The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-07-09

nized practice of the medical profession in
general. This remarkable revelation took
the House by surprise, but members were
not indifferent to the personal heroism dis
played, and when the Secretary concluded
by expressing esteem for the officials self
devotion and regret for the personal suffer
ing he had incurred by his sacrifice of him
self in the inteFeste OF science and humanity.
loud cheers greeted his words, and tue feel
ing OF admiration was SO intense as to make
it almost certain that the man. if he sur
wives, will eventually receive some public
recompense He will surely get pension and
may probably be dignified with baronetcy,
while there is a bare possibility as public
honors are be coming such cheap tTlnkets In
this country, that the fortunate or untortu-
nate fellow may even be elevated to the
peerage
THE SUNDERLAND CATASTROPHE.
From the question of vaccination, which so
largely affects the life and yell=being OF
childhood, the mind may pass by very
natural transition to the terrible catastrophe
at Sunderland where a, week ago, so many
children met their death. The shadow of
that unparalleled horror still hangs in all its
blaekness over the land, and in all circles it
is the one absorbing and melancholy topic
of conversation. Everybody feels that Sc
rious blame must attach to some one in con-
nection with the event, but the difficulty in
fixing the stigma where Ic properly belongs
is no nearer solution. apparently, than when
| the work of slaughter was first done. fhe
| immediate instrument of death was the
| partly closed door. 1t is stated, however.
that this door is hung so as 10 swing both
outwaTdly and inwa-dly. and that the drop
| ping of the bolt into the floor at the inoppor-
| tune moment was an accident OF course,
| if team be shown, as it may yet be, that the
door was thus fastened by the man who had
the toys to distribute, the case will be al
| tered, though even then the cul pable party
will be more properly an object of pity than
| of punishment for how many persons, in
| the excitement of the moment, never
dreaming of the awful consequences, would
have been liable to do the same. had they
been in his position. Besides, if
| this man did fasten the door,
was he not actuated by a worthy
native, that of making an equitable distri-
| button of the prizes, which was impossible
while the door was open, and did he not
amply atone for his fatal blunder by the
herculean efforts he afterward put forth to
rescue the poor victims? AT the official in
vestigation into the causes of the disaster,
which will be closely watched by the gov
eminent, the point will doubtless be raised
| with reference to this door whether or not
| its proper position, after large audience
| had entered, and especially when it was APP
1
not have been back against the lobby wall,
securely fastened by strong hook or catch
of some kind. There is abundance of testi
mony that this was not its position at the
| time named, and If it is made certain that it
| should have BEEN a field of inquiry will be
opened up which may lead the investigators
to something tangible. Another focus of
| careful scrutiny will be that crowded gallery,
| left during the perfo rmance without proper
supervision, or, at best, with only occasional
chances from the all-keeper, who after
Ipeeping in for moment, must needs hurry
off 10 see that all was right in other quarters.
1t would scarcely seem the thing to leave a
| thousand adults in such q place without
some one to look after them, much less the
| same number of children. That there is
any specific law upon this point has not yet
| been made clear, but if there is not there
soon will be, for there is great public out
cry and already the attention of Parliament
has been called to the matter. Whatever
| guilt may arise from the victims of the
disaster not being under the care
of proper officials will have to be
| shared equally, one would think, by
the owners of the building and the man who
gave the performance. But, dropping fur
Their speculation, the public in both countries
may safely leave this case with the investi-
eating committee that's to sit upon it, The
facts will be thoroughly 5sifted and stern
Justice will be DONE 1t is not often that a
1
clutches of the law IN England-unless, per-
| chance, he follows the example of lyman and
| Sheridan, and seeks security behind an ann
| biguous extradition treaty. Meanwhile those
who are led byduty or pleasure into crowded
| assemblages. are very nervous. Not children
alone are liable to panic and its consequent
disasters. The memory calls up many in
| stances in which audiences composed of adults
have shown as little self-contrOl as the ILL
fated little ones at Sunderland exhibited
| Only q few months ago fearful stampede
! occurred in q theater at Leeds. In 1856 a
panic broke out in an audience of 5000 that
had assembled in Surrey Gardens to hear Mr.
| Spurgeon preach the results being seven
killed and thirty injured. Two years later
on an alarm of fire in the Coburg Theater
sixteen persons were trampled to death. "A
| false alarm of fire in the Saddlers' Wells
Theater results in eighteen of the audience
| being suffocated while struggling to reach the
| street; and, not to enumerate other instances
| of the kind, there is the very recent exam
| pie furnished from across the ocean in the
| Brookly nbridge disaster. These occurrences
! coming now with such vivid force to the
mind, produce general feeling of uneasi-
ness. The attendance at places of amuse-
| mentS has already fallen off, and the prevail
! ing alarm will, of course, add one more to
the numberless excuses which keep people
from church. What adds to the feeling
| of uneasiness in London is the reflection that
as compared with the ample means of eSress
afforded under ordinary circumstances in
! Victoria Hall, Sunderland, many of the halls
and theatres of this metropolis are said by
competent judges to be mere death traps.
A bright fact in connection with this
dreadful calamity is the active and kindly
sympathy shown by the Queen. For the first
| few days kilograms of coincidence and inquiry
were sent from Balmoral almost hourly. Her
majesty determined. in the event of general
| funeral ceremony, to send a representative
and she will do this should public observ-
ances of any kind be held As a further
mark of her motherly sympathy, she has
| taken special interest in a little girl who
escaped from tine building with severe iniu-
res. OF the condition and progress of this
| Iittla In rnlid tIae Onna,, cc,..stnr.tl..