The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1865-03-04

CATASTROPHE IN A CONCERT. RooM-The
terrible disaster which occurred afew days
ago in Dundee, Scotland, in consequence
o: the crushing in of the gates of . concert
mission, Is fully described in foreign news
papers. The hall was reached by flight
Of steps.
Within minute of the bursting Of the
gate, some sixty or seventy human beings
were lying on the small space at the bot
tom Of the stairs, hu ddled up in one con-
fused mass, while the pressure from be.
hind prevented any efforts from being
made, tor some time, to obtain their extri-
cation. The scene presented at this time,
js described as most terrible. In the small,
dark square, lay nearly q hundred human
beings, all ages and both sexes, piled above
each other in every imaginable position,
struggling, 30 far as they possibly could,
to get free, and screaming for assistance;
above them, too, beyond the top of the
stairs, was large crowd, and pressing for
ward, and quite ircredulons that such an
awful drama was being enacted beneath.
In The first
body to which attention was called was
that Of q young man lying near the door,
all discolored, and near it we're about =
dozen bodies, all dead, and presenting the
same appearance Of having been sudocated.
Close TO the entrance OF the lobby, were
\ y
fourteen or sixteen years, lying in each
others arms, and both dead. The bodies
were laid out on the floor of the hall, and
in several Of the rooms adjoining. The
scene on entering the hall at this time, was
OF the most painful description. On q
bench in the entrance lobby, were seated
two young lads who had been thrown
~ escaped with life. Their livid, swollen
faces, and the duh vacant stare in their
eyes, however, showed that they had a
narrow escape. In the small room at the
back Of the entrance lobby, were laid three
or four bodies, mostly those Of young girls,
who had been pressed to death in the crush
and whose catered crinolines and disor-
dered attire showed the fearful character
Of the struggle that had taken place. En-
te-ing the hall, the first object that attract
ed attention was the dead body OF stout
man, lying on the floor, the mouth wide
open, and the features rigid, as if the poor
fellow had expired in the agony of endeav-
oring to get free from the living mass that
lay ABOVE him.
Along the back of the hall. on the floor.
were ranged other bodies, both of men and
women, all bearing the appearance Of hav-
ing been asphyxiated. On raised bench
at the east end OF the hall was the body Of
a boy apparently about thirteen years Of
age, quite cold and atift, but who looked as
If he had fallen asleep, and showed no
marks OF having met with a violent death.
In the lower dressing room Of the hall
were the bodies Of two young girls, evi.
IDENTIFY those which DR.. Smith mentioned
as having seen clasped in each others
arms. In a small room up stairs occupied
by the hall-keeper, the most affecting sight
Of all, perhaps, was presented. On the
floor, in front OF the fire, were laid out four
lads or girls, all dead, and much discolored,
and near the door was young. girl in the
.agonies of sufocation, while kind hands
were engaged in bathing her temples and
rubbing various parts OF her body. in or
der to induce circulation. These efforts
were successful. and the poor girl was con-
veyed home in the course Of the evening.
In all nineteen bodies were laid out at one
time in the hall and adjoining apartments.
Besides these, a young lad named Holland,
who had been removed by the front en-
trance, was placed in cab while yet alive,
and conveyed to the jntirmary, but before
that place could be reached he had expired.
The identification Of the bodies was a
spectacle OF the most heartrenGing descrip.
ton.