The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1883-06-22
AN ENGLISH HORROR.

AT Conjurer's Exhibition in Sunderland.
Eng, Attended by Many Children, a
Fatal Panic Ensues-One Hundred ana
Eighty-six Little Children Meet Death in
a Horrible Manner.
LONDON. June Is.
A terrible calamity, involving the death of
1856 children, occurred in Sunderland,
County Of Durham, Saturday evening.
From the details received it appears that en-
tainments were given in Victoria Hall by a
conjurer, attended almost altogether by
children, several thousand being in attend
ance. The accident occurred at the
close of the performance. The body
of the hall had been entirely cleared
of occupants, when some 1900, of the
little ones came rushing downstairs. from
the gallery. AT the top of the first fight Of
stairs was door which opened only twenty
inches, and thus but one child was per-
mitted to pass through at time
At this point while the mass of children
were pushing forward, one of them fell and
was unable to rise owing to the Others
crowding. The result was that a great
number were pushed down, trampled on
and suffocated.
The scene was terrible. No effort could
stop the mad rush of the affrighted children.
They came on pellmeIl, though strangely,
without much shouting, and soon one nun
bred and eighty-six We're knocked down
and suffocated to death by others trampling
upon them. The greater number of bodies,
which were badly mangled from trampling,
lay seven or eight deep Many of the VIC
tins and others who were not killed had the
clothing torn from their bodies and this, to-
gether with the bleeding bodies of the I'M
fortnnates, shows the terrible nature of the
struggle The ages of the one hundred and
eighty-six children known to be killed
ranged from four to fourteen years.
The excitement in the town when the
news of the disaster spread was terrible.
Great crowds rushed to the scene, until 20, 900
persons surrounded the hall. The feeling
was so intense that the authorities ordered
out the Sixty-eighth Infantry to preserve
order. The work of getting out the bodies
began Immediately. They were laid out in
the hall, and the parents of those killed
were admitted to identify the bodies of their
children. There were most heart-rending
scenes while the Identification was in pro-
gress. The mothers of the dead children
constantly Uttered piercing shrieks, and
many tainted on discovering the bodies of
their little ones.
Mr.. Fay, who gave the entertainments
was busy packing up his apparatus to de-
part when man rushed up to him and in
formed him of the disaster. He immediate
ly fell down speeches..
One man and his wife pushed their way
into the hall in which lay the bodies Of the
victims, and without betraying any emotion
began to scan the faces of the dead. Recog-
nizing one of his children the father, pointing
with his finger, exclaimed: tSThat's one"
Passing on again herecogniZed another, and
then a third. Staggering in a fit of agony,
he cried: my God All my family gonel'
And, overwhelmed with grief, he sank to
the floor. In some homes there are FIVE
children dead. 0e
A lad was sitting on the railing near Muir
ton street, crying. A passer-by inquired
the cause Of his grief. "Why, sir" said
he, 81 was in the place there, and when I
was coming out boy that was dying bit
my hands. and that's him." he added, point.
ing To uIID CUrI,syo Oe sI-.iI .14,
The janitor says the scene behind the gall
lery door was fearful. Some children were
fixed upright in heap, and were actually
gasping for breath, so greatwas the pressure
of the crowd behind. When the dis
aster occurred the janitor and sew
egal others were hastily sum-
moned. The bystanders went to work
Immediately to give relief to the sufferers.
They first sent out of the building the little
ones still in the hall, thus ayerting 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 two hundred children practically unin-
jured were rescued from the pile. Many
Others were found unconscious, some of
whom were restored.
One Sunday-sc hool loses thirty scholars
by the catastrophe. Many of the survivors
had their arms broken in the crush. Others
are suffering from broken ribs or the rup-
ture of internal organs The hall-keeper
says the children not twenty yards from the
door came pressing forward, unaware of the
tragedy, thus making matters ten times
worse than they really were.
The staircase from the gallery was wind
ing one. Both the audience and the officials
were in the hall at the time of the disaster,
and were unaware, for some time, of the
terrible tragedy being enacted at the door.
They were not informed until Graham, the
hall-keeper, who was strolling near the
scene of the calamity, was attracted by
piteous groans, and then gave the alarm.
The eagerness of the children to depart
from the hall was caused by their desire to
receive the prizes promised them. Graham
throws the blame for the calamity upon the
man connected with the entertainment, who
it appears fastened the door half open, in
order that the prizes might be given to the
children one at time while leaving.
Queen Victoria sent telegram to the
Mayor of Sunderland expressing her grief at
the disaster. The children Of various Sun
day-schools also sent kilograms of SYM
pathy. The flags were at half-maSt.