The Central Glamorgan Gazette, and General, Commercial, and Agricultural Advertiser. — 1876-11-24 (Bridgend, Mid Glamorgan, Wales)

GREAT LOSS OF LIFE.  NEW YORK, FOY. 19.—The floor of a crowded theatre at Sacramento, California, fell in last night. Seven persons were killed, and 100 injured, many fatally.  The latest American mail brings particulars of the panic in a Chinese theatre in San Francisco and the loss of 19 lives. On the night of the 30th October a benefit performance was being given at the Royal China Theatre, Jackson street. The house was crowded, over 3000 Chinamen and women being computed to be present. Only two or three while men attended. About twelve o'clock some matting in the gallery caught fire from the sparks of a cigar, and an alarm was given that the theatre was on fire. The utmost confusion prevailed, and a panto ensued. Some 25 or 30 men from the lower part of the house reached the door first, but they were almost simultaneously overwhelmed by the frightened crowd surging down from the gallery. The doors, which were six feet wide, were closed; but a resistless torrent of humanity poured dawn the stairway, which gave way under the pressure. The massive door at the same time fell in, crushing several. The noise and shrieks of the persons below increased the alarm of those within, and the frightened Celestials rushed like madmen to the entrance, trampling and crushing everybody in their way. Fortenntely the actors upon the stage, ignorant of the cause of the panic, continued their performance, and this had the effect of staying many of the audience who otherwise would have joined in the flight. The passage of the dense crowds through the entrance and the shrieks of the crushed and dying attracted the attention ri the police, who haying obtained tsssistance stopped the panic-stricken crowd. This was accomplished by the free use of the baton on the Celestials' heads. The remainder inside, realising that the danger in the theatre had disappeared (the burning bad been put out without difficulty by one man), fell back and checked their frantic companions, when safety was reassured. Nineteen bodies were taken from beneath the door and broken stairway, and several were found seriously injured. Death in many instances resulted from suffocation, but several of the bodies have marks of violence and and were bleeding when found. The news of the accident spread, and a crowd of over 1000 Chinese, men and women, thronged to the scene, and the entire length of Jackson street was lined with halfnude Celestials, whose lamentations mingled with the agonising 61riebi of the dying rendered the horrors of the night sickening and appalling beyond description.  Charles Baker, a labourer, of Coker. Somerset, was nituanded on Saturday on a charge of murdering Police-constable Cox in a poaching affray on the llith instant.  Tke ninth anniversary of the execution of Allen, Larkin, and O'Brien. the three Fenian. hanged at Manchester for murdering the constable, was celebrated in Dublin on Sunday. About 1000 men, headed by national bands, marchec round the monument in Gla•-nevin Oemetrry. The Keighley Guardians arrived home on Sa'urdav afternoon, and were received by a large number of people at the railway station, preceded by bands. and followed by a crowd of sympathisers. The guardians paraded the principal streets of (be town. An open air meeting was after • wards held, but only a comparatively few people attended, the rain h tying fallen incessantly from the time the guardians arrived. Resolutions were passed condemning the ac ion of the magistrates in inflicting the full penalty on parents objecting to vaccination, and thanking the guardians for the stand they had made. _ .  SO I! FMG DIAAISTER AND Loss OF Lit-S.—The Brigantine Wanton's, of Buffalo, hem Quebec for Glasgow, with den',, put into Queenstown on tilintlay and report that hi latitude :50 north, longitude 14 west, on Novembrr It;, she fell in with a Plytnouth schooner bound from Newfoundland to Grimsby, with only two men on h ard, neither of whom could navigate the vestel. Thee men +Wed that a month previously, in a heavy tale, the master, the mate, and some seamen were washed over,oera, and since then the schooner had been driven into the Atlantic. The capta'n of the Wahconin, h two of his crew, toot charge of th^ schooner for the purpose of taking her to Queenstown. _ _ _  Tun Poice Or GAS je