The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-05-31

MOSCOW, May 30.-A terrible panic
resulting from the great crush of peo-
pie at the popular feast here today, in
honor of the coronation of the car,
caused trampling to death of many
people, including women delivered of
child during the excitement. In antici-
patton Of great holiday and popular
banquet On Hodyuski plain, tens of
thousands Of people began trooping
toward Petrovski palace, in front of
which the plain is situated, this morn
ing. In facl. thousands reached the
grounds last evening and camped
there or in the immediate vicinity, in
order to make sure of obtaining good
positions today.
On the plain long lines of rough ia
bles, fanked by rougher benches, had
been erected. 1t was first arranged to
accommodate 100000, but in view of
the immense crowds assembled in and
about at the coronation fetes, extra
tables and benches were erected and
every effort made to provide meals
for 100000.
To FEED THE MULTITUDE
army cooks and walters were gathered
together army bake-houses were taxed.
TO the utmost; 100000 mugs, each bear
ing the portrait Of the car and car
ina, We're ordered for presentation to
the people taking part in the banquet.
Thousands of cattle, trainloads of
provisions, and shiploads of liquid re-
freshments were sent to the plain, and
this morning all was in readiness for.
the gigantic event.
In anficin2 riOn of the aSSnmh1ino
crowd. and the possibility of disor-
der strong forces of police were de-
tailed for duty on the three miles out
side the city on the road to st. Peters
burg. Several detachments of infant
~ and cavalry were stationed in the
vicinity te support the police, should
such a step be necessary.
By dawn the mass of people around
the plain was enormous and all were
desperately hungry, some having fast
ed for nearly twenty-four hours. The
police did everything possible to keep
back the crowd but suddenly the
masses pressed forward and swept
everything before them, overturning
the tables and benches, trampling hun
dredS underfoot, and crushing the life
out of a great number The exact
number of people killed could not be
ascertained. The police and military
eventually succeeded in restoring or
Otl dl4Q lAJJh away lDc QcdQ anu III
jured. Preparations were made to
proceed with the banquet as if nothing
unus al had happened.
AMONG THE DEAD FOUND
on Kohdfnsko plain were ladies evil
IDENTIFY Of high rank, dressed in the fin
est silk and adorned with the richest
jewels. The police barracks to which
the bodies of the dead were taken by
1a 81 hfo1.i
sons beseeching for news of friends
and relatives. The scenes at the bar
racks are terrible in the extreme The
remains of the dead VIII be conveyed
to the cemetery, where a large morgue
is located.
The disaster. as now explained, was
due mainly to the absence of the DO
lice. who had not arrived at so early an
hour. Fully 100000 persons o0 all grades
of society had gathered together on the
plain at the time the disaster occurred.
Only about a thousand attendants were
IN charge, and they seemed TO be I'M
able to control the mob Hoping to
lessen the pressure of THE assembled
hundreds of thousands, all moving to-
ward common center they tossed the
packages and presents into the midst
of the crowd. This seemingly
PRECIPITATED THE PANIC.
since a scramble to obtain line gifts en-
suea and the hollow place of ground
near the center formed a death trap
Tor thousands. The buildings on all
sides of the plain, where, by me way,
Napoleon once concentrated his troops
before moving upon this city, are in
many cases being used as temporary
hospitals, and the soldiers have been
the dead. Further time must elapse
before accurate figures as TO the num-
Ger actually killed and the number of
persons who are victims OF the disas-
ter, but who are only suffering frcm
injuries is ascertained. But there is no
doubt that the official estimate of 1000
victims cannot be far from right.
This may be said to have put an end
to all coronation festivities. certainly
SO far as the general public is con-
cerned. The disaster occurred between
and 6 o'clock this morning 1t was
intended the banquet should COM
mence before noon, but the immense
throng which had gathered became so
dense that the attendants were over
powered and thrown 10 the ground in
THE MAD STRUGGLES
which commenced for food and the
gifts, ana many OF these attendants /
are among the dead. The police maze |
desperate efforts to control the peo-
pie, but all their attempts proved fu-
tile, and men, women and children
were trampled upon by hundreds, the /
shrieks and groans Of the victims be-
ing heard from afar.
For q tins 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 yelling as they pressed
onward over g path strewn with dead
ina dying human beings. Eventually,
sowever, some show of order was re-
Hored by the troops and firenen were