The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1885-10-14
THE STOCKHOLM HORROR.
Terrible Disaster During NilssOn's
Welcome Home.
Many People Killed and Injured in a
Sudden Panic.

No event in many years has so profoundly
agi.ated Stockholm, Sweden, the "Venice of
the North" as tho calamity following Mme
Nilsson's recent enthusiastic reception by her
countrymen there. Since the occurrence
Nine. Nilsson has been so completely pros
trated that she has felt obliged to cancel many
engagements. King Oscar, who has taken
very deep interest in tho matter, has bsen
active in extending sympathy and relief to
the afflicted families An account of the ter
rible affair Is as follows
Owing probably to the fact that Nine.
Nilsson had recently bought handsome
hou.e in London and announced her inten-
tion of making her home in England perma-
nently hereafter, tho great singers visit to
ths beautiful capital Of her native land
was regarded Us farewell one, and the pop.
ular excitement attending her arrival was
intense Crowds of her enthusiastic country
men welcomed her at tho railway station
and attended her carriage to the Grand
hotel. She gave three concerts, doltghtinS
tho popuace after each performance by sing
ing home ballads in front of tho hotel. AS
carly as in the evening people were stream
ing toward the broad quay opposite the
Grand hotel from even the most distant part
of tho twelve islands upon which Stock
holm is built. When Nine. Nilsson arrived,
shortly after 0 o'clock, it is estimated that
the dense mass of people closely packing
tho quay and the wide street Of Charles
XII for some distance on either slde num-
bered not less than forty thousand persons.
Deafening cheers greeted the dlvas arrival
Unable to reach tho principal door OF the
hotel, she with some difficulty managed to
gain admittance at side entrance, and
presently was bowling to probably the largest
and most excited audience she has ever
looked upon. After she sung two songs the
crowd began to dfsperse homeward.
The first m )vement of the living mass
caused firightful crash, which was horribly
intensified by tho pressure of a number OF
fresh arrivals on the outskirts of the crowd.
A rascally gang of roughs helped still further
work their way through the confused and
chaotic multitude With q rush like the flow
of mighty river, the excited mass
of people directed itsolf toward some
newly-bult houses on the site OF the old
hlindre theatre. The pavement in front of
the house had been torn up and the ground
was strcweI with building stone, lime and
Sand Just before this uneven place was
reached the stone pavement ended at an alb
those in advance of tho crowd halted an in
slant, but, pressed forward by the thousands
behind, they stumbled and fell
The crowd, Swarming on with the entire
absence Of reason or control characteristic
of such crowd in an emergency, men,
women and children were instantly piled one
upon another in one great crushed, bleeding,
shrieking and undistlneuishable mass OF hui
manity. The horror of the scene
was increased by the demonlac
wells of the roughs, who took
bo fn ottock md rI1n-
der people right and left. To add TO the con-
fusion the only lamp that illuminated that
part of tho street was turned out by street
boy, who had saved himself by climbing the
post Many others saved themselves by
breaking the windows and entering the new
houses, though they were severely cut by the
broken glass.
When the police finally forced a passage
and removed the deal and injured it was
found that eighteen persons had been Killed
in tho mad rush Most o.! these were women.
Many people are believed to hayo been
seriously injured elrly i'll the panic
by being tlanpled under the
f5at' OF a horse whic',, with a
light wagon at his heels tore through tho
crOwl Others were pushed from this quay
into the Norr Strom outlet Of the Malaren
into thu SaltSjpn and drowned. prom
ir'nt citizen wa separate from his two
i;lt,.;. Oh, tn all tn on n tw!iva
Years oil; he aittrward loulu tnelr
lie II bMe, tramplel almost b,yond recog-
ntion. HEAPS OF torn clothing. hats, uJnbrsl-
las, shoe, and m,nselS were taken to the po-
lie, station A hatless woman, excite lily
searching Tor her child, broke into loul cries
on so,ing the row Of corpses, all it wis found
that she hid su llenly gone mad The police,
numb ring 21,. were utterly poworle's to
prsy.ns tn, cil 4n5 or govern tn, crowd.