The Richmond palladium., 1865-02-23
The Catastrophe ia Concert Room.

/ The terrible disaster which occurred a
tswuayS ago in Dundee, Scotland. in con.
tsequence OF the crushing in of the gates
N concert room, so eager were the
/ people 10 gain admission, is fully de
scribed in foreign newspapers. The hall
was reached by flight OF steps
+ Within minute of the bursting of the
I gate. some sixty or seventy human be
ings were lying on the small space ut the
+ bottom of the stairs, huddled up in one
confused mass, while the pressure from
I behind prevented any efforts from being
made for sometime 20 obtain theiEex--
/ tricauon. The scene presented at this
/ time is described as most terrible In
the small dark square lay nearly a hun
dred human beings, all ages and both
sexes piled above each other in eye~v
Imaginable position, struggling so far as
they possibly could TO get free and
screaming for assistance above them 10
beyond the top of the stairs, was a large
crowd anu pressing forward, and quite
incredlous that such an awful drama was
being enacted beneath
The irst body to which attention was
called was that of young man lying
near the door. all discolorea, and near il
were about dozen bodies, all dead and
presenting the same appearance of hav-
ing been suffocated. Close TO the en-.
trance 10 the lobby. were the bodies of
two young girls, aged about Ii or l6
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 roo ms adjoining The scene on
entering the hall Mt this time was the
most painful description. On IA bench in
the entrance lobby. were seated two young
lnf IL h. had \.
crush. but who had fortunately escaped
with life. Their livid swollen faces, and
the duh vacant stare in their eyes, how
ever, showed that they had narrow es
cape. Ia 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 tattered crinolines and
diSordercd attire showed the fearful
character of the struggle that had taken
place. Entering the hall, the first object
attracted attention was the dead body or
stout man, lying on the floor, the mouth
wide open, and the features rigid, as il
the poor fellow had expired in the agony
Of endeavouring to get free from the liy
ing mass which lay above him. Along
the back of the hall, on the floor, were
ranged other bodies, both of men and
women, an pcatihS tic appearance OF
having been asphyxicated. On n raised
bench on the east end of the hall was the
body of aIboy apparently about tl:;;1.ee eerrn
years of age, quite cold and stif 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, evidently those which DR.
Smith mentioned as having seen clasped
IN each others arms. In a small room up
stairs, occupied by the hall keeper tho
most affecting sight of all, perhaps, was
presented. On the floor, in front Of the
fire, We're laid out four young lads or girls,
all dead, and much discolored and nca.
the door was yonng girl in the agonieI
of suffocation, while kind hands wee
engaged in bathing her temples and ruo-
bing various parts of her body, in ordsr
to induce circulation. These effort,
were successful and the poor girl was
home in the course of the
evening. In all, nineteen bodies were
aid out at one time in the hall and ad-
oiping apartments. Beside these,
young lad named Holland, who had been
emoved by the front entrance, was placed
N cab, while yet alive, and conveyed
% the infrmary. but before that place
;ould be reached he had expired The
of the bodies was q spect-
lcle of the most heart rcnding descrip-
ion.