Year: 1873

NOTORIOUS IMPRESSIONS OF THE sCENE-CRUsHED


THROUGH A MARROW PAss-DESCRIPTIoN OF a


BARBARoUs MOB.


fFROM AN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBUNEl


LONDON, March 29.-"See the Varsity Race
and then die - would be exclamation (after having
i) to unnitiated friend. have been TO see it
democratically-in the crush and crowd Of metropolitan
humanity in all its brutality for of its most ex
citing holidays / shall take my advice and die
without seeing another. almost wonder that have
lived 20 see the finish Of this With my ribs aching and
my head thrObbng from the joint ardOr Of the sight
seers and the Spring sum- sit down to record my ex-
peIience while the nOdOrOus impressions still fresh.


With the start announced for "pas two l supposed
in my inexperence that train at wOVd not be too
late and made one of dense of expectans at the
station and with desperate rush into OF the COM
partments already full succeeded in getting out of the
local fTyng-pan into the locomotive fire. As one of
nearly 20 in carriage made 10 carry TO- considered
myself Fortunate for my unsuccessful competitors were
enough fill the whole train. The high roads had been
thronged since the forenoon, 1t seemed our train
passed the motley masses-carriages, carts, cabs,
every sort of thing on wheels, and every
kind Of creature on legs-as London
were vodng itself up the valley of the Thames Horns
were blowing and boys and men yelling, whoopng,
chafng-the parties firing up their enthusiasm with
beer aud simpler forms Of spirits they went along
The lower the rabbe the deeper the enthusiasm The
whole animate world seemed unanimous in one manifest
destination. Every road leading up the river was
crowded every side path and way brought more men,
and all were moro or less in a state Of hilarity.
Certainly no stupendOus or eloquent
tribute 70 the embodied intellect Of the
United Kingdoms was ever before made, and almost
forgot that not one OF the directly interested
Light blue and dark blue easily cOnfOunded, and
had right to opinion that the immense number Of
neutral blue ribbons a symptom OF the indecsion
of the prophets for railway carriage, in the
stations passed, there more blue ribbon ends,
that could either side the event pointed than
ever saw before. judged too by the conversation
and cha that the public felt than usually doubtful
Of the result, and that made it all the more exciting


left the cars at Mortlake, did all who had come
far and was swallowed up iD a dense moving mass OF
humanity drifting toward The Ship" where the race
finishes. village street leads down TO the
water side from the village green past which the current
OF men and women flowed; and as entered this the
first symptom Of a crush began to be The wounded
were going the rear women were flushed, persprng,
and painting ribbons disordered hats misplaced,
dresses dlapdated. Men reluctantly gave the women
convoy and looked longngiy back TO the narrow pass
which their only road TO the sight they had paid
their fares and day to But 90 they must woman
seemed TO to try 1t again. Being alone and spare Of
build, pushed on undsmayed, and determined not TO
give up the ship.


A hundred yards from the gravelly beach which
marks high water the press grew ominOus-a few yards
further began TO hear the means OF women and the
shrieks OF children The swetering the crowd
steaming and was conscious OF a hitherto unknown
force acting me-that Of a crowd that has but one
mind and in which individual eIertiOn idle. 1t was


soil of human glaciers In which lbeing foreign sub
stance) imbedded and pushed along The way grew
narrower and the immense behind left alterna
tive but to drift. Women groaned and the children
grew frantc-ther voices seemed under foot i began
10 feel the mechanical force painful my ribs were com
pressed by pressure against which had hardly strength
10 respire; my feet were walking ground and
poor woman in front begged, gasping, for mercy
she was helpless baby What became of the chill
dren don't kuow-I hope for the best, but no
there could more his breath and be pushed
along by the glacier behind IL is two hours since that
press closed me, and ache still. To make worse,
some people had come on horseback, and taken their
places the edge OF the towingpath and the pedes-
trians crowded against the horses grew pancstrcken
al every movement OF the horses the whole passage
was an inferno Of fright and pain II all rose
te wells Of the hard-sheed roughs full OF beer and
brutality.


Well, We did get through 10 find ourselves n
strip Of beach, with line OF horses and carriages the
side furthest frO the water, and packed the waters
edge with people. The tide rising fast and the
crowd surged driven sometimes into the water
and then Teceded few feet again until in this strait
tween tie floods threw myself In sheer desperation
INTO boat and told the boatnan 10 take newhefe
He deposited me with half the thltber
bank Of the Thames 10 the mud-for stan1In- place N
which we paid the owner OF the land ono shilling each.
But we had room and air and got my breath back again,
and looked up and down % the most marvellous
o. buflany which probably human eye has looked On
siaoe XesXos reviewed his grand army. A ir as Tie
eye colld reach ia either direction the otbe" bank OF The