Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1896-06-05
THE NEWS IN BRIEF.
Dire Calamity at Moscow.
Two Thousand People TrampIed to
Death at the Fetes of the Coronation.

Two Thousand People TrampIed IN
Death Mt the Fetes of the Coronation.
A terrible accident, resulting in the loss
of over 1000 lives, occurred at Moscow dur-
ing the popular f6te of the coronation Ger.
emonies, which were held Saturday on the
Khodynski Plain. For days the CITY had
been full of peasants from manv paIts Of
the country, all awaiting the free feast that
was given that day.
Over 100000 people had assembled to
partake of the free food and receive the
souvenir mugs bearing the pictures of the
Gar and Czarina.
Everything progressed smoothly until
the distribution of the food and gifts began.
Then the people in the rear began to crowd
forward but the police and soldiers checked
them, and for a short time there was com.
parative order. Soon, however, the crowd
in the rear again became impatient and
surged forward, despite every effort to hold
them back. Barriers had been erected in
the vicinity of the booths to prevent ex-
Gessive crowding and under ordinary cir
cumstances these would have been suffi-
cient for the purpose.
The people in front were swept against
the barriers, where the enormous weight of
the surging mass in the rear was thrown d.
rectly against them. Mad with pain and
fright, the people who were crushed against
the barriers struggled to get away, but
their attempts were fruitless,
Their shrieks were heard and this had
the effect of further melting those in the
rear to get forward.
There were then about thousand at
PENDANTS engaged in distributing the gifts
nff 'ynr hot
the thousands of persons in the rear began
to press forward upon those in front and a
number of the latter were crushed against
the barriers, the shrieks of the injured and
the groans of the dying caused the attend
ants to become stricken with terror. They
dreaded what afterward actually occurred
the breaking down of the barriers by the
enormous human pressure upon them. In
fear of their lives they threw thousands of
the memorial cups, filled with mead, beer,
etc, at the struggling mass of humanity in
attempts to drive them back. This led to
a wild scramble in the crowd.
Suddenly the barriers gave way and with
rush the immense throng swept forward.
Hundreds of men, women and children
were thrown down, and to stumble and
fall meant death or serious injury, for no
power could check the crowd, many Of
whom were in a condition of panic. The
authorities were helpless. Many persons
were killed by being crushed against the
barriers before they gave way, and great
number met their death by being trampled
upon. The cries and shrieks of the injured
could be heard above the tumult of the
crowd, and the effect was heartrending.
The Car gave orders that everything
should be done to alleviate the sufferngs
of the injured. The calamity was not due
to any lack of precaution, but arose entire
Joy the hospitality Of the Car. The Car
took most practical way of showing his
sympathy with those families who lost a
member in the calamity by ordering that
the sum of 1000 rubles be paid to each be-
reaved family.