Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-27
BATTERY HORSES STAMPEDE
EXCITING INCIDENT IN THE
LIFE OF A BRITISH CAMP.
Hundreds of Animals Gallop Madly
Through Darkness and Storm.
All But Three Captured.

Special Cablegram to The Star.
LONDON, August 27.-The officers and
men Of the London Territorial Field Bat
teries have had a comparatively rare in
cident added to their experience. and one
which all soldiers would willingly forego.
During the night. in inky darkness and
amid a binding storm of wind and rain,
the horses picketed in the lines broke
loose and stampeded like mad things
through the camp and over the surround
ing country. No experience that mounted
troops can encounter is more calculated
to create utter confusion and disnlay than
a stampede of horses, and it says some
thing for the London field gunners, raw
and untried as they are. that before day
broke all but three Of the hundreds OF
animals which had broken away In the
darkness and storm had been recaptured
This is a feat of which regular troops
might feel proud, and it reflects the very
highest possible credit on the officers and
men of the London batteries.
About 8 o'clock rain began to fall very
heavily and INCREASED to an almost trOpi-
cal downpour which flooded the marquee
in which the officers were dining. The Of
ficers sought shelter in the adjoining Roy
al Artillery and Royal Engineers mess
building but had little more than gained
this cover when the alarm sounded. The
first intimation of the affair was given by
bandsman who had been playing at the
officers mess. He was running across
the cricket pitch behind the infantry huts
to get back to the artillery lines when he
narrowly escaped being trOdden to death
by a mob Of maddened horses tearing
through the rain and darkness at full
gallOp.
Realizing what had happened. he sound
ed the alarm on the euphOnium he was
carrying A few seconds afterward every
trumpeter in the camp was outside MS
tent and the warning call was sounding
in every direction. The men turned out
in any clothing upon which they could
lay hands and assembled ON the brigade
paradeS
Many Miraculous Escapes.
The officers, i'm mess. kit evening
dress. rushed out into the storm. mostly
without waiting for cioaks or hats. and
in brief space the full extent Of the dig
aster was realized. The scene was dis
maying. The night was pitch dark, and
through the blackness and rain hundreds
of frightened horses were galloping mad
ly their hoofs beating on the hard ground
making a noise like thunder In the horse
lines animals not already broken loose
were neighing and rearing and straining
lous and hairbreadth escapes of being
trodden underfoot by the Infatuated ami
mails as officers and men raced through
the storm to their places.
All that could be seen were fleeing
shadows which passed with a terrific
thunder of roofs, and it is remarkable
that only three slight accidents were re-
ported by the medical steff. Many horses
were caught in few minutes by officers
and men as they crossed the open space
by the horse lines, but the greatest feat
vas accomplished by the 10th Battery of
the 9th Brigade, assisted by Maj. Bartlett
and a few men of the Sd Brigade.
The 10th Battery was holding smoking
concert in a building on the edge Of the
common where the camp is pitched. Hear