The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1883-06-28
SLAIN INNOCENTS.
Frightul Casualty at a Public Hall IN
Sunderland, County Durham,
ENGLAND.
A Swarm Of Children Packed To-
gethep on q Marrow and Per.
ilOus Stairway.
The Fall Of One Of the Number Fol-
lowed by an Indescribable
Panic.
One Hundred and Eighty.six Dead Bodies
Taken Out-Heart-Re Rending
Scenes.
rcable Dispatch from London. !


About 200 children were crushed to death
III Sunderland. County Durham, the evening
OF the 18th. An entertainment had been given
1T Victoria Hall by coniurer. There was
an audience Of several thousand, consisting
almost wholly Of youngsters. After the
performance, and when the body Of the ball
had been cleared, about |, 200 children came
rushing down from tho gallery. The door
1t the top of the first flight Of stairs ore ned
only twenty inches-mercly enough to allow
pne person to pass at = time While tho
little ones were hurryfn9 out one lost his
footing, fell, and was unable to rise. Those
following were tripped Then the children
dashed forward pell-mell. Those in 'front.'
were being suffocated and trampled upon;
those in the rear became frenzied, and
pushed forward with the energy Of despair.
The scene was appalling. All efforts TO
the victims had their clothing torn from
their bodies. The ages Of the children
sanged from 4 to IA years They lay seven
br eight deep on the stairway. The number
sf injured is estimated at 2J!
The excitement In the town was intense.
breat crowds rushed to the scene, until 20
Mpersons surrounded the hall The author-
ties ordered out the Fifty eighth infantry to
preserve order The work Of removing tho
bodies began Immediately. As soon rs the
little unangled forms were taken from tho
great heap they were laid out In the hall
The parents Of the victims were then ad-
mitted to identify the remainA Mothers ut
tered pirceing ehrieks, and many tainted
on discovering the bodies Of their little
ones.
lery door was fearful Some children were
fixed upright in heap, and were actually
gasping for breath, 80 great was the press
6re OF the crowd behind When the disaster
occurred the janitor and several Others were
hastily summoned The bystanders went TO
work Immediately to give relief to the suf-
ferera They first sent ont OF the building
the little ones still In the hall, thus averting
further crush Those who went to the
rescue found the work Of removing the
heap Of bruised, crushed and suffocated
bodies no easy task, and 40 children practi-
cally uninjured were rescued from the pile.
Many others were found unconscious, some
of whom were restored
An eyewitness says he saw lying on the
| Nag stones, q short distance from the bot
tom Of the stairs, the dead bodies OF seven
| children Many of those who came to as
eisu in removing the dead and rescuing the
| living were utterly overcome by the dis
tressing sight Of 50 many dead and dying
children.
The rescuers' efforts we're directed toward
reaching those who were apparently alive.
80 tightly were the victims jammed together
that 1t was regarded as dangerous to drag
them out Of the helpless mass, lest the effort
would result in pulling of the limbs OF liv-
ing children, as well as of the mutitated
/ dead They therefore proceeded steadily
few Of those beneath had survived and their
moaning and low cries of pam could be dis
tinctly heard, and mingled with the cries OF
bereavod parents and friends, who were
thronging adjacent streets
Mr.. Fay, who gave the entertainment,
husy n0nkinO nm his aDDQr0tnS To de-
part when . man rushed up to him and In
formed him Of the disaster. lie immc-
diately fell down speechlesA
One man and his wife pushed their way
victims, and without betraying any emo
ton began to scan tho faces OF the dead
| Recognizing one OF his children the father,
pointing with his finger, exclaimed: hats
one" Passing on again he recognized an
other, and then third Staggering IN 9 nt
fly gone." And overwhelmed with grief he
sank to the floor. In some homes there ara
i've children dead
A lad was sitting on the railing near Muir.
ton street crying A gssser, BY inquired "a the as
rs. IN o the n' psss .hene and wSsn
hands, and that's him." he added, pointing
to the corpse Of child lying near.
The scene inside the hall during thd
identification of the victims battles descrip.
tion, as the faces Of the dead were black and
swollen from suffocation, Of which many
died Many lips were cracked and bleeding,
and parents, rushing wildly about, would fall
upon the bodies Of their children and with
loud wailinG and weeping, clasp the nncon-
ing to note any sign Of life Many poor
| mothers swooned away, while others were
wild and almost violent In their hytterical
grief.
renewed lamentation and confusion Many
and caused wild confusion The weather
was warm, and the passageway very close
SO that short time after the terrible
catastrophe horribly sickening stencil
came from tho main outlet
One Sunday school loses thirty scholars by
the catastrophe. Many Of the survivors had
their arms broken in the crush. Others art
suffering from broken ribs or the rupture
of internal organs The hall keeper says the
children not twenty yards from the dool
tragedy. thus making matters ten timei
worse Than they really were.
The staircase from the gallery was wind
ing one Both the audience and the official!
were in the hall at the time OF the disaster
and were unaware, for some time, Of the ter
They were not informed until Graham. th'
hall keeper, who was strcling near by thu
scene Of the calamity, was attracted by plte
GUS groans, and then gave the alarm.
The eagerness OF the children to depart
from the hail was caused by their desire Il
receive the prizes promised them. Graham
throws the blame Of the calamity upon thu
man connected with the entertainment, wht
1t appears fastened the door half open, il
order that the prizes might be given to th'
children one at time while leaving
Queen Victoria sent telegram to the May
or of Sunderland exI Iressing her grief at tn
|, disas. er The children OF various sunday
schools also sent kilograms Of sympathy
The flags were at half mast.
PERSONS AND THINGS.