The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-04-01
PANIC IN A CHURCH.
A False Alarm and It's
Consequences.
EIGHTEEN PERSONS SERIOUSLY INJURED.
Terrible Excitement in Trenton-The Fire Des
partment Turns Out-A Mother Throws Her !
Child from Window and Jumps After
TIA Mass Of Human Beings
Trampled Down-Obsequies Of
the Late Father Hackin.

the Late Father Nackin.
The obsequies Of the late Father MackIn, pastor,
OF st. Johns church. Trenton took place In that
church yesterday morning. Ten O'Clock was the
hour appointed, but before that hour arrived tho
edifce was literally packed. The remains were
dressed in sacerdotal robes and were exposed ia
view in . rich casket, set on a catafalque Around
this casket filed the crowd that visited the church
during the morning and at ten o'clock hundreds
were yet coming The assistant pastor, Father
Fitzsimmons, appeared on the altar at ten minutes
past ten and announced that as the time had ar
rived for the commencement OF the ceremonies NO
more persons would be admitted to view the
remains.
THE CATASTROPHE.
Anew minutes after this announcement crash was
heard, followed by cry on one side, 1.-THE gallery
IL fallingl" and on another, "Firen The scenes
which followed will never be forgotten. That
which was dense mass OF devout and decorous
humanity suddenly became surging moaning,
yelling, furious throng Old Ocean is never dis
turbed In his slumDers by the most violent squalI
but some harbinger warns him OF it's approach:
Here, on the contrary, the cause and the eject
were almost simultaneous. There was
AN AWFUL SIGNIFICANCE
In this tumult In the midst OF 1t lay the lifclesa
form OF the pastor, who had passed the threshold
OF this life and 1t seemed as II many OF his beloved
nock were about to- Join him in his eternal home-
The terrors OF the grave stared hundreds OF the
vast gathering In the face. In the wild excitement
OF the moment the hallowed precincts of the sane
tuary were not respected, and the line which
divides the priest from the laty was crossed by
those OF the congregation who despaired OF neeina
the dreaded event by any other avenue Of escape.
THE PRIESTS RUSHED OUT
from the sacristy, and while some assembled the
altar and endeavored to quel the rising storm
others exerted themselves In the asles, by min
Cling with the excited crowd, to calm the fears Of
those with whom they came in contact. But their
efforts were unavailing. In less time than II takes
to write these lines the surging mass rushing out
ct the main entrance, was trampling down women
and children, and but little assistance could be-
AFFORDED from the outside, for the rush was ire
sistible. From every window men and boys were
jumping. The cries OF those In the centre OF tho
church, who could not escape, were heartrending.
Not even the presence Of
DIR. CORRIGAN, BISHOP ELECT,
of New Jersey, could for one moment stay the
panic. Down the steps leading from the main en-
trance to the sidewalk, people were being piled as
0psnso upon 'neni FIRE ALARM
was sounded and the fire department turned out:
The police force also at hand and here the sue
cor to the injured began. The helpless. faint
were BEING on were
up and carried into houses adjoining the
church where medical was
been In the neighborhood OF the church when the
alarm was sounded. Only fifteen minutes had
passed since the terrible scene commenced with
the cry
''THB GALLERY is FALLINGu
no IRE, the panic was weil-nigh ended the crow
on the street had sweled to thousands and eigh-
teen human beings, .gasping for breath, were
was the cause or ali this hiss tumult and ali
this sunerings The breaking Of seat in pews
certained by nearly every member OF the congrega-
ton and the church Sio was half emptled yet loE
building were beyond all control.
THE INJURED PERSONS.
Two daughters OF Mr.. Tissair, No. IS Market
had several attacks or Mysteries which l9sted f0r
for more than two hours.
The wife OF Mr.. william Evans and her baby the
latter two years old both seriously injured Mrs.
Evans threw her child out OF one OF the gallery
windows, and II was caught oy woman N ner
child's arms was broken and concussion OF the
brain ensued. The mother jumped down after 10
and fell so violently on the ground that the phy.
sicians have no hope OF her recovery. The child
was reported to be dead at five O'Clock.
Margaret CatisOn, slightly.
Annie Roche. slightly.
Maggie Mutually, Barnes street. seriously. She
remained unconscious for several hours.
Bridget Clark, seventy eight years old, "a Cooper
street, fatally injured.
Mrs. Benjamin r. Stokes, Mercer street, seri0uslys
Mrs. Richard Cooke, 81 Stockton street, seriously.
Her husband Is an attache Of the Comptr0ller'S
Office
Miss Julia slingerand, seriously
Margaret Mullany, ten years old, seriously.
Mrs. Haggerty, slightly.
Margaret Callahan, slightly.
Susie Ashmore seriously.
Mrs. Mullen, slightly.
A little daughter OF Mrs. William Carlisle, seri-
0usly; not expected to recover.
Wnnfred Callan, slightly.
1t will be seen by the foregoing that the sufferers
were all OF the female SEX The melancholy occur
renee had so depressing an effect on the clergy
that at
THE OBsEQUIEs
The funeral Grafton to be delivered by Father
McGahan OF East Newark, as well as the ONCE Tor
the dead, was dispersed with AT the solemn high
mass Bishop CorriRan was ceebrant; Father John
Laughran deacon Father Thomas Herman, Phila-
dephia, sub-deacon and Father O'Connor, Mauck
Chunk, master Of ceremonies. Sixty priests were
present.
When the dissolution was given by the Bishop
eight clergymen were detailed to convey the re-
mains OF the honored priest (which were laid In a
black walnut casket, covered with black CLOTH and
exqusitely mounted by three massive silver
handles on each side and one at each end) to their
final resting place in the enclosure in front OF the
church, where q brick vault had been especially
prepared for their reception. The vault Is eighE
feet long by three in width and eight In depth. Ii
Is built OF brick, the walls being over foot in
thickness. After dep0sting the casket in tha
crypt and the last sad and impressive prayer being
given, the solemn procession moved back into the
then disrobed and retired to the parochial resi-
dence, where the two melancholy events Of the
day were discussed.