Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1883-06-18

DAnx 4N4G
"A TERRIBLE PANIC.
ITS uaILDKEN KILLED AT A SHOW.
Twelve Hundred, Panic Stricken. Trying
to crowd Through . Doorway Only
Twenty Inchss Wide.
A dreadful calamity, involving the death
of 17S children, occurred in the town of
Sunderland in the county of Durham,
Eng, on Saturday evening. 1t seems that
an entertainment had been given in Vic
toria hall by a conjuror, which was at.
tended almost altogether by children, to
the number of several thousand. The
accident occurred at the close of the per-
formance. After the body of the hall had
| been entirely cleared of its occupants some
1,2OO of the little ones came rushing down |
stairs from the gallery. At the top of the |
first flight of stairs there was door which |
opened only twenty inches, and one
child only was permitted to pass through |
at time. At this point, while the mass
of children were pushing forward, some
of them fell and were unable to to rise,
owing to the others crowding on. The
result was that great number were
pushed down, trampled on, and either
suffocated or crushed to death. The scene
was terrible, and no effort could stop the
mad rush of the affrighted children. They
came on pell NELL, though STRANGELY with
out much shouting and soon 178 of them
were knocked down and killed by others
trampling upon them. The greater num-
ber of the bodies, which were badly
manpled from the trampling, laid seven or
eight deep. Many of the victims and
7 others who were not killed had their
. clothing torn from their bodies in the
r struggle. The ages of tho 178 children
known to have been killed ranged from
to IA years.
When the news of the disaster had
spread through the town great crowds of
people hastened to the scene. until at least
{ 26, 600 persons surrounded the hall. The
8 feeling was so intense that the authorities
ordered out tho Sixty. eighth infantry to
preserve order. The work of getting out
the bodies Of the victims was begun imme-
!, diately. They were laid out in the hall
and the parents of those killed were ad
= mitted for the purpose of identifying the
. ren6ing scenes occurred while the work of
= Identification was in progress. The
>. mothers of the dead children constantly
IL uttered pierciog shrieks, and many OF
If them tainted on discovering the bodies OF
'e their little ones.
Later Particulars.
The stairway from the gallery at tho toI
le landing of which occurred the pressure
IN which led to the accident was from to
feet wide, and the gallery door through
. which the children were allowed to pas
a only one at time which circumstance il
be regarded as the direct cause of the calami
Cd ty, was fitted with a bolt which lodged il
:; a hole in the floor, thus narrowing the pas
-, sageway for the purpose of facilitating th
eo ticket taking when tho audience was en-
IL tering tho hall. The janitor says TIN
scene behind the gallery door was fearful
Some of the children were fixed upright il
ar a heap, and actually gasping for breath
IA SO great was the pressure OF the crowd DC
~ hind them The ajority of the children il
ID the hall were under twelve years of age
1y When the accident happened the janito
ia and his wife and several hastily SUNNI onin
T., bystanders went to work Immediately t.
give the sufferers relief. They first sen
'sS out of the building by other exit ways th
't- little ones who were still in the hall, b
)w this means averting the fears of furthe
crush. Those who went to the rescue {
the unfortunate sufferers found tho wOr
of removing the heap of bruised, crushe
Il" and suffocated bodies no easy task. Nv
RIM hundred children wero rescued from tn
pile, none of whom were seriously, if at al
injured. Many others were found in a
ng unconscious condition, but of these
ife number were restored and immediate
led taken to their homes. Nearly all of thos
vas who were dead, with number who's
uel wounds were regarded as fatal, were la
IAN out in the main hall where the local dOs
tors in attendance used every effort
i'm restore those in whom q spark of Ii
'as could be detected. One eye-witne
ur. states that he saw lying on the flag stOn'
'll, a short distance from the bottom of IL
ar stairs, the dead bodies of seven children
'n, Many of those who came to assist in r
op moving the dead and rescuing tbs livin
nee were utterly overcome by the distressin
led sight of so many dead and dying children
hot A number of deaths have occurred sint
ed, the first report, and the fatalities are no
pot placed at 1856. One OF the parsons VII
! responded Immediately to the call for he
Dc says that many who volunteered to ASST
'eli in rescuing the children sickened at IL
, spectacle, and fled Mortified from the di
zen tressing scene. The rescuers' first effor
md were directed toward reaching childrt
bed who were apparently alive, but SO tight
vas were the victims jammed together that
- was regarded as dangerous to drag the
or out of the helpless mass, lest the effo
in should result in pulling off the limbs
hot living children as we'll as multilating Il
vas dead. They therefore proceeded steadi
an, and systematically to lift off the topmos
ll3 A few of those who were beneath survive
1 and their means and low cries of pa
)us could be distinctly heard amid the excit
Z ment and cries of bereaved parents al
b a friends who were thrOnging the adjace
I'M streets.
i'm The staircase from the gallery was
rat winding one. Both the audience and Il
n officials who were in the hall at the tin
ay. of the disaster were unaware for son
Ing considerable time of the terrible traget
IAN that was being enacted at the door. Th,
the we're not Informed until Graham, Il
cts hallkeeper, who. strolling near by Il
ent scene Of the calamity, was attracted
Inn the groans and gave the alarm.
rrei Mr.. Fay, who gave the entertainment
ul was busy packing up his apparatus
nc. depart when a man rushed up to him al
his informed him of the disaster, and imm
her diately fell down speecbless in f
- Some of the families whose homes we
gh, so suddenly darkened lost over thr
Vho childred.
ey, The latest reports figure up 1873 dea
the and tho gravest fears are felt that t
ma, number will yot be shown to have reach
Is. at least 200.
lge, The disaster was referred to in all t