The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-06-01
Women and Children Borne
Down When the Moujiks
Rushed to Table.
THIRTY BODIES AT THE
BOTTOM OF a WELL.
An Official Estimate Places the Mum.
Der of Dead at I336-Aid for
Bereaved Families.

MOSCOW, RUSSIA, May 91.-The city has
not yet recovered from the shock occa-
stoned by the frightful calamity yesterday
on the Hodynsky plain during tie great
free feast and entertainment in connection
with the coronation ceremonies, given at
the ex pense OF the Gar to whoever de-
sired to partake.
The extent of the disaster was not exsg-
gerated in the first reports. As stated in
these dispatches yesterday by represent
ative of the United Press, who was an eye
witness, the stampede of the great multi
tude was sight yer to be forgotten for
its horror. After the crowd had been dis
persed by the police and military the field
was strewn with the bodies of hundreds
who had been killed by being crushed,
trampled upon or Dy suffocation.
A great mum Der of children were among
the victims. In the wild rush of the
frenZied crowd they were swept away from
their parents or others having charge of
them and their puny strength availed
them naught when pitted against the ire
sistible 1orce OF the surging mob. The in
stant they stumbled and fell life was
crushed out of them. But this was the
case also with many adults. No human
strength could stand the mad on-rush of
the crowd, and safety could be found only
in allowing ones self to be carried for
ward and back in the puisating crowd, de-
voting every energy to keeping upon MS
feet.
The officials made every effort and of
fered every facility for the identification
of the dead, but the bodies in hundreds of
L
faces having been literally crushed out of
all semblance to humanity. a careful
search is made OF each body for papers to
establish its identity, and record is made
of the clothing on each corpse for the same
purpose.
II was officially announced this morning
that the total number of victims was 1136.
Many of them were Moujiks from the
Provinces a poor class of people, but
among the number were many poverty
stricken residents of Moscow and villages
in the neighborhood of the city. The fete
was particularly for the benefit of this
class of people, and the middle class gen.
orally held aloof from the entertainment
or else visited it in the plain capacity of
spectators.
The scene IN the city to-day and last
night has been a most painful one. The
injured and large mum bers of the dead are
taken to the hospitals and other charitable
institutions, and thither have gone thou
sands of persons seeking relatives and
friends, hoping that the missing ones
could be found among those who were only
hurt, but dreadlng the worst. Many
affecting scenes were witnessed when it
hot
be dead were still alive, but often terribly
injured. Sometimes when a body was
recognized by relative, more frequently
a moth er whose little one had been torn
away from her and its young life crushed
cut, the scene was heartrending. The
stolid demeanor or the Russian peasant
would vanish, and the low plaintive wall
ing and floods of tears would bear witness
to the bitter grief experienced.
Far into the night ambulances, fire.
trucks and other vehicles were steadily
engaged in hauling the dead and injured
into the city. The representative of the
United Press went again to the plain and
saw some of the effects of the mad rush.
bitches of abandoned earthworks of the
plain had been filled to the level with the
bodies of those who had been driven into
them by the awful pressure from behind.
Here those who were not crushed to death
were suffocated by the dead and dying
above them. In the passages between the
booths from which the free food was being
distributed there were still lying the boeies
of hundreds of dead men, women and
children--women and children predomi-
mating. Some of the corpses were fright
fully distorted and on the faces, still in
death, there were looks of fear and horror