South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1883-06-22
Children Killed IN q Panic.
Awful Ending ofnn Enter
fa,nv,,D~t

Awful Ending ofnn Enter
tainment-
Gee hcsssee nd Ei-ss, Seven Little Chi.trcu
okssssA 81 rrs.p,es - rs.;s /. england.
LONDON, June IA dreadful "a.
lamity, involving the death OF 1917
chadrea, occurred in the town OF San
deriand, i0 the county II Dsrham,
last evening. II seems that an enter
tainnsent bad been given in Victoria
Hall by q c0njuror. which was attend
ed almost altogether by children. to
the namber of several thousand. The
accident occurred at the close Of the
performance. After tho body of the
halt had been entirely cleared OF its
occupants some twelve hundred Of the
little ones came rushing down stairs
from the gallery. At tie top Of the
FIRST flight Of stairs there was door
Shieh opened Gully twenty inches, and
one CHILD only was permitted to pass
through at time. At this point,
while the mass Of children we're push
ing forward, some Of tisem feii and
we're unal,ie 70 ris-, owiug 10 the 9TH
crs crowding On. Tie result vas that
great number we're pushed dowa,
trampied on, and either sutfocated OF
crushed to death. The scene was ter
rib'e, anu no effort could stop the
mad rush Of the a9rishted children.
They came on reli-meli, though
| strangely without much shouting, and
soon It's Of them were knocked dcwa
and killed by others tramlling upon
them. The greater number of the
bodies, which weie badly mangicd
from the trnmpliug. laid seven or
eight deep. Many oftt.e victims and
others who were not killed had tneir
clothing torn from their bodies in the
struggle. The ages Of the 1TS chill
drcn known to have been killed rang.
ed from 4 TO IA years.
When the news of the disaster had
spread through the town great crowds
OF people fastened to the scene, uutil
at last 2a.ooo rersons surrounded the
hail. The feeling was SO intense that
the authorities ordered out the sixty.
eighth infantry to preserve order.
The terrible calamity is the subject
of universal comment. The hall has
been surrounded to day b. distressed
and excited crowds. The stairway
from the gallery. at tl,c top landing
OF which occurred the pressure which
led TO the accident, was from i've to
six feet wide, aud the gallery door,
through which the children were nj :
lowed to pass only one a. time,
which circumstance is regarded as the
direct cause of the calamity, was liz.
ted witt, bolt, which, lodged in a
hole IN tho floor. thus narrowing the
,'assageway for the purpose Of facili-
tating the ticket.taking when the au-
dience Vas entering the hall. The
lanitor says Tho scene behind the
gallery door. was fearful. Some Of
the children were fixed upright in q
heap and actually gusping tor breath,
80 great was the pressure of the crowd
behind them. The majority Of the
ciKldren in the hall were under 10
years ofase' Wheu the accident hap
pencd the jauitor aud his wife and
several hastily summoned bystunders
went to work Immediately to give the
sufferers relief. They first sent ont
OF the building by other exit ways the
little ones who were still in the hall,
by this nreans avertiIg the fears oil
further crush. Those who went to
the Iescuc Of tao unfortunate suffer
crs found the work Of removing the
heaI. of bruised, crashed and sutfoca-
ted bodies 10 easy task. Two i.ur.
dred children were rescued from the
pile, some o. whom were not serious
!y, If at all injured. Many others
were found ia ali unconscious condi.
ton, but of these n number were re.
stored and Immediately taken TO their
homes. Nearly all of those who
were dead, with number whose
wounds were regarded rs fatal, were
laid ont III the main hall, where the
local doctors i'll attendance used ovo.
ry effort 10 restore those in whom n
spark of lite could be detected. One
eyewitness states that lie saw lying
on tho flagstones, short distance
from the bottom Of The stairs, the
dead bodies of ssven children Many
OF those who came to assist ia remov,
ing the dead aud rescue the living
we're utterly overcome by the distress.
ing sight Of so many dead and dying
children.
A number Of deaths have occur
Cd since the first report, and the fatal
list is now placed at 1917. One Of the
pcrsons who responded Immediately
to the call for help says that many
who volunteered to assist in rescuing
the children sickened at the spectacle,
and He'd Mortified from the distr essing
scene. The rescuers' frat efforts
we're directed toward reaching chill.
dren who were apparently alive, bat
so tightly were the victims jamrled
together that il was regarded IA dan,