Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1869-08-05
Narrow Escape From an APPALLING Ca
lamity-Fall OF a Portion OF Staging
Upon which were Thousand Chill

lamity Fall OF Portion OF Staging
Upon which were a Thousand Chill
dreD.
Ir Cleveland, Friday evening, an acci-
dent occurred at the Forest City Rink,
which, for the time being, created the wild
est confusion and alarm, but, strange to say,
without resulting in loss of life or serious
injury 10 the hundreds of children, whose
precious lives were imperiled by the care
less construction upon which they WERE
stsnding. The Leader contains the follow
ing account of the affair:
Our readers are aware of the fact that for
some time past rehearsals have been in
progress, with from thousand to fifteen
hundred children, under the direction OF
Mr.. Suffern, for a grand song festival -
The concert was announced to take place
on Friday evening, at the rink. For two
or three days workmen had been engaged
in putting up the staging for the children.
This was completed on Friday, but, as the
sequel showed was constructed in dan
gsrous and unsafe manner. IL was Or
ranged In circular tiers of seats, resting
one above another like the seats of q cir
cus tent, to a heighth of thirty or forty
feet
In the evening an audience of five or six
hundred people assembled for the enter
tainment. AS the time approached for the
concert, the children, to the number OF
over a thousand, took their places upon
the seats At o'clock, as the programme
was about to begin. portion of the staging
gave way beneath the weight, owing to the
breaking of one or two of the stanchions
These we're by far too light, and some ol
them were much weakened by knots.
The seats which gave way were about
midway between the top and bottom. For
tunGjeiy the children saved themselves
from. falling by leaning upon the other
seats. A scene of the widest alarm and
CONSERVATION followed, which battles de
scription. The children were panic
stricken, and rushed like frightened lambs
down the seats. Fears were entertained
that the entire structure might give way
! and precipitate all TO the floor.
1t was almost miraculous that in the rusl
many were not thrown down and severely
| injured, if not killed. Some Of the littl,
| ones screamed with terror calling for hell
in piteous tones. Many lost their hats ant
other articles of clothing. Ia the audienc,
were large number of the parents AM
friends of the children and they manifested
| the keenest anxiety for the safety Of thei
I little ones.
| II was ut length ascertained that none O
the children were seriously injured. one O
1.-TWO only slightly bruised, and the alarm
generally subsidized. OF course the concer
was broken up for that night, and all dis
persed to their homes Mr. Suffern an
nounces that it will take place on Monda,
evening, but we doubt if the children viii
DO induced TO trust themselves again upol
a structure that so nearly proved fatal &
many. The carelessness OF the manage
ment in erecting such fragile staging an,
piling upon it twelve hundred children
cannot be too highly reprehended, and j
will not be strange if the parents of tn
children refuse again to entrust the lives q
their darlings in hands that have proved 8
unworthy of trust.