The New York herald., 1874-11-09
How the Catastrophe Was Brought
About---A1righting Incidents.
PROCLAMATION BY THE MAYOR
Governor Dix Shoots the Bengal
Tiger in the Street.
CONSIDERATION IN THE CITY

Another Sunday OF horror has been added to
those already memorable in our city annals. The
sad ana appalling catastrophe OF yesterday is .
further illustration Of the unforeseen perils to
which large communities are exposed. Writing
even At q late hour. without full details OF he
terrors OF the evening and night, ana with 0
necessarily Incomplete list OF the killed and
mutilared, we may pause for moment in
the widespread sorrow OF the hour to cast
hasty glance over what VIII be felt as
great calamity for many years. Few OF
the millions who have visited Central Park
ana who, passing In through the entrance at East
sixty.fourth street, have stopped to examine the
the old Arsenal building could by any possibility
have foreseen the source OF such terrible danger
% whole city in the Gagged beasts around him, as
the trivial incident OF yesterday afternoon davel.
oped. The unfortunate man to whose fatal i'm.
prudence all accounts attribute the outbreak OF
the Wild animals OF the menagerle has answered
with his life for his temerity, but We have
ust OF caiamlties traceable nom mis- acs
which one lie seems inadequate to ex-
plate. We have . list OF forty-nine killed,
Of which only twenty-seven bodies have
been identified. and is is much TO be feared that
this large total Of fatalities viii be much increased
with the return Of daylight The list OF mutiisted,
trampled and injured In various ways must reach
nearly 200 persons Of all ages, Of which, SO FAR as
known, about sixty are very serious, and Of these
A~AS
Of the slightly injured were taken to their homes,
20 that for ct least another day the full
sxtsnt Of the calamity cannot be meas.
ured. We have only to hope that
No further fatalities win occur. Twelve
Of the wild. carnivorous beasts are stin at large,
their lurking places not being known for cer-
sainty, but the citizens may rest assured that II
they will only exercise ordinary prudence and
leave the task Of hunting down the animals to the
authorities, who have. somewhat tardily. taken
the matter in hand, there will beno further casu.
sttes to register as the outcome OF the unfortu-
nate act Of q reckless keeper In Central Park It
was an apparently small cause FOR . huge and hor-
rible result but the overturntng OF Kerosene lamp
In dingy cowsned In chicago laid the Queen CITY
OF the West In ashes and the spark from hod car
rier's pipe was parent to the flames that destroyed
In night the great granite buildings OF Boston az
the solid stones were fuel It Is not long since
herd Of Texan cattle throw New York's million of
human beings into conservation. dened the police
force and injured 80 many. 1t was at
least TO pe hoped that the somewhat
similar, although more fearful calamity OF
the breaking loose OF the Wild beasts at
Central PARK would have found superintendent
WallinR with some plan to meet the emergency.
In oH tfs,.In
Although General Duryee deserves credit for his
plan, formed. we are assured, on the instant. and
carried out 30 lar with effect, must regret that
he was not earlier informed OF the terrible event.
4 telegram from police headquarters TO the Gen.
bral's residence did not reach him, and thus wall
usble hour was lost, az he was nrst informed OF
ene catastrophe By seeing the mutllated
body OF the unfortunate sewing GIRL An
ME Thomas, borne on an tmprovlsed
Stretcher to the Thirty-n nrst precinct station
house, near West Eighty.sxth street. He was
visiting at tue house OF friend, and the passing
erowd with the mournful burden the shoulders
D the police, attracted the attention OF young
daughter Of his friends Her screams brought shs
sntlre party the windows. In instant the Gen.
erai was In the street. Learning from hundred
tongues the horrible truth In the few words, 1.-The
Wild animals at the Park have broken loose" he
ran Ike deer to the station house, and seating
himself BY the telegraph instrument directed from
that point the operations which nrst resulted IN
staying the panic. Had he lost the time which
would have taken to reach Police Headquarters.
10 impossible to say where the panic and
alright and their consequent fatalities would
nave ended. Commissioners Matseii and Dis
becker were heard from at various points through
out the evening. but their efforts were not OF
nature 10 produce any good result. orders and
"a txv
succession. Happily the steps taken by General
Duryee made them practically subordinates and
diminished their inenlcicncy-to give their stam-
peded zeal no harsner term. Commissioner voor-
his could not be found during the entire evening.
TO General Smaller, aso the thanks OF tho CON-
muntty are due. His promptitude In call
ing ont the seventh, Eighth. Ninth and
Sixty-nintn regiments. call manfully responded
70, and pacing them at the service or Gem ersl
Duryss deserves unquaiined praise. IL ID to be
hoped, too. that the proclamat ton issusd BY Mayor
AfAap hamnNlkntAn1 Svihn na~ssss