HERBERTVILLE.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume IX, Issue 2554, 22 March 1887, Page 2

HERBERTVILLE.

[FROM OUB OWN COBRBSPOXDKNT.]':" ' Our township is rapidly going-ahead, buildings are, springing up in every direction, Mr Bradshaw, the contractor for the erection of the new Postal and Telegraph Office, has commenced, and I believe the buildup will be a handsome addition to the south' side of our foain-street, - Mr Pull's privato' wsidenca iB rapidly approaching' completion. .'.'[,;•...' /...Oh, Saturday last .we wereifavored with,a great treat in. the;shaped an amateur dramatioentertainment.'don. 6f:the comedy, ,i seteyM&," followed by . the-.ftrce, s!y. Pete;^;, Conßidering, 'this;i?' perfMmanq©' of Jtk/kind, in Wmw, and ilie short time allowed : foc preparation, ■great'eredit is' due to tlthosd-AvhO'jtoolt.part,. especially, Muib I ; Miss Alexander,.' Mr VlnMaster'Alexander ;w'ere "very successful. i-in ■••the:' I ;rendering;'' ! .df their- respective -parts, • [i ''The half 5 was densely .crowded; ...many M. sons; being turned solaced themselves by ...tha •windows. from !thie outßibV:' ■ : Wall' sadly. in want', cf a'h>*4er place for 'public meetings, anclKishigh'.timo. our settlers'tpok etepg/W obtain pne„ ~..,;•. ;/Anothergri.ey^ceexistfl,, arid that w we "hive no regular uinißter ..to

at'tend'tootir spiritual watitsy'and no regular place of; worship. A Ration ' of ground has been offered for' the ,; building, and subscriptions gaardiifesd '■: sufficient-for the; purpose, v« V i|no■''-• religious denoujirjation seems to 'Uke any notico or-intetest in us. lam r sick and tired-of calling attention to this. ' - '■"./;;;.;,, . ... ....;■.'■,."■' /■S^ttlda^«S.%y^b[Ut^of« /\ j shocking sight of demorah'satibP aiwf .■' '| .Princess'gtreet,. in the.vicinity of•'. St. jj :JQd6 I B7CMrchi'"'ttommerciaT" : street, l f the Sunderland Victoria Hall calamity f\ was.repeatedonasniallscale. Sewn 1 j. teei\:of.tbe audience—twelve women,•if one man, one girl, and three boys—.were lying dead in an anteroom of the building, and seven, or ten others were sent home injured. } A Hebrew drama' tftclubwas giving a performance tor th'e"benefit of some poqr man of their •pewtiaSion',.and it ia generally estima' • ted thatabout were present ; the hall being full,' All went well— ; the audience, mostly Jews, laughing , merrily at'-the "fim;Bpd antics of the amateurs;on minutes to; eleven o'clock, when • suddenly a nub-was made by a body, of the spectators to the main exit. A panic had arisen'on the report that, there had been an escape of gas, and a.: ~-. crowd coming from the centre of .the ■ hall meetingthe people running dowß-i Btairß.fvomthe'gallery, where the alarm :• had first spread, a collision occurred, .- " "William Cohen, a weaver, living at.. 85, Brick Jane, Spitajfields, cays: "I ; took the misßua and my little ones, and wa had seats in the body ot" the hall. The piece played was, the "Spanish■•••'.•; Gipsy Girl," and, it being a favorite in - ■•< this quarter, the room was literally.-. . packed. It is intended to hold about. 500 people, but I should think there-:.s were nearly 800 there.... Everything • ; went ! smoothly'lip'to,'fivo minutes.-: - after eleven' o'clock.! Then I heard . : the sounds of a disturbance in the gallery. I thought at first it was ' only a fight, but presently I hoard a' cry that the gas. was escaping.: This was followed by a shout of 'Fire.' Personally I saw no flames, and nothing to suggest that'there was; any fire. The cry of h're'soiinded likeSwe .voice of a hoy or woman, and certainly | came from the gallery. The effect was < startling. Everyone rushed'towards 1 the doors, Simultaneously someone \ turned out the gas,. the building was enveloped in' darkness, and then the confusion end alarm wag' intensified, The Boreams of women and children were deafening and[ heart- , rending. The shouts of .the men added'to the uproar. Everyone seemed to. be'fighting for dear life.;': It was impossible- to see anything for a few minutes, which seemed more like an j hour. There, sir.J don't know how to explain it No one seemed to,: know what to do.'We were all packed like ' herrings. I heard my little girl, who | was only twbyards W, crying "Father j father, save me," but I could not move. I My wife, too was near.; She was quiet, ; j bub bad all she could,do to hold the ( little one in her arms. Presently some '■■ candlebghts.Were'brought,on-to the stage, and then Tsaw' the .fearful sight. Men, women, and children wert fighting, Bcreaming)andcursing like maniacs. Round tbe doors bodies were pUeiJ' Ap to tbe height of'sevoralv feel; pe groans were sgoniaing.. All mean? of getting out were stopped by the jerMh ofpeoplo. Tbe stream coming,down from,the gallery had met the-' %e&t& from the body of the ball, minute someone was falling only to be trampled on. Presently a polloeman appeared :oh the scene. Those on the stage endeavoiiredtorestorecdnfidenee. In order to relieve the pressure, the partition at the bottom of'the stairease was broken down, and then began the'work of rescue. " In a heap the dead and living were massed together—[limbs broken,, bfood;flowing, olothes to.rh and diaorderod. Everytbingpointed tothe,;deadly natnre„of i the.Btrugglefor j.' life. On? by one tbeiodieS were extri- *, cated. Some persona had bhly fainted from' sheer exhaustion; 1 among these was'one of my little.girls, who was one 'of the firat picked'tip!;''.'l then found ; my wife and;f^m ; with. I onlya.few'brqises^anfHlien.,£. [ work to help out'otW people, for \fi ! dy \.> ..allseemed to he |)apked ; herrings 's} in a'baitfei. •' The: faces' Of'the 'jibbr 1 4l| people who tfere , dead.'. were 'distorted,' |v|j and discolored. ';• Among ; tlieih : ' werej; ft j people I have known• for years,' but' hyi ] assure you -I could not recognise. them 1 ; • '$ •• Tho dead were laid W one side, f the injured;wei;e L cai'r|ed of asjjrapjdly'' i as posaiHfa to their. ; liomea" or 1 , to'lthn, '■ ■ hospital."' ' '/',','v. -•.■''"; {'■v-\'^k

;■ l j.'A; &BEAT m ;0N fllß&r - & I A; Moscow Vpaper ...B{ijh :4 ■~' shores of the'Gjispiatf abound in %{ba ■'. ;• spriagaextendiug-for• milea undergo ' sea.,the imprisoned gasca' of thto ?<&& ,i tile substance- escaping from fiasmjs -' •ir/itr bed and Rubbling!; iip'iin' lajtte-'':'. volumes to the siiilabe; "Tbe" stance has given Vise to the'practico ! '; •jetting fire to la thus described by a modern'•traveller:- ' ' Hiring a gteain ; barge ; ffß put 'to sea, . and after a : 1 epgth^ a suitable spot. Our:boat "baying 'moved ronndto'tbe windward, threw a bundle of burning'iflax into the -sea,, whon floods o! the surrounding darkness.. No fireworks, do , illumination, are' to be 'compared to-V the eight that' itself to our gage. jumbling con7ulßiyely ; ,Among fchoos- - -.ands'-'Of shooting,, dancjn| flames of ' ;pr6disiooß ; BUo. '^'iSpjfeJjiey emerge Z from the water, .how.vdisafpoaj'. 'At ■ onetime they scared'aloft'iind melted - wind dl« vided them into bright, streaks of flftbies;the foaming; : billows ; making music to thesoeqei;-' In com*.:, pliance with the wiahesfot'som'a of the spectators ouj- .bar|e ;; w'.steered to«;>.;. wardß.thß..nam% find -passed through' ■:' the; midst of them, a somewhat .PMwpenme^;« , tlie&ge>rt''bm'; ; i.,-' pjojred in the transport of napthia, «ad 'i' was .pretty,-well saturated fluid., However, we escaped without •"'. accident andgSwßd foran'iibur longer : \' , oft the f of a' sea on '&■/[