The Warwickshire Herald. — 1890-06-05 (Birmingham, West Midlands, England)

THE TERRIBLE PANIC AT A BALL. A New York correspondent furnishes the following additional particulars of the fire which took place at the exhibition of industries at Fort Worth, Texas, which resulted in the loss of several lives. In the evening, it appears, • grand ball was given in honour of the occasion, at which were present a large number of notabilities from Texas and other States. among whom was Mr. Russell Harrison. the son of the President of the United States. The ball-room, a huge apartment, forming part of a two-storied building, known as the Spring Palace, and used as an exhibition building, was beautifully decorated with flags, festoons, and dried grasses. During one of the dances, when scores of gaily-dressed couples were whirling around the room, the draught blew one of the lights against a flag which at once flared up like muslin. Before the accident had been noticed the flames had caught the dried grasses and other of the inflanunahie decoration., and had spread several yards. The first intimation which the merry company had of danger was the shrieks of a frightened woman, and the alarm thus painfully given quickly degenerated into panic. A wild unreasoning rush was made to the door, end the exits were soon blocked. infuriated, maddened men and women fought for pre. cedence,and the weakest went to the ground. Mean. while the flames had obtained complete mastery of the building, and for a while it seemed as though many lives must be lout. From the lower windows scores of men and women jumped, at the imminent peril of their lives, but, strangely, escaped with comparatively trifling injuries. '1 wenty thousand people were in the exhibition grounds at the moment of the outbreak, and from these rescue parties were easily recruited. The blocked Passages were finally cleared before the flames had reached them, and nearly all were safely brought out. Many had to be carried, having been injured in the panic rush. Some women had fainted, and did not recover consciousness until they had been medically attended to. Surgeons who had been summoned to the scene were kept busily at work for hours, for some 40 or 50 nice and women had fractured arms or legs. Mr. Hamer, chief engineer of Fort Worth and Denver Railway, wane. dreadfully injured that he died in the grounds. Mr. Crime and Mr. Everts, the well-known citizen of New Orleans' were seriously injured. The building was gutted, and the money damage alone will amount to 250,000d01. or more.  Arthur S. Mitrany, said to be the eon of a wealthy Roumanian nobleman, arrived at Montreal last autumn. He said he had quarrelled with his people. Ile disappeared on March 10th, and on Saturday his body was found floating in the river, near Point Dens Trembles. A coroner's jury has returned verdict of found drowned.  On Sunday 3lrs. Schulz, a poor widow, residing in the Zimmer Strisase, Berlin, was saked by bet daughter, a girl of 16, for a small sum of money, as she wan desirous of going to • dancing-hall. Mrs. Schulz refused, as she did not with him daughter to frequent such places. This so enraged the girl that she took up a hatchet and crushed her mother's skull. The youthful murderess is mid to shew no signs of contrition. Messrs. Swan Sonnenschein and Co. announce • new edition of "Samuel Pepys's Diary," in four volumes. The text selected is the 1848 (third) edition by Lord Braybrooke, the whole of whose notes and biortrephy will be revised and included in this edition. The first two volumes will be ready altooet immediately.  Mr. Alexander Gardner publishes a new edition of Miss Sophie F. F. Veitch's exciting tale, "The Dean's Daughter." Although some time boa elapsed since its int appearance, it compares favourably with more recent stories of the row ciao; both so regards its cherubs/* olgobsbot wad MN Minim develossed of ill al  AM*  ":'" J'V.  L....