Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1883-06-18
SLAUGHTERED INN0CENTS.
The Horrors Of Theatrical Death Traps
EClipSGd in England,
Nearly Two Hundred Children
Crushed, Suffocated, or Tram
pied to Death,
The Joyous Light of Many a Home
in Sunderland Gone Out
Forever.
Some Families Bcrctt of Five Little
Ones-A Frightful Spectacle.
DETAILS ON THE CALAMITY.
Special Dispatch to TlIE BEE.

LoNboN, - Julle IL ne UeTTlDle Cdlaln-
ity at Sunderland, Durham county, Sat
urday evening, is the subject of univer-
sal unhappy comment. The hall has
been surrounded to-day by distressed
and excited crowds. 1t appears there
was an entertainment in Victoria hall by
a conjurer, attended almost altogether by
children, several thousand being in at
tendance. The body of the hall had
been entirely cleared of occupants, when
some 200 of the little ones came rush
ing down the stairs from the gallery. At
the top of the first flight of stairs was
door which opened only twenty inches,
and thus but one child was permitted to
pass through at time. At this point,
while 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 suffocat-
ed. The scene was terrible No effort
children. They came on, pell-mell,
though strangely without much shouting,
and soon IT'S were knocked down and
sUFFoCATED TO DEATH
by Others trampling upon them. The
greater number of the bodies, which were
badly mangled from the trampling, laid
seven or eight feet deep. Many of the
victims, and others who were not killed,
had their clothing torn from their bodies,
and this, together with the bleeding
bodies of the unfortunates, shows the
terrible nature of the struggle. The ex-
element in town when the news of the
disaster spread was terrific, Great crowds
rushed to the scene, until twenty thou
sand 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
bodies began Immediately. They were
laid out i'll the hall, and the parents of
the killed were admitted to identify the
bodies of their children. A most heart
rending scene transpired while identified
ton was i'll progress. Mothers of the
dead children constantly uttered piercing
shrieks, and many tainted on discovery
of the bodies of their little ones.
THE DEATH TRAP.
The stairway from the gallery at the
top the landing on which occurred the
pressure which led to the accident, was
from five to six feet wide and the gallery
door through which the children were
allowed 70 pass one at time, which cir
cunlstsese ls regarded as the direct cause
of the calamity, was fitted with bolt
which lodged in hole in the floor, thus
narrowing the passageway for the pur-
pose of facilitating ticket taking when
the audience was entering the hall. The
janitor says the scene behind the gallery
door was fearful. Some children were
fixed upright in the heap and actually
GAsPING FOR BREATH,
so great was the pressure of the crowd be-
hind them. The majority of the children
in the hall were under l6 years of age.
When the disaster happened the janitor
and wife, and several others, hastily
summoned the by-standers and went to
work Immediately to give the sufferers
relief. They first sent out of the build.
ing by other exits the little ones still in
the hall, by this way averting the fears OF
further crush. Those who went to the
rescue of the sufferers found the work OF
removing the heap of bruised, crushed
and sutfocated no easy task. Two hun
dred children were
RESCUED FROM THE PILE
who were practically uninjured. Many
others were found in an unconscious con
dtion, but of these number were re
stored and at once sent to their homes
Those who were dead, with number
whose wounds were regarded as fatal
were laid out in the main hall, wher,
local doctors were in attendance, whC
used every effort to restore those in WHOM
a spark of life could be discovered. Al
eye witness says he saw lying on the flag
stones, a short distance from the bottom
of the stairs, seven dead bodies of children
Many of those who came to assist in re
moving the dead and rescuing the livin.
were utterly overcome by the distressin!
sight of so many dead and dying children
THE FATAL LIST.
A number of deaths have occurre,
since the first report, and the total list i
now placed at 1856. One of the person
who responded quickly to the call fo
help, says, many who volunteered to as
sist in rescuing the children, sickeneC
at the spectacle and fled Mortified from
the distressing scene. The rescuers ef
forts We're directed towards reaching tn
children who We're, apparently, alive
So tightly were the victims iammed To-
gether it was regarded dangerous to dra
them out of the helpless mass less the ei
fort would result in pulling off tn
limbs of living children as wei
as mutilating the dead; they therefor
proceeded Systematically to lift off tn
topmost. A few of those beneath ha
survived, and their moaning and low erie
of pain could be distinctly beard amid tn
excitement and cries of the bereaved pan
ents and friends, who were thronging tn
adjacent streets.
The disaster was referred to in all tn
churches of Sunderland to-day. and b
many preachers of London. Prayer
We're offered for the parents and friend
and victims.
THE STAIRCASE
from the gallery was winding one Bot
the audience and officials were in the ha
at the time of the disaster, and were III
aware for some time of the terrible trag,
dy being enacted at the door. They wei
not informed until Graham, hall keeper
who, strolling near by the scene of til
calamity, was attracted by the groans an
gave the alarm. Mr.. Fay, who gave tn
entertainment, was busy packing up h