TKAGEDY AT A BULL-FIGHT.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1829, 30 April 1888, Page 3

TKAGEDY AT A BULL-FIGHT.

A TERRIBLE AFFAIR. [Per R.M.S. Mariposa ] San Francisco, Aprij 8. A epecial message from tho city of Mexico gives tho following advices lrom Celaya : — On Sunday afternoon about 4.50 o'clock the bull ring of Colaya was crowded with spectators. The company of bull-fighters from Leon were playing wi'.h tho firat bull, whon a fire suddenly broke out on tho aide of the amphitheatre A panic seized the assemblage, and a frightful catußfropho was the result, The amphithoutro was constructed of wooden mantß, reeds, etc., and it was duo to this fact that the mnjority oscapod without injury, they being able to force an opening to permit an exit at different points, but many women and ohildron jumped fron^ the top, h distance of 200 to 30Qft, and over 100 persons were seriously injured, and eighteen lives wore lost. The inside of tho auiphitheatro being lined with matting as dry us tinder, and there being a slight wind blowing, tho araphithoat.ro was m a blaze m a few seconds. Nine bodies, m some cases bo charred as to bo almost unrecognisable, wore taken from tho luins. JNino peraons were so badly burned that they died m a fow hours. Sixty-eight persona wero tadly burned, and ut least ton of them will die thia wook. • Fifty persons m escaping woro knocked down and trampled upon by tho panicstticken throng, and are voiy seriously but not fata'ly injured, Tho bulls maddened by tho, roaring flames, broke loose from tli lr stalls, aad r'uahod wild'y through tho surging mosses of humanity, tossing aloft and knocking over all who stood m their way Among the eighteen dead Wore two women who woro gored to death by the built*, and fchqr bodies afterwards turned,. Tho fcconos m tho neighborhood of t na b.ujl rjng worq sickening 'beyond d b'epiptian. Womon and chlldran. divoalcd of th< ir oluthing, and crawod with suffering from their burns, ran aimloß.Vy through tho streets, and could ncarcoly bo overtaken or collected by frioods, S;veral porsona lost their roaaon from tho sovcro mental shook to which they wor.> fc'ubi ctpd. Th,o fire was In ('el ya gaol wore numbera of prisoners an«l army desortors, who had obtained permission from the authorities to attend tho bullfight. They woro accompanied by a strong guard oi Holdiera to prevent their oscupo, but one of tho d/'floytorb ttUiToptitiounly atruck a matoh'and lightod'ono of tho dry palm iriats In ! an infant tho soli, or sunny eido of tho r'ng was abl>sso.' ' In tho confußion and oxci^mont yho piie,o,nora suooep'cled making goocl th.oir oecapo. Tljo Best socioty m Co'aya. was m attendance, and an it v/uh Kastor Sunday, tho roturn of tho Boaaou of goioty after Lon^, thoro was an unusual number of ladios and little children present, and ihoso woro the sufferers. Np ; mau loHt his lifo 1 ; tho helpieoa little bnids ahd tlioir moth'erp, who qo't de'eoit thoiroffripring, wera tho riqtims of the appalling oataetropho. Colaya ie m mourning, and on every side iri hoard tho sound of wailing for lovod ones dead, dying or suflioring It io the fiiaddoijt tragedy that hao occurred m tho {lireb centurioß 6f city's liistory.