Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1892-01-08
FATAL PANIC.
Brutal Stampede in a Gates
head (England) Theatre.
Children Crushed to Death by
Brawny Mill Hands.

A frightful panic occurred a few nights
ago in the Royal Theatre, Gateshead, Eng
land, resulting in the loss Of number Of
lives.
Gateshead is a considerable oity in Dur
ham, and as nearly the whole population is
engaged in manufacturing industries, the
places of amusement are usually crowded.
Owing to the Christmas season, the Royal
Theatre was thronged, on this fatal night,
with working people. The audience, though
not unruly, INDUCED in more license than is
allowed in most London theatres, and boys
smoked in the balcany without any appar-
ent objection on the part Of the attendants
The performance was of a sort familiar in
the provincial manufacturing places, in
Guiding magic, sleight-of-h hand and other va
riety. One of the boys smoking got so in
terested in the play that he accidentally
dropped a burning match on the people be-
low him. The match set fire to some OF the
theatrical furniture. The slight blaze COM
municated to partition.
A woman noticed the fire and shrieke6 that
the theatre was burning. At once the au-
dience was aroused, and not cOmprehendiug
the exact danger, made a sudden and SIM
Infamous rush to escape. Every aisle and
avenue became packed, and the audience.
which was numerous enough to have made
exit slow and difficult had there been
panic, became one painting, struggling mass
of men and crying, half-Suffocated women
and children
The strong, hearty men from iron works
and mills showed no pity for the weaker
sex. If a woman or child fell beneath the
strain, she or it was at once crushed under
the iron shod heels. Men climbed on each
others heads and sought to tread over the
squirming mass of humanity to safety.
Women pleaded for their little ones, hold
ing them above THEN heads as far as arms
could reach, and the babes, with the breath
lonI,1 1a6 of val in
several instances by being grasped in the
strong hands of men able to hold them, with
one arm, above the crowd.
Down the main staircase the multitude
struggled and painted. The janitor Foster,
had rushed to open the door at the foot OF
the stairs. The solid crowd fell on him like
an immense Krupp hammer, crushing the
life out of his body, which was hattened to
the door.
Down with him went the eight or ten at
the head of the mass, and they, too had the
lives stamped out of them. Behind shrieks
and loud cries, with appeal for mercy and ex-
ecrations made a fearful scene; in front, at the
foot of the stairs, was the rampant of dying
and dead, over which the escaping multitude
had to climb.
Meantime those on the stage had not been
idle 1t was soon apparent to the players
that the panic had little or no cause, and
they shouted appeals to the people to be
still. One actor, in the attire OF magician,
implored the audience to be calm. Re
turn to your seats" he cried; there is no
fire, the only danger is in your panic"
Some of those in the rear turned at his
words and stopped their share of the mad
struggle to get out, but the large majority
needed not the warning and pressed on.
Two men, thinking they had no other way
of escape, leaped from the windows into the
street and were severely injured. Many slid
down into the pit by the supports of the
balcony.
When the theatre was at length emptied
and the panic over it was found that ten
were dead and that many others had broken
limbs and were otherwise seriously in
jured.
The fire itself, which had given occasion
to the horror, Was only a slight affair, hav-
ing only burned through thin partition,
and was easily extingushed with two
buckets of water.
The city of Gateshead has been thrown
into general mourning by the calamity.
Many pathetic incidents occurred in the
terrible rush for the doors, but it is also
stated that the display of british selfshness
overcame every other feature of the awful
occurrence.
Within a few hours all the dead were
identified. All ten were between the ages of
thirteen and sixteen. The audience num-
bered 1900 persons.