The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-05-31

Moscow. May sa.-A terrible panic result
ing from the great crush of people at the
popular feast here today in honor Of the
coronation OF the car. caused the tramp
ling TO death Of more than i.lao people. in
cluoing woman delivered OF child dur-
ing the excitement In anticipation OF
grand holiday and popular banquet on
kohdinskoje plain, tens OF thousands OF
people began troopins toward the Petrov-
ski palace. In front OF which the plain is
situated. this morning. In fact. thousands
reached the grounds last evening and
camped there or in the immediate vicinity.
in order to make sure Of obtaining a good
position today. On the plain long lines OF
tables fianked by rougher benches had
been erected 1t was at first arranged to
accommodate 10000 people. but. in view OF
the immense crowds assembled in and
about the city at the coronation fctes, extra
tables and benches were erected and every
effort made to provide meals for 600 peo-
pie To feed the multitude an army OF
cooks and walters was gathered together,
the army bakehouses were taxed TO the ut
most. and $4,000 mugs, each bearing por-
traits OF the car and czarina. were ordered
for presentation TO the people taking part
in the banquet. Thousands OF cattle, train
leads OF provisions and shiploads of liquid
refreshments were sent 10 the plain. and
this morning all was in readiness for the
gigantic event. In anticipation of the as
sembling CT an immense crowd and the
possibility of disorder. strong force of
police was detailed for duty on the plain,
three miles outside the city on the road to
81. Petersburg. Several detachments OF
infantry and cavalry were stationed In the
vicinity to support the police should such
a step become necessary.
When day dswned today the mass Of
peasants about the tables was enormous,
and all were desperately hungry. some
having tasted nearly twenty-four hours.
The police did everything possible to keep
back the crowd. but suddenly the masses
pressed forward. swept everything before
them. overturned tables and benches,
trampling hundreds under foot and crush
-ng the life out of a great namber. The
police and military eventually succeeded in
restoring order and took away the dead
and injured.
Among the dead found on Kohdinskoje
plain were ladies evidently of high rank,
dressed In the finest ak and adorned with
the richest jewels. The police barracks
10 which the bodies Of the dead we're
taken were bes;eged by persons beseech-
.ng for news Of friends and relatives. The
scenes at tie barracks are terrible in the
extreme The remains OF the dead VIII be
conveyed to the cemetery. where q large
norgue is located
The disaster. as now explained. was due
mainly to the absence OF the police, who
had not arrived at 50 early an hour.
Fully aoo. 600 persons OF all grades of So
ciety had gathered on the plain at the
time the disaster occurred. Only about
LOO attendants were In charge and they
seemed urabie TO control the mob. Hop
ing to lessen the pressure OF the assembled
hundreds OF thousands. all moving toward
common center, they tossed the pack
ages and presents into the midst OF the
crowd. This seemingly preciptated the
panic. since a scramble to obtain the gifts
ensned. and the hollow piece OF ground in
the center formed death trap for thous-
ands. The barracks where Napoleon once
concentrated his troops before moving up
an his ciiy are in many cases being used
as temporary hospitals. and the soldiers
have been rendering great services in re-
moving the dead
Further time must eiapse before ae-
curate figures as to the number actually
killed and the number OF persons who are
victims OF the disaster and those who are
only suffering from injuries Is ascer-
tained. But there is no doubt that the
official estimate OF loo victims cannot be
far from right.
This may be said to have put an end to
all the coronation festivities, certainly
so far as the general public is concerned
The disaster occurred between 5 and s
o'clock this morning. II was intended
that the banquet should not commence
before noon. but the immense throng
which had gathered became so dense that
the attendants were overpowered By the
crowd. and the mad struggle commenced
for food and gifts. many Of the attend
ants being among the dead.
The police made desperate efforts TO
control the people. but all their attempts
proved futile, and men. women and chill
dren Were trampled upon by hundreds. and
the sroans OF the victims could be heard
from afar For time the officials IN
charge lost their heads entirely. The
crowds seemed TO have gone mad with
rage and excitement, shouting, cursing
and yelling a they pressed onward over
a path strewn with dead and dying human
beings. Eventually however, some show
os order was restored by the troops. and
arcmen were hastily summoned and the
latter began the work OF extricating the
dead and injured, ranging them on the
ground In groups Of ten. twenty and thirty
at every hundred yards or so. and dis
patching TO the city. as speedily as pos
sihle. In military transport wagons. fur
nsture vans. feed wagons. etc. the In
tared. giving preference at first TO the
women and children. Some heartren9ing
scenes were witnessed among the sir-
vivors whe were seeking relatives among
the victims. The latter were mostly peas
ants and few OF them have as yet been
identified. Many Of the heads were tram
p'ed into n shameless Jelly So immense
was the coneourse on the plain that hur-
dre3s of The ncepie were not aware for
some tirne that the disaster had occurred.
FOR share was the noise caused by the
celebrations by the hands and ell the
oths- entertainments In fun swing. Yet
the work % gathering up the dad WIS in
progress IN smother part of the Plsin-
II was not until nearly ~ o'clock tonight
that the facts of the disaster were made
public the people claiming tha, this ~as
done II order not 10 pat sudden stop 20
the festivities on the plain which would
hSEs resulted IN panic and still more Sc
rios less Of life
Tee people in this city are slow 20 hesieve
;he 6 Saster f. as great as reported. A
bulletin said 3is bodies had be@n recovered
ard that go persons had hes7 injured. But
very shortly gfterwari. az II o'clock ex-
actly, an offlciai notice was posted saying
the list % dead fo3ts up Lbs parsons. IN
cf16ing those who aie5 from Injuries after
beng removed from the plain The ezar
has xtvea orders that the sun OF I. 90
rnghies BE given 20 each hereavsi family,
aus taas the victims be buried at ais ex-