South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1883-06-22

formed unit. q rabsn., the bail-kceper,
who, strslling near by the scene OF
The caiaNi'y, was affected by the
groaas aud gave the alarm.
sir Fay. wlo gave The entertain
men., was bns, lacking ap his ap-
para,us 10 depart. when ma.a rushed
I'D 10 him aud iiiormad him Of the
disaster, aud insSnediately feti dowE
spcechless In a st. Some OF the FAM
lies whose homes were 80 suddenly
darkcned los. ccer three chiadNea.
One man and his wife pushed their
way into the ha,s in which lay the bo
dies OF the victims, and without be.
traying any emotion began 10 scan the
faces ct the dead. Recognizing the
face Of one OF his chiidreu, the father,
pointing with his finger, exclaimed,
That's one Passing on again, he
recognized another, and then . tlird.
Staggering in a 1T OF agony he cried,
Ny God, al, ray family gomez aud
overwhelmed with grief sank to the
floor. In some homes there arc fre
children dead.
Queen Victoria sent a telegram TO-
day to the mayer Of Sunderland ex-
pressing her grief at the occurrence of
the disaster. The childrcn OF various
Sunday schools also sent kilograms OF
sympathy. Flags were at haltinast
One Sunday.scbool loses thirty scho!-
| urs by the catastro2c. Many of the
survivors had their arm, broken u,
the crush. Others are suffering from,
broken rlbs or rupture of interua. or
gans. Graham. the Lali.keeper, says
that children who were not twenty
yards from the door came pressing
forward, unaware Of the tragedy, thus
making matters ten times worse than
they really were. The faces Of the
dead children werc almost in every
case black aud swollen from suifoca-
tion, from which many died. The
lips we're cracked and parcLed.
Many poor mothers swooned away
at the first sight OF thc dead, While
Others wero Wild and almost violent
in their hysterical grief. The act OF
removing the dead from the hall to-
day was an occasiou for renewed Ia.
meutation aud confusion Many par
ents rashed through tue police gordon
appointed FOR the preservation of or
der, and there WIS Il scene OF great
coz fusion.
One of the witnesses OF The Gallant
tv slated to-day that for the trst five
miurtcs of the accident there WAS
great lack OF assistance, and sroh, This
cause alone there wcro certainly one
hundred lives lost.
The latest reports 10 night figure
up 1877 dead. and the gravcst fears
are iei, that the number wilt yet be
shown TO have reached at least goo.
The cagsrness Of the children to
depart FROM the hall WAS caused by
ti,cir desire to receive prizes that had
been promised thera. Graham throws
the blame for the calamity upon n
man connected with tie entertain
ment, who, it appears, fastened The
door half open i'll order that the l,ri,,
zes might DC giver. 10 the children
one at time while they were leaving
the hall.
/ One sad incident was witnessed in
the vicinity of tire lia!' A lad WAS
sitting on a railing near Murton stree!
crying. A passcrby Inquired as to
the cause of his grief. WHY. cir
said he. Il wac iu the place there, and
when | WAS coming out boy that
was dying bit my hands. And that
him, he added, pointing TO the corpse
OF 4 child lying near by.-Baltimore
Suu, June Is.
Later The deaths rumbcr two
hundred and two.