A STONE AVALANCHE.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VII, Issue 2079, 27 August 1885, Page 2

A STONE AVALANCHE.

At Thiers, a town in the department of Puv-de-D'ome (France), a murder trial had been in progress for some days. On June 10, the last day of the trial, the court-house was crowded witteien and women anxious to witness Wclosing scenes. \\ hen the people were leaving, immediately after the adjournment the Court, and were jammed upon tile, stone stairway leading to, the tta lofty staircase fell. The scene 'whion followed was appalling. Immense, of masonry from above upon the straggling people |M-. ing through thejr.' flesh'and' "lAiiH.ing tfjon| in a horrible ,nsnne?, The fall of the staircase and the! screams of the people lying helpless in the ruins caused panip in the Court-room, and there was a tush for tho now wrecked exit. Those who were in front were unable to withstand the. '

pressure from behind, and wore hurled down upon the men and women who wero crushed in the fall of the staircase, and whom tho people on the street wero already striving to rescue; When at length the panic had exhausted, it-aolf, ana the masfcive stone steps of the fallen staircase had been removed,' twenty persons were taken from the ruins, dead. Later despatches from Thiers make the court-house 'calamity • far n\of« disastrous in its consequences tW' W earlier despatches alVeaqy hyiiibel! twenty fo.ur. ®e to.tyj number of injured is now placet 163! Qi these, fourteen are Yoiy BQ'tfotyqlv injured, and some wijl 4i«, '