CHILDREN CRUSHED TO DEATH.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 134, 29 February 1908, Page 11

CHILDREN CRUSHED TO DEATH.

1 DISASTER AT AN ENTERTAINMENT. ' ' INFANTS SUFFOCATED. Eight'littlo boys and eight little, girls, of ages from four, to : nine, ; w?rq .crushedto death at the foot of, a. staircaso ln .tjio Hai> vey HaU/ Barnsloy, on Saturday, afternoon, January 11. ■ ' ■■"Hundreds'of .children wero being: admitted for a. ponny each to tho gallery to se'o a variety. entertainment'with' moving, pictures. \Vhon, tho gallery was fu11,..-others at tho top of-the stairs, which liavo foui .turns, - woro sont back to go-to-other..parts,of tho /hall.- , In'their eagerness the little ones crowded down wliilo others , wero still -ascending, and somoy '-. at,-: the-, oorner >of tho • steps.' ■ Others abovo fell upon the fallori.'arid in a' few seconds there-- was a J:an- . gled'he'ap of.'infants.- All tho sixteen uead ; wp>V suffocated, and .several, others' were in- - jured. ■ i ■r There-'was no panic,- to.,'caiiss ...tho. tragedyIt seems to have been- duev-simply to the t children.being too tiny;.to,keep _their feet on■tho/stairs when they-'jvero pushwl ;irom,,behind... . ■: Tho'Mayor of Barnsley. (Mr. iJohn S. Rose), . recoived the following- messagovof sympathy, from .tho King, • dated,, from: Buckingham ■ Palace if- . I am commanded by the King to say how .. he'is horrified' ; at!reading in to-day's news-: ... papers the; account of. (lie terrible accident; which occurred at Barnsley yesterday. ■■[.-:■ . His Majesty ~wishes;"to express through. you : his warmest;sj ; mpathy to-_ tho unfortuaato ..parents of the poor. children, and r . he is ( amous to hear ot: the. condition of tho injured. . - T KNOLLYO Tho Mayor also received s the following telegram from tho Prince .and Princess of [ Wales at Sandririgham': ■-'> -; > , - Tho Princo and -Princess, of "Wales wish' . [to 'express their .sorrow '.'at tho terrible • disast,er',,in wliich ~many , children lost 'their, ' lives- yesterday at Barnsley,. and ask you ' 'to/convey: to .the; parerits[;tWeir deop.-sym.-/ '•'pathy.'. They hopo- thaf tho injured aro progressing satisfactorily. • [ /'y :[' f■., v- : CHARLES OUST, Equerry. : CAUSE OF CATASTROPHE. - .Throughout 'the weekVa; Variety entertain-, meat, - with "animated- pictures, 'had* beeh given . ;a£ ■ tho.Harvey, Institute, Hall,-, used: fqr.'pub-.' ' lifi'."purposes:;' - - taiament:. wero .'Messrs.; 'Afroy -;;. : a'nd lEaino, the provinces .with a. programmo at- ,.' tractive, to Jshildfen'' ( as' "well as ;aaults.-. •As ' : it was known that";," children -. 'would be , 4d-; \ mittbd;■;to' ,the/ gallery;,:oil'-: Saturday: afternoon; . . -foi : .'a .penny,-'scores- ofj little 1 /' ones; were wait-i - ing long before .; vi'o get-to the;gallery entrance ono-has>to proocod through a : .passage to ,a yard. Hero ... is'-a;;dopr,; then, como a few steps and, aftej- several bends in tho; corridor,' a. long-flight of. steps; 1 . leading .-upwards;. >-AiAthe-top,()f,itliese'-steiß' - is : a-' landirig,, then;it' right' angles,'a:, shorter 'fight, .leading to-.tho gallery ilevel,,, ;:■ -At -t-he,..t6p of'.theso final', steps [stood;-Mr.,. . Rainc, - taking' money.. - At' in; ..the yard was a. young- man, Mr. ■ Gray,-'iregulatihg ' tbo entrance, ofrtho^'children.'Neither ; could see ihe long midway flight,of steps. .;/ .', v - By fivq: minutes to; tv,'o ; about, ,_two '.hundred > children wero iri tlio yard, pennies, in, hands;; laughing .and chattering, 'anxiously,[waiting for,, admittance. ..v Littlo girls shepherded .'two , or"throo' tiny brothers.!,and - sisters; boys of " sixdooked 'after- brothers- [aged- four. .-All 1 wero ,at •' tho 'highest 'pitch of'happy expect ; anoy."' -At two '. minutes to-.two the 'doors oponed, Mr., Gray admitted tho. littlo one-s in 'batches of ,'twelvo,; and [ sixteen, upstairs Mr. Raino. took their money, and they passed into -tho ga'ilerv. .■.;.-. ;,[. , , .The. gallery is 'estimated;, to. accommodate 400'. to 500 adults, ,:but. a. considerably; larger. . .number of children. Mr. Rame had taken

£1 .-16s. 1d.—433 pennies—when ho. decided that,-though the gallery was not. crowded,, it-was comfortably fxillj'; and ho •stopped- more children from ! entering; ; ■ He, -told;,them 'they oonld'get-into oSh'eriparts' of t^oihall'ifor. a' penny..;• -H'.: '•■■v''

HUDDLED. MASS.*' • Some of: tho litt-lo ones began to. retrace their steps. ! downstairs;others ;ieniain«d- ; at tho' topi dn 'Jho long .'miclway flight of:stairs Us; not iiknownf It is certain:-that: it was - crowded with -little 1 ones,-all' trying to get down, those higher iip pressing on those- beneath; v >.Their: ago; made it' impossible' (x>:maintam .' the'; steadiness ■of older ,people.,' 'Tottering ; on; tho'edge of tho ' steps,-.th&'se hearthe^landing'were,apparently. forced. olf their balance.'- They :fell. .Their. •fall(-lqft/m(;hbnK:'supfbrt^|h^e'-'-.l)ehind # '-%lio; tonpled- forward./ 'lii. a- few- saconds, a. huddled mass,"of :children Jay,at 'the foot of,;the staircase/.' .It formed'a' pack<^ : mass ;tho.;widtbl of''thd': ,cbrrid6r>' and «omofour:feet'dc-Gp..,-,Tlie.stairs-abovo'.wero thick-:,with:oncpmingjchildreh.' Oho, ".or,, two whohad'.reachedthe"^landing,before'' the collapse-'' hurried; to vMr. Gray at tho' door,' and ho \veutin',to see what .'was the. matter.'

•'Round tho bend in tho. corridor. at' tho foot of the long.stairs he found the tangled heap of children.. _ Two. or three little girls danced hysterically iiv front of it, 'and implored him - to help their ..brothers,.:.and sisters.-.. 'From the. heap, of little, humanity, camo soft moans; and now.-and ; again :''a tiny.-; arm' was thrust' up:: from tho mass. in a mute, appeal fori help. • Abovo. ,thom was the .'stairway full of , children,', threatening' cvery '.mcment to' add ' disaster to disaster.. '•"

. .For ono- excited .moment Mr.. Gray, a quick-witted yoiing man, tried to disentanglo eonio of the children. Ho . could riot. Ho rushed::.to ;,tho 'yard,' procured . the assistance, of some men, arid after returning.with them determined to avert further catastrophe from tho .children above. . lio rushed out,.-mado for-., tho balcony entrance, climbed over tho' balcony to tho gallery, and aft«r.;telling Mr. Piaine what; had 'occurred-' filing - open tho doors and childron,;in.:, About a hundred-childroii; reaching '■; down tho stairs he; guided into an empty corridor, and kept there. : . . •

: : MOTHERS MAD WITH TERROR. , ; . Meanwhile, there wore frantic scenes downr Stairs. . ■ Men were at'last managing to disentangle tho pile. Dead children, with discoloured. faces were carried out to the.open air. ". : Straw torn from crates in tho yard was . scattered ;on the ground,'and on tlio straw the bodies .were'laid. Mothers mail with'anxious torrdr were already, there. .Some n'ero.' tearless,; but their lips and hands treicbled as. each; body was brought forth; Others; wero. screaming hysterically. But,, in spite'of devoted ■ efforts, • sixteen' little.. children' wero' found lifeless. ■ There were indications that every pno had been . suffocated.' Of thoso.who escaped with.their lives, many wero injured by shock.