Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1885-10-08
A SWEDISH HORROR.

Il
| Details OF the Terrible Calamity which
Followed the Appearance of Mime. Nils.
SON Before the Populace ofthe Capital Of
Her Native Land-A Crush That Ended
In the Loss of q Vast Amount of Human
Life.
STOCKHOLM, October mo event In
many years has so profoundly agitated
athe Venice of the North as the calam-
ity following Nine. Missions enthusiastic
reception by her countrymen here on
the oath ult. Since the occurrence,
Nine. Nilsson has been SO completely
Frustrated that she has felt obliged to
cancel many engagements. King Oscar,
who has taken very deep interest IN
the matter has been active in extending
sympathy and relief to the aff1 icted fam
lilies. So great was the confusion fol-
lowing the calamity, that the officials
have not vet recovered from the dazed
condition produced by it's awful sudden
ness, and it was only yesterday for the
first time, that the particulars could De
obtained with any degree OF dehniteness.
Owing probably to tie fact that Nine.
Nilsson had recently bought handsome
house in London, and announced her In.
tention of making her home in England
permanently hereafter, the great singers
WISH TO the Deauliiui SapieaA Va hSi LIZ
tive land was regared as a farewell one,
and the popular excitement attending
her arrival was intense. Crowds OF her
enthusiastic countrymen welcomed hel
at the railway station Thursday morning
and attended her carriage to the Grand
Hotel She gave three concerts, ana de-
lighted the populace alter each perform.
ance by singing home ballads in front OF
the hotel. AS early as seven O'Clock In
toward the broad quay opposite the
Grand Hotel from even the most distant
part of twelve islands upon which Stock
holm is built. When Nine. Nilsson ar
rived, shortly after nine O'Clock, 1t Is es-
timated that the dense mass of people
closely packing the quay and the wide
street of Charles XII for some dis
less than 10000 persons. Deafening
cheers created the diva's arrival Una.
Bile to reach the principal door of the
hotel she, with some difficulty, man.
aged to gain admittance at a side en-
trance, and presently was bowling to
probably the largest and most excited
audience she had ever looked upon. After
hearing two songs, "Vierzehn Yaehre,"
and ssWermland Weiser," the crowd be-
gan to dispense homeward. The first
movement of the living mass caused
frightful crush, which was horribly in
tensified by the pressure of number of
fresh arrivals on the outskirts of the
crowd. rascally gang of roughs help
ed still further to precipitate the calam-
ity by trying to work their way through
the confused and chaotic multitudes.
With rush like the flow of mighty
river, the excited mass of people direct
ed itself toward some newly built houses
on the side of the old Mindre Theater.
The pavement in front of the house had
been torn up and the ground was strewn
with building stone, lime and sand.
Just before this uneven place was reach
ed the stone pavement ended at an
abrupt descent in the grade of the street.
Here those in advance of the crowd halt
ed an instant but pressed forward by
the thousands behind, they stumbled
and fell, the crowd swarming on with the
entire absence of reason or control char
acteristic of such crowd in an emer.
gency. Men, women and children were
instantly piled one upon the other in one
great crushed, bleeding, shrieking and
undistinguishable mass of humanity. The
horror of the scene was increased by the
demoniacal yells of the roughs, who took
advantage of the moment to attack and
plumber people right and left. To add
to the confusion, the only lamp that
that part of the street was
turned out by street boy, who had saved
himself by climbing the post. Many
others saved themselves by breaking the
and entering the new houses.
though they were cut severely by the
broken glass. When the police finally
forced passage and removed the dead
and injured it was found that eighteen
persons had been killed in the mad rush.
Most of these were women. Many peo-
pie are believed to have been injured
early in the panic by being
under the feet of horse,
which, with light wagon at his heels,
tore through the crowd. Others were
pushed from the quay into the Norr
Strom outlet of the Malaren into the
Saltsjon and drowned. A prominent
citizen was separated from his two
one ten and the other twelve
years old. He afterward found their
dead bodies trampled almost beyond
Heaps of torn clothing,
hats, umbrellas, shoes and nantes were
taken to the police station. hatless
excitedIy searching for her
child, broke into loud cries on seeing the
row of corpses, and it was found that
she had suddenly gone mad. The po-
ice, numbering 200, were utterly power
ess to prevent the accident or govern
he crowd.