HORRORS OF PANIC.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 318, 3 June 1911, Page 9

HORRORS OF PANIC.

TKRRIJU.F. SOEXES AT A PICTURE PALACE. London. Anvil 7. Tin- horror of mi undisciplined crowd in a statf of panic was shown at tlie inoncsl, at Middlesborough on .Margaret McK.lliL'ot. JiirciJ lifteen rear-, and Louisa Manning. n.L'ed four years, who were two victims of Hie panic at the liippodronto Picture Palace Middlc-borou".!). on March -17. (Lief Constable Richie stated tliat. on examining the electric fan round which the Maine occurred lie found one wire was hanging loose, and that, the fan was stuck and would not revolve, lie was (old th-i' :if seven o'clock the fuse of the motor fan blew out. Chapman, an employee, told him he forgot to clean the fin the previous Friday, and said the fuse had blown out several limes. The exits, he said, were extremely good, hut in this ease the llaine occurred at th(! back, and they (ill rushed to one exit at the front, flic fact that most of those nsiiie (be nailery wen- children and yoiiML- per-ons heightened the dini-

Alfr.d llullork. who was in the gallery at tin- time. <aid that at. eight o'clock several voices shouted "Fire!" He saw a few sparks near the fan. There were just three or four (lashes, but the audience cunie running down the gangway. People lost their heads. One woman fell iiliout two seats from the bottom, and others fell on top. There were about two dozen women and children on the floor near the exit, but still people rushed on from behind. "Did you see any trampled onV" the coroner asked. "F saw two young fellows walk right over them," was the reply. Were the lights full on at that moment?— Yes. Bullock «aid he helped to extricate the fallen and keep other people back. He carried down live girls, and one of these —Margaret MeElligot—was dead. He found her sitting at the top of the staircase. The fact of so many being injured was due, he thought, to a woman's dress catching on something, causing her to fall, others then falling on her. Hilda McElligot, the sister of one of the victims, said that at the cry of "Fire!" all started to scream and rushed for the exit.

Laura, fialliii, who is thirteen years old, and who wns in charge of Louisa Manning snid she stooped down to pick up the child when someone took her by the hair and pulled her to the ground. When she cot up she had lost the child. James Grant said men pushed children over in trying to get out. He saw both men and women walk over the heap of injured. Other witnesses gave evidence confirming the stories of cowardice, and the inquest was adjourned.