rush for the
door. In vain the check-taker and another en-
deayored to direc. their course to the staircase
leading to the boxes The crowd we're panic.
stricken and could no. be controlled. They
forced past, rushedsdown to the third landing,
broke open the door there, and then the teartu! |
death struggle commented. The fuRisiyes from
the gallery wildly precipisatcd themselves on
the ascending crowd, while the people at the |
bottom, unconscious of what VAS going or,
continued TO press upwards. Those 10 the CEN |
tre were wedged in between the two contendng |
masses. Still cries Of "Fire" cams from above, |
and still the pressuae continued, upward and |
onward. The weak and nervous fell down and |
we're traupied under loot Ssme spraug over |
the baEusiIades and alighted upon the heads of |
more be described than the crisis Of battle, or
the horror Of stipwreck- The result Was that |
when, after some ten minutes or quarter of an |
hour, the police were enabled to clear way to |
the first landing, they found there confused |
and motion!ess heap Of bruised and srampied |
human bodies, among which no leas than six. !
teen wers corpses.
Such are the leading facts Of this vsly shock |!
ing ah1lr, IN which i, does not appear that nnT |
ose was very greatly to blame.