THE SUNDERLAND DISASTER.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume IV, Issue 982, 29 June 1883, Page 4

THE SUNDERLAND DISASTER.

The Age has cablegrams giving addir tional intoOTatipn. concerning the teij rible Theatre | —Protessor Fay, the conjurer, was giving a matinee performance in thd Victoria Hall, in order to allow children to witness the "entertainment, The place was well filled, over 2,000 perl sons, chiefly young people, being prel sent. Immediately after the conclusion of the just as thej audience were preparing to leave the room, an alarm of fire was given. A terrible scene followed. The terror! struck children made a frantic rush tcj escape, and a fearful struggle for life somd considerable time; and, when it was allayed, 180 dead bodies of children tfgBSS totter inithepsts| sages. The cause of the calamity, so; far as can be ascertained at present, was gross negligence2)p! of the per-; sons in charge 6f* the hall, as the doors were only partially open, and fixed in that position, by a block .of-wood. I Later MfdrmhWsliWwOhat at the conclusion of the entertainment a dis-j tribution* of gifts was,Jto be effected,* the children ihe presents as they filed through the doorway at the foot.gff ii or M purpose of facilitating the distribution, 1 and preventing too great a rush on the partpfihe chijd[«i, tbMoorjrap.pnly; pmtuiirp opened so as to admit of the. exit of one child at a time.' The young] people being eager to .obtain their pre-] sents, rushed ; hei!dldiig' down the stairs; leading to. the door at the bottom. Ini the rush many of them were thrown! down, and thus a panic was created, ■’ which was considerably augmented byj the block occasioned at the doorway.; A large number were precipitated- over] the balustrade,beneath, and] were instantaneously killed, while;

'several were trampled to death by their has cast a gloom over; the community and a feeling of marked sympathy with] As soon as 1 tne news became kaown, people rushed to the spot from all parts of the surrounding.^neighborhood, and! the crowd at length assumed such pro- ■ portions as to render the work of removing the dead bodies .impossible. despatched to the scene to keep back the throng.