Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1896-06-06
AWFUL DISASTER.
Tragedy Attends a Coronation
Feast at Moscow.
Multitude Becomes Frantic In a Rush for
Free Food-Trample Ono Another
Into Shapeless Massos-Over
1900 Killed.

people of Russia, who have for
years been the butt of misfortune, hap
pened Saturday in this city, when over
/ 900 persons were killed or received in
juries from which they afterward died
in panic on Khodiinskoje plain, pre-
cipitated during festivities in honor of
the coronation of the czar. The official
report places the number of dead at
l $50. Most of these persons were in
stantly trampled to death, and the spec
tacle presented when the portion of
the plain on which the stampede took
place was cleared of the survivors was
in the extreme. The crowd
was awaiting the signal to dine at tables
laid out of doors and the distribution
of presents from the royal house when
the disaster occurred. The immediate
cause of it was the pitching into the
midst of the dense throng assembled
gifts, for which wild scramble was
made. Had the police been present in
sufficient numbers the catastrophe
might have been averted.
The disaster, it is now explained, was
due mainly to the absence of the police,
who had not arrived at so early an hour
in the morning at the scene where the
festivities were scheduled to take place.
Fully 100000 persons of all grades of
society had gathered together on the
Khodijnslsoje plain at the time the dis
aster occurred. Only about 1000 at
tendants were in charge, and they
seemed to be unable to control the mob.
Hoping to lessen the pressure of the
assembled hundreds of thousands, all
moving toward a common center, they
tossed the packages and presents into
the midst of the crowd. This seemingly
precipitated the panic, since scramble
to obtain possession of the gifts en-
sued and the hollow piece of ground
near the center formed a death trap for
the thousands. The police made des-
perate attempts to control the people,
but all their efforts were futile, and
men, women and children were tram
pied upon by hundreds. For time
the officials in charge of the banquet
lost their heads entirely. The crowds
seemed to have gone mad with rage and
excitement, shouting, cursing and yell
ing as they pressed onward over path
strewn with dead and dying human
beings.
| At the place where the disaster oc-
Cured the czar had planned to give
| banquet on a mammoth scale to the
multitudes of people who had come to
Moscow to participate in the corona
tion ceremonies. To the people, es-
pecially those of the peasant class, this
was one of the most attractive features
of the week, and the banquet grounds
on the Hoynsky plain were jaJnmed at
early dawn. In the open air long lines
of rough tables, fanked by rougher
benches, had been erected. 1t was at
first arranged to accommodate 100000
people, but in view of the immense
crowds assembled in and about this city
for the coronation fetes, extra tables
and benches were hastily erected.
Twice 100000 persons were desirous of
taking part in the feast, but the au-
thorities decided that there must be a
limit to the number to be entertained,
and so the figure was fixed at 100000.
i To feed this multitude an army OF
cooks and walters was gathered, the
army bakehouses were taxed to their ut
most capacity, and 100000 mugs, each
bearing portaraits of the czar and car
ina, were manufactured for presenta
ton to the people taking part in the ban.
quet. Thousands of cattle, trainloads OF
provisions and shiploads of liquid re-
!; freshments were sent to the Hoynsky
plain during the week. and Saturday
morning all was in readiness for the
gigantic meal.
By dawn the mass of peasants about
the tables was enormous and they were
: all desperately hungry, some Of them
having tasted, by choice or necessity
for nearly "a hours. The guards die
everything possible to keep back the
crowd, but suddenly the masses, i'm
, patient to get at the food, pressed for
. ward, swept everything before them
: and overturned tables and benches as i
I made of grass, trampling thousands un
der foot and crushing the life out of
: great number of people. The oldest ane
4 weak naturally suffered the most.
I The passage between the variou
booths became a scene of the wildes
struggles. Here it was the most wer
' killed. Despite the best efforts of tn
i cossacks and of the police, who unfor
u tunately arrived too late to be of muc
J. service, the crowd constantly increased
: 1t was a long time before the plac
), could be cleared enough to allow tn
- work of rescue to proceed. Many of tn
t injured were carried to the various hos
: pitfalls, which We're soon filled to over
. flowing. Hundreds of persons who wer
: wounded, however, were removed t
( their own homes or taken to privat
: residences. Most of the victims wer
: women and children.
p Thirty bodies were found Sunday i
II an old disused well in the middle of tn
!, plain. The well had been covered wit
a planks which had collapsed when tn
= crowd psssed over them. Some of tn
. victims had in their hands the memoris
! cubs which had been presented at til
IS booths before the rush began. ANON
o the bodies IN the well were two livin
y persons who had been made insane b
| - ha