Omaha daily bee., 1896-05-31
PANIC AT A BANQUET
Terrible Calamity Attends the Coronation
Festivities at Moscow.
THOUSANDS ARE TRAMPLED TO DEATH
Preparations Were Made to Feed a Full
Half-Million People.
TRAINloADs OF ~PRoyENDER on the PLAIN
Gigantic SUPPLIES We're Far from Being
Sufficient for the Demand.
STARVED PEASANTS SCRAMBLE FOR FOOD
Men, Women and Children Crushed
Under the Enormous Mass OF
HunEry Humanity-French
Ball Postponed.
Gigantic SUPPLIES We're Far from Beinl
Sufficient for the Demand.
STARVED PEASANTS SCRAMBLE FOR FOO

sultlng from the great crush OF people at
the popu ar feast here today, in honor of the
coronation of the czar, caused the trampling
to death Of many people.
In anticipation of the grand hoidsy and
popular banquet on the Khodynsky plain tens
Of thousands Of people began t%rooping toward
the Petrovsky palace, in front Of which the
plain is situated. during the earliest hours
this morning. In fact, so much interest was
taken in the open air banquet that thous snds
reached the grounds las; evening and c-mped
there or in the immediate vicinity during the
night in order to make sure Of obtaining
good positions today. The majority Of these
people came on foot, but some came in the
oldest kinds Of vehicles. country carts and
turnouts of the most primitive descriptions,
and others travelled on horseback.
On the Khodynsky or Khodijinskoje plain
long lines of rough tables fanked by rougher
benches had been erected. These lines Of
tables looked like immovabe regiments Of
soldiers on the trenches Of some extensive
series Of fertilization. 1t was at first ar
ranged TO accommodate 400, 600 people, but in
view OF the immense crowds in
and about the city al the coronation fete
extra tables and benches were hastily erected
and every effort was made to provide seating
room and a hearty meal fer 400, 600 people.
Twice that number was DESTROYS Of taking
part in the feast, but the authorities de-
cided that there must be a limit to the num-
Der, and the figure was fixed at 500, 900.
Tt feed this multitude an army Of cooks
and walters was gathered together, the army
bake houses were taxed to their utmost ca
pacity and SOC, 600 mugs. each bearing the
portrait of the car and %czarina, were or
dered for presentation TO the people taking
part in the great banquet Thousands Of
cattle, trsinloads of provisions and wagon
loads of liquid refreshments were sent TO the
pisins during the week, ana this morning a /
was in rea dimes for the gigantic meal.
In anticipation Of the assembling of an i'm
mense crowd and the possibility OF disorder
strong forces of police were detailed for duty
on the plain, which is some three miles
outside Of this city, and on the road to st.
Petersburg. In addition several d~etachments
of infantry and cavalry were stationed in
the vicinity in order to support the police
should such step be necessary.
DESPERATE SCRAMBLE FOR FOOD.
By dawn today the mass of peasants about
the tables was really enormous and they were
ali desperately hungry, some Of them having
tasted, by choice of necessity, for nearly
twenty-four hours. The police did every
thing possible TO keep back the crowd, but
suddenly the masses, controlled by some in
applicable impulse or impatient 10 get at the
food. pressed forward, swept everything be-
fore them and overturned tables and benches
as If made Of grass, trampling hundreds un-
derfoot and crushing the LIE out Of a great
number of people, the oldest, weak natu-
rally, suffering the most, and one poor woman
who gave birth to a child during the excite
ment was trampled to death. The fate Of
the infant is not definitely known. but it is
believed to have shared the fate Of its
mother.
Among the dead found on Khodynsky
plain were ladies' evidently of high rank,
dressed in the finest silk and adorned with
the richest jewels, The police barracks, TO
which the bodies Of the dead were taken by
the authorities, are besieged with persons
beseeching for news Of friends and rela-
tives. The scenes at the barracks, where the
process of Identification is going on, is ter
rible in the extreme. The remains Of the
dead will al be conveyed during the night
to a cemetery, where a large morgue is
located.
The disaster, it is now explained, was due
I4a4hly - III dDStuIt u lnt pDllGts II uhu
not arrived at 50 early an hour In the morn
ing at the scene where the festivities were
to take place. Hundreds of
thousands Of persons of all grades Of So
ciety had gathered together on the plain
at the time the disaster occurred. Only
about 1000 attendants were in charge, and
they seemed to be unable TO control the mob.
to essen the pressure Of the assem-
hundreds of thousands, all moving to-
ward a common center, they tossed the
packages Of presents into the midst Of the
crowd. This seemingly precipitated the
panic, since a scramble 10 obtain the gifts
ensued, and the hollow piece OF ground near
the center formed q death trap for thousands.
The bui' dingc On all sides Of the plain,
where, by the way, Napoleon once con-
his troops before moving upon the
city, are in many cases being used as tenn
porary hospitals, and the soldiers have been
rendering great services in removing the
dead. Further time must elapse before ac-
curste figures as 10 the number actually
killed and the number Of perDons who are
of the disaster, but who are only
suffering from ~insuries, is ascertained.
CROWDS COULD NOT WAIT.
This may be said to have put an end 10
all coronation festivities, so far as the gen
sral public is concerned. The disaster oc-
CURED between 8 and 6 o'clock this morning.
II was intended the banquet should com
melee before noon. but the immense throng
had gathered around the sheds where
the mugs were 10 be presented and the
food distributed became so dense that the
attendants were o~verpowered and thrown 70
the ground in the mad struggles which
On meneed for food and the gifts, many Of
these attendants being numbered among the
dead. The police made desperate efforts 10
control the people, but all their attempts
proved futile, and men, women and children
we're trampled upon by hundreds, the
shr.eks and groans Of the victims being
heard from afar. For a time the officials
n charge Of the banquet lost their heads
entirely. The erowd seemed 10 have gone