The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-06-01
AN AWFUL FATE
Over 1900 Russian Peas
ants Lose Lives.
Trampled Under Foot in Mad
Rush for Souvenirs.
Joy Was Turned to Mourning at
Coronation I'estivity.

MOSCOW, June LA terrible panic re-
Bulting from the great crush OF people at
the popular feast here Saturday. in homer
OF the coronation Of the czar. caused the
trampling TO death OF many people. So
much interest was taken in the open air
banquet that thousands reached the
grounds Friday evening and camped
there or in its Immediate vicinity during
the night. in order to be certain of OBJ
tanning good positions. The police did
everything possible to keep back the
crowd. but suddenly the masses con-
trolled BY some lnexplicable impulse and
impatient TO get food. pressed forward.
swept everything before them. over
turned tables and benches. as II made OF
grass, trampling hundreds under foot
and crushing the life out OF a great num-
Der OF people
The disaster is constantly gaining In
proportion as the investigations by the
authorities continue. These are made
under difficulties as the recovery OF the
victims was conducted by hundreds OF
volunteers. and many were carried away
before they were enumerated. Many
additional deaths OF the injured who
were carried away are occurring, which
are only added to the enumeration after
some time.
III is now said that the fatalities viii
amount to between 1000 and 5000. but IL
is impossible yet to ascertain accurately
the extent OF the disaster An official
statement places the number OF dead re-
covered at 1886. and the seriously or
fatally injured at 2s6 But, in contrast
with this official statement, there are
1882 corpses lying at the cemetery, be-
sides the many dead and dying that are
known to have been removed from the
ill-fated field by friends
Saturday evening, after receiving
deputations, the czar and czarina at
tended and danced at the brilliant oalI
at the French embassy. Preparations
had been made on most elaborate
scale for this ball. and il is asserted
that $4,000 was expended on the supper
alone, rare viands and delicious fruits
and vegetables being brought from the
most distant climes TO add to the
delights of the feast. while France fur
nished the costliest and most elegant
fabrics and furniture to set off the
beauties of the palace where the en-
bassy is lodged. While the dance
within the French embassy continued
amid all the accompaniments of luxury
atiyes wandered over the desodate plain
among the dead and suffering dying.
looking. often In vain, for their missing
d All day yesterday the full force of po-
lice and firemcn worked among the dead
pulling bodies from the heaps of the
killed and injured and ranging them on
the ground, which was covered for hun
dreds of yards with groups OF 10 and 20
begrimed, blood-stained and disfgured
corpses among which the agonized
friends OF the missing Wandered in pain
fui errUrt % td1Ttify them The injured
who We're mixed with the dead, suffered
terribly from thirst and the fever of their
unattended injuries.
The forces at work on the plain dis
covered the mouth of disused we'll in
the middle OF the field. the plank cover
ing OF which had given away in the mad
rush. In the woil there were 80 dead
bodies. and weilScd In among them and
held down hy their weight were found
two men, eliyc and comparatively un-
injured. BUt tua terror and the hideous
surroundings VI the night had proved
zoo great a strain on their minds anG
1cy We're raWng nanigcs. There ar.
{ 'Cntless incidents OF special pathos,
o. g case being That Of a party OF 50 hum
BILE peasants who had come together
frem single village Ter The merry-mak
int at Tho cars feast. or this party So
we = killed
Various versions as to the origin Of the
stampede and crush are current, but the
account TO which the most credence IL
attached Is to the effect that the wagons
laden with the 500, 900 souvenirs. which
were to be distributed among the people.
plain. followed by a multitude of eager
peasants, when the attendants. with a
view to pleasing the people, threw a num-
Der of the souveprs among the crowd.
There was villa scramble toward the
point where they fell, and the. news
spread like wildfire UP and down the
throngs of peasants that the distribution
had commenced This resulted in a
headlong, pellmell rush for the booths,
where the distribution was to have beer
made later. The arrangements which
IL was intended To make to keep the
crowds In order during the distribution
had not been completed at that early
hour, and the force on hand was power
less to stem the tide OF the onrush of
humanity.
What added greatly TO the gravity OF
the disaster was the circumstance thai
these booths were surrounded by bitches
The foremost persons in the oncomine
crowd fell PROSTATE In these ditches
and the people following speedily
tiampled them 10 death. Others stun.
bled over their bodies, and met the sam,
fate. And so the horror grew. Th,
pressure was so great upon the sides ol
the booths from the struggle of the. mas
Of mad humanity that they gave way
and hundreds OF people were forced int