The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1883-06-18
CHILDREN CRUSHED.
ERleArFuL olsAsrER
At an EIAibltisa H.ll IN s.aasrl.aa. raE'
land a Narrow Exit Prora a DsAth
Trap - Nearly TIVE Hundred CAlidrsa
css.hsd % D..th-l sleksaIas sigh. EB

i.
LONDON, June 16.-A terrible calamity,
involving the death Of 17S children, occur.
red in Sunderland county Durham, this
evening. From details received It appears
that an entertainment was given at Victoria
Hall by 4 conjuror, attended almost al.
together by children, several thousand
being in attendance. The accident occur
red at the close OF the performance. The
body CT the hall had been entirely cleared
Of It's occupants, when some twelve hun
dred Of the little ones came rushing down
stairs from the gallery. At the top Of the
first flight Of stairs was . door, which open
ed only twenty inches, and thus but one
child was permitted to pass through at a
time. At this point, while the mass Of
children was pushing forward, one Of them
foil and was unable 10 rise, owing to
the others erowding. the result was
that great number were crushed down,
trampled on aud suffocated. The scene
was terrible. No effort could stop the mad
rush Of the affrighted children. They
came on psll nell, though strangely with.
out much shouting, and soon l7S were
knocked down and sutfoeated to death by
the others trampling upon them. A
greater number OF the bodies which were
badly mangled from trampling lay seven
or eight deep. Many victims who were,
not killed had the clothing tori from their
bodies, and this, together with the bleeding
ka3f AL ktH.N Nttffn akEa abK Nar
bic nature Of the struggle. The ages Of the
one hundred and seventy eight children
known to have been killed ranged from
four TO fourteen years.
: The excitement in town when the news
Of the disaster spread was terrific. Great
crowds rushed to the scene until twenty
thousand persons surrounded the hall.
The feeling was 90 intense that the author
tiles ordered out the Sfxty-gighth Infantry
to preserve order. The work OF getting out
the bodies was begun Immediately. They
were laid out in the half and the parents
OF those killed were admitted to identify
the bodies OF their children. The most
heaft.rending scenes transpired while the
Identification was In progress. The moth
ems OF the dead children constantly uttered
piercing shrieks, and many tainted on dis
covering the bodies Of their little ones.
4..f u.. suSDRY scESEs.
LONDON, June 1.-THE terrible calamity
Of Saturday evening is the subject Of uni.
vepal unhappy comment. The hsll has
been surrounded to-day by distressed and
excited crowds. Those who went to the
rescue Of the sufferers found the work Of
removing the heap Of bruised, crushed and
suiiocated bodies no easy task. fwohundred
children were rescued from the pile who
were practically unipiare.l. Many others
were found in an unconscious condition,
but Of these q number were restored i'm.
mediatelY and taken to their homes.
Nearly all those who we're dead, with
number whose wounds were regarded as
fatal, were laid out in the main hall,
where local doctors in attend.
ance used every effort to restore
those in whom spark OF
life could be detected. One eye witness
states that he saw lying on the fagstones a
short distance from the bottom OF the s!airs,
the dead bodies oi seven children. Many
Of those who came to assist Ia removing
the dead and rescling the living. were
utterly overcome by the distressing sight
OF 60 many dead aud dying children.
A number OF deaths have occurred since
the first report, and the fatal list is now
placed asfSs gsii! la