The Aberystwith Observer

A TOWN'S MEETING, E On Monday night a public meeting, at which about two thousand persons were present, was held in the 1 St. Ann's-street Wesleyan Chapel, to consider what means should be adopted for the relief of those who had been bereaved. E The Mayor presided, and the following resolutions 1 were unanimously agreed tq:— That_ this_ meeting of the inhabitants of the Borough is desirous of placing upon record its heart- felt sorrow at the painful calamity which took place -1 at Victoria-ball on Saturday last, by which nearly two hundred children were deprived of life within a few minutes, and to express its deep sympathy with the grief-stricken parents of the dead." J "That a subscription be instituted for the purpose of assisting parents and others who may requite aid under the distressing circumstances, and to mark the event by such a memorial as may henceforth be de- cided on." A Committee was appointed to carry out the objects of the meeting, and subscriptions amounting to nearly • JE100 were promised. Among the suggestions for the form of a memorial was that of a convalescent home, and a monument in the park, or in the three different cemeteries where the burials will take place. A 1 On Tuesday, meetings were commenced by the operatives of each shipbuilding establishment in Sunderland to raise subscriptions in aid of those bereaved by the fatal catastrophe. It is expected that the amount to be realized in the shipyards will exceed S500.

THE INQUESTS, Two inquests were opened on Monday. The first Coroner to sit was Mr. John Graham, who opened an inquiry on Edith Ward and thirty others at the Royal Hotel, Monkwearmouth, Mr. Crofton Maynard opened an inquiry at the Palatine Hotel, Borough- road, upon the bodies of 148 children lying at various houses on the south side of the river.—After taking evidence of identification, both inquiries were ad- journed. The inquest was resumed at the Palatine Hotel at noon on Tuesday, and occupied the whole of the after- noon and up to 6.30 in the evening. The coroner and jury occupied three hours and a half in driving round the west end of Sunder- land calling at the residences of dead children's parents and identifying them, aad giving out orders for their burials. On their return evidence was taken for the identification of fifty-one bodies, making a total of 147 bodies on the south side of the river. This is about 19 below the list of names taken as the children were brought out of the hall. At one house where the jury went to identify two bodies they found the children alive. There may also have been cases of the names having been given doubly. On the north side of the river the number of deaths is 32, which, with the 147 identified in Bishopwear- mouth and Sunderland parishes, makes a total identified of 179. It was considered on Tuesday that the number of killed had reached 200, but the number 179 is that of those identified up to that time. -The inquest was adjourned until the 2nd of July. I On Tuesday, at Monkwearmouth, Mr. ^Shepherd, deputy coroner, held an inquest upon the body of Kate Fabv, 9 years old, who had been taken out of the hall dead, but whose death had not been reported till Monday night. The body was identified by the father, and the inquest then adjourned.

Ptisallam-Girs lot HOME, FOREIGN, AND COLONIAL THE LONGFELLOW MEMORIAL.—The 500 autograph ( letters from the influential personages who constitute y the Lengfellow Memorial Committee have been pre- f sented by Dr. W. C. Bennett, the hon, secretary, to i the American Longfellow Memorial Committee, to be permanently deposited in some public institution in Boston, U.S., or its neighbourhood, for the inspection 1 of all Americans who may desire to see the high t esteem in which the poet was held by so many of the 1 best minds of England. j AN EXHIBITION OF CONFEOTIONEBy.-The South German papers report the opening at Heidelberg of an c exhibition of confectionery and the kindred arts. One- 1 hundred and fifty German confectioners, 'besides several foreigners—French, Swiss, Italians, English, t and even North American—are the exhibitors. Some of the products of the confectioner's art which are being exhibited are of great excellence and ingenuity t even as works of art, among them bouquets of flowers 1 made of sugar. All kinds of machines and utensils t employed in the copfectionery trade are exhibited, THE MACKEREL FISHERY. — The fishermen a- Hayling Island are making a better mackerel harvest than has been known for many years. The catch is so enormous that the other day a net bnrst containing from 10,000 to 12,000 fish, which, of course, were aU lost. The fish have been selling in tha island and neighbouring villages at 30 for Is. A BRAZILIAN MILK way of supplying Para, Brazil, with milk ia novel and primitive (says an American paper). The milkman comes to your door bringing his tin can and several measures in one hand, while with the other he leads the cow herself through the city streets to the various dwellings to be supplied. Should there happen to be a calf belonging to this particular cow, it is muzzled and is then either allowed to follow its own sweet will or it is tied to its mother's tail! The approach of this triple milk cart is announced by the musicnl chimes of three open sleigh-bells, which are fastened to the leather strap worn on the cow's neck. His ULTIMATUM. -Paterfamil ics (after "where to go for the holidays" has been discussed for three hours).- Confound it here's Julia wants to go to Paris, John's all for Norway, Clara won't hear of any- thing but Russia, and your mother's mad for going all round world in the Ceylon. I tell you, I won't be bothered any more-Margate, or nowhere I-Punn, Folks. FRENCH COINAGE.—The Journal Office publishes an account of the quantity of gold and silver money a coined in France from the year 1795 to the 31st of December, 1882. The gold and silver coins amount in the aggregate to 14,242,193,368 franca 35 centimes (nearly £ 570,000,000) for the period given. The gold and silver withdrawn fro TS circulation during the same time represents 293,249,164 francs 22 centimes (about £ 11,725,060). THE "TERRITORIAL SYSTEM OR, NOTHING LmJI ACCURACY.-Officer (at Head-quarters): "And who may you be?" Recruit: "Please, Sir, I'm the Seventh Battalion Prince Consort's Own Rifle Brigade, better known as the Fust Tower 'Am!ete Miliehy !"—Punch NOT LEFT OUT.-There were five of 'em on the corner. One said that his wife was cleaning house and had every room upset.—The second observed that he had just left six painters at work on his house.- The thiad said he was tearing out partitions and build- ing on a wing.-The fourth smiled sadly and added that he was going to have four ceilings whitewashed, three rooms re papered, a chimney torn out and his hall widened.—" Gentlemen," said the fifth man af he drew a long breath, I don't want to be looked upon as one who is trying to crawl out of his fair share of this world's misery, and I therefore take this oppor- tunity of informing you that in order to buy neW carpets and a parlour suite I have been obliged tc mortgage my house and shall probably lose it. Detroit Free Press, ANTECEDENTS OF JUDGES.—The antecedents of met who have risen to eminence in professional life art sometimes curious because they do not give any fore- cast of the bent of mind which ultimately raises sudt men. For instance, the late Sir George Jessel, Master of the Rolls, was at one time an assistant ttf his father, as a diamond merchant; and people who are acquainted with Hattoa-garden will tell you that he was often to be seen soliciting orders on his father fl behalf. The late Mr. Justice Lush was not educated for the legal profession, and his son-in-law, Mr Justice Watkin Williams, first turned his thoughts to the ministry, then studied medicine, after which he a barrister, Mr. Justice Grove, who was present oC the bench at the Old Bailey during the trial of the dynamite conspiracy case, is a scientific chemist of the first rank.-City Press. THE HALF-HoLIDAY GuiDE-BoOK.—Advice bof two, and make it a whole holiday at once. Mucb better.-Punch.. THE DIOCESE OF ARGYLL AND THE ISLES.—1Tb« Very Rev. James Robert Alexander Chinnery.Hal" dane, LL.B., dean of the diocese, has been elected ? fill the vacant bishopric. Mr. Haldane received bit education at Trinity College, Cambridge, where ? took the degree of LL. B. in 1864, He was ordained by the Bishop of Salisbury in 1866. In 1876, aftet having been assistant at All Saints', Edinburgh, some years, he was appointed to the inoumbency St. Brides, Lachaber, and ever since has worked ha'* for the Church in the West Highlands. He Was mad6 dean by the late bishop in the year 1881. TIME ON AMERICAN RAILROADS -In the Stated the railroad system is so vast that a new plan for regulating the time is adopted by the managers of various lines. It is arranged that east of and j to Washington trains shall run according to the low time of the 75th meridian; between these points Kansas City, the 90th meridian, or one hou* than the eastern; west of Kansas City, by the and 120th meridians, or two and three hours slotret respectively than eastern time. It will be seen tb<" these differences of time are based on the fact tb^ each degree of longitude makes a difference of fottf minutes in the local time. The arrangement WO made on May 13, and much simplifies the railwtf time-tables. THE BIGGEST RACE ON RECORD.—The human ODe, -Fun.. HARVEST PROSPECTS IN FRANCE.—The reports oj* the wheat crop in France express dissatisfaction Witjj its prospeefs. The straw is Bhort and limp, and ears have not developed to the degree desirable. Tb however, does not apply to the rich soils, wbioJ r promise better results. On the whole, says Bulletin des Holies, it is improbable that the crop will attain an average. It will probably 1JSIU less than 100 million hectolitres, which would amouO* to a diminution of nearly 25 millions on the yield 0 last year. Barley, and especially oats, on the otbfl* hand, seem to offer the prospect of a good harvest. HISTORICAL PARALLELS TO THE SUNDERLAND D&t ASTER. Ancient history," writes a correspondent 01 the Pall Mall Gazette, gives a parallel to the Sundflf land disaster which may be added to that afforded fiction by the story of The Pied Piper of HameliD. I refer to the Herodotus's account of the portents M: which the Chians had been warned of coming 6* before the battle of Lade, one of these portents belt* that the roof of a large schoolroom suddenly gave Wiw and that of the 120 children who were at their lesaolP at the time only one escaped with his life. Tha«jE dides also mentions a terrible disaster which some school children at a later period, when a band 0* Thracian mercenaries ori their way back from Atbcljj landed on the coast of Boeotia, sacked the town <5 Mykalessus, and slew all the children in the £ school of the place. With a touch of nature the bj^ torian goes out of his way to reflect that this was WT greatest and most terrible disaster that the town, iatsd as it was, ever endured.' PROFESSIONAL PBIDE.—Doctor's boy (to Chemis^ boy).—"Get out wi'yer Aint yer go't no for a medical man ? "—Fun, AVERAGE PRICES OF BRITISH^ CORN.—The felle^' ing are the average prices of British corn for last as received from the inspectors and officers of -Wheat, 42s. 9d.; barley, 25a. 6d. oats, 22s. luu' per imperial qr. Corresponding week last year Wheat, 47s, 5d.; barley, 26s, 6d. oat's, 23s, 2d. PAVING THE WAT.-Medical student No. 1: 4'110 I quite given up knocking about, old chappie. EveW morning I'm up at five, and keep on working till After breakfast attend lectures. Dinner, and read ha% till Bupper, Take half an hour's rest, and go on midnight. Bed, and up again next morning at five. M. S. No, 2: "Good gracious, old fellow, break down, sure as a gun. How long hava you keeping on at this game?"—M.S. No. 1: "Oh,™ going to begin to-morrow I"—Funny Folks. THE SALVATION ARMY IN SWITZERLAND.—The Grear Council of Neuchatel have ratified, by a majority 0 54 to 14, the Decree of the Council of State ing the meetings of the Salvation Army in land. The measure, which was supported by petitiolo bearing 10,000 signatures, is justified by the to the army of the character of a religious corporatioJlt hierarchically organised and despotically ruled by foreign chief. A MONSTER BALLOON,-An air balloon of exceP; tional dimensions was recently described in tis, Hamburger Ncchrichten as having just been made Berlin upon the plan of Herr Opitz, a GeriO aeronaut. It is 75ft. in height and 35ft. in The valve is said to be 3ft. in The material used in its construction is a combing of silk and hemp, which has been obtained from S»Xg land, and represents » weight of 1751b. The mate* is coated internally and externally with a special p&ration invented by Herr Opitz. The car fcJL Spanish cane, in which eight strong ropes have plaited. The anchor is constructed on an improf principle to prevent slipping. CUTTING NEW ZEALAND GREENSTONE.—The of greenstone pendants (says a New Zealand Pftf*?t»a which the Maori hangs in his ear, and the P^ from hie watch-chain, must be tedious work; jeweller in Napier recently sued a Maori for work done in cutting up a block of greenstone ing about 2 cwt. into a dozen slabs. It took hilu tJJB months to make the first trial cut, and nine to make eleven other cuts, working eleven at once, driving them by steam-power, and ing them going from ten to fourteen hours a$ The Maori thought the charge too higb> Jj offered £ 100; then £ 100 and half the sfvon0i.. A next £ 60 and half the stone. The jeweller ^0C'0 jj»' these compromises, but off ..red io take all the s^0o payment. The native owner thought the char £ high also. Another jeweller stated that Is. the a1 f inch waa the usual price for cutting greenstone» y. the plaintiff said he would be willing to accept meet on those terms. Reckoning it up, it was 1 to come to £ 194 8s., very nearly the amount eue° —Colonies and India. -Colonies and India.

(Dttr Jotitott Cormjmtot. I fWe deem it right to state that we do at all times lentity ourselves with our Correspondent's, opinions. J The Intelligence of the appalling oalamity at Sander- reached London on Saturday evening about half- past eight; and thinly as the city itself is peopled on that evening, the news spread rapidly, and was speedily carried to every quarter -of the capital. It seemed so extraordinary as to be almost incredible that on a bright Jane evening, in a place of entertainment in a prosperous English town, scores of innocent children should have been trampled to death without hope of rescue. Appealing aa such a terrible Incident did to the heart of every parent in the kingdom, the Scnday papers were eagerly sought for, and then the magnitude of the catastrophe was placed beyond all doubt. It cast a gloom over many a household far away from the scene of the holocaust of little victims in the flourishing port npon the Waw. In its way it stands out grimly unique in the annals of fatality in this country. Accidents involving heavier sacrifices of life have been recorded, both on the land and on the water. Colliery explosions have sent greater numbers into the harvest-field of death; and we all remember the sink- ngof the Princess Alice steamer in the Thames on the 3rd of September, 1878. But the sufferers have always been of varied ages in this case the utter help- lessness of the dead makes the sacrifice all the more mournful and affecting. The passage of the Bills granting £ 30,000 and £25,000 respectively to Lords Wolesloy and Alcester through the House of Peers, disposes of a controversy which during its continuance in the House of Commons was not altogether of a pleasant character. It is just a little over twelve months ago that the massacres at Alexandria, on Sunday, the 11th June, 1882, created great indignation amongst all classes here, and this was added to by the fact that the murdered Europeans were refused the rights of sepulture upon the land on the ground that they were dogs; so the remains were taken out to sea, and cast into the blue waters of the Mediterranean. There was a loud popular call for Bwift and stem punishment, and this was speedily Inflicted upon land and sea. Mr. Cowen, M.P., although personally opposed to the war in Egypt, admitted in the House of Commons that it was a people's war, and that the services of the com- manders, executed by the will of the nation, ought to be recognized. The Bright celebration at Birmingham has been the talk of politicians far beyond the boundaries of the hardware capital. The London papers devoted to it a vast amount of space and as Birmingham is noted for its energy, there can be no question that this com- memorative festival was organized and carried out with a success of which the metropolis of the Mid- lands may well be proud. It came just forty years after Mr. Bright's entrance upon parliamentary life, the right hen. gentleman having been elected for the City of Durham in the summer of 1843. Singularly enough, and illustrating the leng public career of the present Premier, Mr. Gladstone was in office then. At that time he was Vice-President of the Board of Trade and Master of the Mint in the Government of Sir Robert Peel. The Agricultural Hall at Islington has witnessed some varied scenes, but none of much more popular interest than the double ride of the 2nd Life- guards on the anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo on behalf of a charity. Last year there was an enormous attendance at a similar gathering, the final charge being made as at the memorable straggle which gave Europe peace for nearly forty years. Then the same trumpet was used as on the evening of that fateful day, when the English Guards, at the command of the Duke of Wellington, rushed in full gallop upon the French Imperial Guard, and very soon turned a battle into a rout. In the charge at the Agricultural Hall there was no doubt that men and horses knew their parts thoroughly well. Some of the cavaliers were armed with lances, and others with sabres and as nearly half the horses had gone through the Egyptian campaign, additional interest was thus given to the spectacle. The International Fisheries Exhibition is still drawing immense crowds not only from the country, from which special excursions are run, but the Londoners also flock to see it in great multitudes. A series of conferences has been opened, at the first of which the Prince of Wales presided, and Professor Huxley delivered the inaugural address. The Duke of Edinburgh contributes a paper entitled Notes on Sea Fisheries and the Fishing Population of the United Kingdom." His Royal Highness is, however, well qualified to take a wider area of observation. He has been a greater traveller even than the Prince of Wales, and must have gone over pretty well the whole of the known world. The Handel Festival at the Crystal Palace is an occasion of great interest to vocalists and musicikns in this and other countries. The Festival of this week has been the eighth of its series,, which began in 1859 and up to the latest hour preceding the rehearsal, it was hoped that Sir Michael Costa might again act as conductor, in which capacity he has appeared at the seven previous festivals. His medical attendant, how- ever, interdicted this on the ground that the excite- ment and fatigue would be prejudicial to his health, and his place was filled by Mr. Augustus Manns, the conductor of the Crystal Palace Saturday Concerts. As a proof of the spread of musical culture in Eng- land, the remarkable fact has been mentioned that nearly 3,000 of the choralists have been promised by the metropolis alone. There has been a singular run of Parliamentary vacancies during the last fortnight or three weeks, and an equally remarkable absence of contests. The number of withdrawals of Irish members from Parlia- mentary life is also noteworthy, meet of the retiring representatives being Home Rulers. So far as Eng- lish constituencies are concerned, no contest has taken place for several months, a picture of political quietude which baa not frequently been witnessed. When the fcufaees which has been done by the Grand Committees comes to be revised by the House itself, the real value of the experiment called into oxintense by the new rules of last year will be made apparent. The House has the power of revising the work done in Committee, of whatever sort or kind and U to any extent it overhauls that which it has delegated to the Standing Committees, the success of the system of devolution will be materially interfered with. It may be noted that the cloture, which formed such a battle-ground of party last session, has net once %een pat into operation. The death of Henry S. Leigh, which occurred early on Saturday moBBing, has removed from the Strand one of its be at known freqsenters, and by it the literary world tiaajoat perhapatbeneateet English versifier of modern times. His death was at the last sudden, although for some time past his health had been failing. On Friday night he was up and about his usual business although his friends noticed that he looked extremely unwell. It was little ^thought, however, that the end was so near, and that the rest be was advised to seek tha night would he his last upon this earth. The cause of death is said to have been congestion of the liver. Harry Leigh, as he was known to his innumerable friends, was a thorougb Bohemian. His life was spent between hia chambers in the Strand—where he worked the greater part of the day writing lyrics for comic operas or tVerade soctitt for magazines or aomic periodieaJs-aad the Savage Club, of which he was one of the oldest members. For over twenty years he had been a regular contributor to Fun, in which were published some of his best verses. Almost his last work was the rhymed address spoken on the occasion of the benefit given recently at the Gaiety Theatre to Mr. Edward Royce, the once popular actor, whose theatrical career has been so Badly cut short by paralysis. Bad news seldom comes | alone; and on the same day that Mr. Leigh died it was reported that Mr. Boyce had also had a serious relapse. Mr. Leigh adapted several French plays an 1 comic operas, his greatest successes having been producjd Jot the Alhambra. His lyrics were un- rivalled as regarded their adaptability to music, and J fe suggest tftat he had in him the power to write 1 poems of a mwch higher and lasting kind than the "Carols of Cockaigne," the most popular of his col- lected works. Most people have heard of Mr. Spurgeon's Taber- nacle affid in the summer season a great many visitors in London of all denominations and creeds are at. tracted to hear the preacher who has maintained his popularity so long. Not a few are struck with the effect of seven thousand people singing unaccompanied jj by any musio, for the Metropolitan Tabernacle ? not boast of even an organ. The worshippers there are at present in somewhat of a difficulty. The [I building requires renovation, but what to do with the congregation during the process is a problem which is not easily solved. It was proposed to hire the Westminster Aquarium for the purpose, but the negotiations have fallen through, and the subject is still an open one. It may not be known that a note is taken of every public speech as well as of every sermon which Mr. Spurgeon delivers. This record is even extended to the running commentary in which he occasionally indulges while reading the scrip- tures. The last-named reflections have not yet been published. The fourth of July, which is celebrated as Inde- pendence Day" in the United States, will be cele- brated in London by the complimentary dinner which is to be given to Mr. Henry Living previous to the de- parture of the Lyceum Theatre company for America. The Lord Chief Justice, who will himself visit the States during the Long Vacation, will preside, and all who have heard silver-tongued Coleridge," as he used to be termed at the Bar, can anticipate how well the chair will be filled. The dinner altogether promises to be one of the largest and most influential gatherings of those connected with. and interested in art and literature which have been held in the metro- polis for many years.

FEARFUL CATASTROPHE AT SUNDERLAND. NEARLY TWO HUNDRED CHILDREN KILLED. On Saturday afternoon a most appalling catastrophe, in which about 190 children were crushed or trampled to death and 100 more injured, occurred at the Victoria-hall, Sunderland. The disaster caused a most profound sensation in the town, no fatality approach- ing to its fearful dimensions having ever before taken place in Sunderland.—We take the following account of the calamity from The Times of Monday:- During the past week a public entertainer named Fay, stated to be resident in Newcastle, had published announcements of his intention to give a day perform- ance of natural magic, ventriloquism, &o., in the Victoria-hall, on Saturday afternoon. Mr. Fay visited most of the schools in Sunderland with the object of securing patronage for the entertainment, and the charge for admission of children was fixed as low as one penny, so as to give even thq humblest in the schools a chance of attending. The result was a very large attendance in the cheap portions of the Victoria- hall. This building has a double frontage, tha main facade being upon the Toward-road, and the other facing Murton-street. The gable points to the Borough-road. The building is an, exceedingly hand- some and capacious ene, and well suited for popular entertainments generally. It has been officially in- spected and certified, and at one time it narrowly escaped becoming the Town-hall of the borough. The interior of the house may be roughly said to be divided into three parts-the body of the hall, which seats about 1,000 persons; the gallery, in which 1,500 persons have been packed, but which had sitting accommodation for 1,100 only and a spacious dress circle. The entire house will hold about 3,500 persons. The dress circle, which is handsomely equipped, was almost entirely empty. As a matter of fact the only occupants were a woman and her child. The gallery was crowded with children of tender age, and a very great number of the saraejdescirptionlof visitors occu- pied the pit also to overflowing. It is quite possible that no fewer than 1,500 children were in the gallery during the performance. The entertainment proceeded smoothly and satisfac- torily uatil just upon its close. The time that the occurrence that led to such lamentable results had its origin was, as nearly aa can be ascertained, ten minutes past five o'clock. The performance was just then concluded, and what to the children was the most im- portant part of the programme had commenced. Mr. Fay had promised to make a distribution of toyB to the young people, and in fact the announcement under, the head of prizes promised that every child woulcr stand a chance of receiving a present. Thus when the distribution commenced there was great excitement among the young people both in the body of the hall and the gallery. It is stated that Mr. Fay began to scatter prizes to the youngsters in the body of the hall, while those in the gallery had had no toys aent up to them. This created great excitement among those up aloft, who beiieved that they were running ajgreat risk of losing the chief inducement which had led them to visit the entertainment. The gallery is a noble amphitheatre, in every way superior to the average accommodation of -such por- tions of ordinary places of entertainment. It is ap- proached by a series of steps and corridors, which have been contrived with a special view to prevent blocks, rushes, and risks of falling in case of panic. The flights between the street and the gallery are four in number, and are sepaarated by short corridors and broad stairheads, which gave resting places, and seem admirably calculated for the purposes which we have just named. When the children in the gallery saw that the distri- bution of prizes was about to begin, a report spread among them that they were not going to get their share of the good things. Some children, under this belief, rose from their seats and hurried to the door. They were followed by others, and in a few seconds a stream of children had rushed through the folding doors at the head of the gallery stairs and were in full burst down to the bottom door, which leads to the body of the hall, where the distribution of toys had commenced. They passed down a flight of 25 steps, turned to the left, gained the corridor at the entrance to the dress-circle, and kept steadily on, finally rushing down the light of 14 steps leading to the door which separates the gallery stairs from the lobby. This door, for the convenience of the money-takers, was only open to the extent of 18 inches, being fastened by means of a bolt so as to pass only one person ait a time. Whether any children got through the narrow open- ing at this door or not we cannot tell, and we can only surmise how the first block occurred. It is probable, then, that two children attempted to pass through the 18-inch outlet at once, that they stuck in the narrow way, that others pressed upon them from behind, and that perhaps a third child was blocked in the opening. The place was then impassable, and while it waa so, the children, eight or nine hundred strong, came bearing down from the gallery behind them. Nothing stopped their coune. There was no panic, no alarm, no shout of fire or thieves; it was simply a rush down to gain the desired presents, without any controlling force to regulate it, and without any thought as to the consequence of the proceeding. The door pre" vented the egress of any of the children from below, and the hundreds coming fast from the corridors above set up a block on the small landing between the door and tbe flight of fourteen steps. It was here the less of life took place, and it is lamentable to think of the small compass in which it occurred. Within of the small compass in which it occurred. Within four yards of this spot there was absolute safety for the children, and hundreds of children stood there in comfort; but at the bottom of the flight of stairs the small open space intervening between it and the walla and door was a veritable shambles. Children were tumbled head over heele, one on the top of the other. Shrieks and Bcreams vibrated through the Btaiz- cases. More still pressed down from above. The children at the bottom of the stairs got packed as it were in a well The heap of writhing and rolling humanity became higher and higher until it rose above the heads of those who were first jammed in the door- way, and became a mass of struggling and dying chil- dren over six feet in height. The fearful struggle in which the children pulled and tore for bare life was all within a space of about 12ft. square. The densely- packed mass of humanity only rose to the fourth of the fourteen steps leading to the next landing, and these four steps, with the square landing-place below, were the shambles on which all these victims met their death. In the meantime the mdience in other parts of the house were entirely ignorant of what was passing. The noise of the screaming and the horrible fight for life going on among hundreds of children in the con. fined space of the gallery stairs did not reach the street, ner did it even reach the body of the hall. A confused murmur, or what some called a roaring noise, was all that was audible, and this gave no token of what was going on within a score of yards of hundreds of people, who would have been only too happy to have rushed to the rescue. We believe that the occu- pants 0f the gallery were entirely children with the exception of about 20 mothers who had come with their youngsters. None of this little band of adults had joined itt the rush down the stairs, and thus there was no one to help, guide, or direct any operations for the clearance of the fatal block at the lower door. The first to learn what had happened was Mr. Frederick Graham, the manager of the hall. Mr. Graham makes the foSpwing statement: It is my custom to give an eye to the gallery stairs, I and to all tlje outlets when an audience is leaving the house, and. as I thought the entertainment waa about to close T" went towards the gallery stairs. When I approached the lower door I heard fearful screams, groans, and noises, of struggling. I rushed to the door and attempted to open it, and found I could not do so, the bolt was in the socket, about 2ft. from the door frame, and the opening was jammed up nearly as high as my head with the bodies of children. I was horrified. After doing my utmost to push in I was compelled to rush round by the dress circle, which I lost no time in doing, spreading the alarm as I went. Two or three gentlemen joined me, and we came out of the dress circle door which opens upon the gallery stairs, We found the door open and the window open. The corridor between the dress circle door and the stairs was filled with children. We had no difficulty in get- ting through them, but when we turned to the steps i leading down to the lower gallery door the children were massed in a body the whole of the way down the steps, and at the bottom a sickening spectacle was presented, the poor thing? being crowded together 5ft. and 6ft. higlt in a struggling heap. We pushed our way through the steps, getting the children pushed back and driven on to the corridor leading to the dress circle, and then through the dress circle lobby down to the open porch. We lost no time in pushing through the children on the steps, and reaching as near the bottom as we could get. When we reached the fourth step from the bottom we found the children packed in a mass from that place over the whole of the landing below. There seemed to be hundreds of them. At first I did not not think that any were dead, but when we came to attempt re- leasing them I discovered my mistake. Police-con- stable No. 51 (Bewick) rendered me the greatest assis- tance. I tried at first to take out children from the thickest of the mass, but they !were so tightly wedged in that I could scarcely move them without risk of further injury to their poor limbs, so I began by picking out those little ones from the top who groaned, moved their limbs, or showed other signs of life. Two gentlemen, one named Raine, quickly came to my assistance, and we handed the injured children through the window or the door to Bewick, who ran with them to the porch of the building, and placed them in the open air. We worked very hard^but the children were lying wedged together eight deep, and it was very difficult to get at them. I carried. five or six of the little ones to my own room, where I brought them round, and my wife was successful in restoring four or five. The children were mostly suffering from suffocation, although many of them were much bruised. The floor of the landing and the stairs were covered with torn clothing, caps, shoes, &a. By about a quarter to six o'clock the news of the disaster had spread in every direction. Among the first to arrive at the spot were the medical men of Sunderland. A strong force of police was soon gathered, but the time being a very difficult one at which to take the guardians of the streets from their duties, the force was by no means equal to the occa- sion. A dense crowd speedily encompassed the building. In this juncture the Mayor, Alderman M'Kenzie, and Councillor Howarth held a consultation, and it Was resolved to invoke the aid of the military force stationed at the barracks. A request to this effect was forwarded at once to the commander of the garrison, and in a quarter of an hour a company of the Durham Regiment, the old 6.8th, under the command of Lieutenant Gales, was despatched to the hall. Within the hall the work of rescuing the survivors and of identifying and removing the dead was being proceeded with, and the most heartrending scenes were witnessed. As each child was extricated from the heap it was examined by the medical men in attendance, and if it was living steps for restoring the injured little one to consciousness were at once taken. The poor children pronounced to be dead were first taken into the body of the hall, and laid in rows upon the floor. Over 20 of those that had been carried outside of the buildings for air were also found to be dead, and presented a pitiable spectacle as they lay on the ground. Other bodies, again were ranged in the principal lobby, and the lobby of the dress-circle was also used for this purpose, while some were carried direct from the writhing heap of humanity as soon as they were extricated to the abuse of Dr. John Potts, who placed his residence at the service of the rescuers. Fourteen were carried to the Palatine Hotel, where they were medically attended.

A gentleman named Raine has communicated the following statement Hearing of the accident I at once ran to the hall, where I found Mr. Graham and Police-constable Bewick busy attempting to rescue the children heaped up behind the gallery door. Mr. Graham handed the children out to us, and we placed those that we thought alive outside in the open air on the flags. There seemed to be hundreds of children lying on the landing behind the door, and it was a most terrible sight. We all exerted ourselves 1 to the very utmost to get the poor things from the door and give them some chance of being brought round again. Several people rushed in, but when they looked through the open space at the door and saw the mass of children dying and dead, some fainted and others were struck with horror and rushed out again without giving any help. After the lapse of a few minutes, however, from half-a-dozen to a dozen people were got to work. We went round from the dress circle, along a short corridor, and down the steps, reaching most of the children from above, dragging them out and passing them through the windows and floors into the dress circle lobby. We tried to pull the little fellows from amongst the writhing mass who were most pressed down at the bottom of the heap, but they were so terribly crushed that they failed to get hold of them in such a way as to enable us to release them without further injury, We were afraid, in one or two cases, that we might pull the bodies to pieces, BO we went steadily to work, lifting off the children from the top of the heap, and working down to those at the bottom. By far the greater portion of the children were dead, and therefore we gave a pre- ference to any in the heap showing signs of life. Some few moved, others gave vent to low groans, and these were as expeditiously as possible got out and taken either into the open lobby or into the body of the bIt Here they were arranged in rows, and the medical men, who were quickly on the spot, attended them."

A spectator asserts that quite twenty children were blocked up one above another in the aperture where the door was open 24 inches. The sum of 24 17s. 6d. had been taken in pennies, so that 1,170 children had paid for admission to the gallery. On Sunday morning all the bodies had been iden- tified with one exception, that of a boy, aged about seven years.

A SADDENING SPECTACLE, The Daily News, in a descriptive account, says The scene inside balles all description. The chil- dren were laid out in rows terrible to behold, many with their faces blackened, though cold in death. Their cheeks were swollen, their lips parched; and the tears of those beholding them could not be restrained. As parents were let in and out and identified their children their shrieks were terrible to hear. In some cases they fell upon their dead children, clasping them in their arms, and cried over them. In many instances the mothers swooned away, and bad to be carried aside, where others sought to restore and console them. The sight outside the hall was appalling, Men were to be seen carrying away in their arms the dead bodies of their children with a white cloth over their faces. The children had been examined and found lifeless before they were given up to their parents or relatives. At the front entrance of the hall every few minutes a parent or a friend carried out a dead body and got into a cab which drove them to their residence. As cab after cab drove off, the occupants with their dead children on their knees showed signs of great grief and in cases where mothers had come to identify their little ones the spectacle was heartrending. As some came out others wept and implored to be allowed in- side the building, and the police endeavoured in the kindest manner to help those seeking for their chil- dren. On inspecting the place where the disaster had oc- curred on the stairs there still remained the clothes, bonnets, and caps of at least 50 of the poor boys and girls who had been suffocated two hours previously. In the lobby below at this time two dead bodies of boys were lying on the table awaiting removal by their relations or friends. Stepping into the hall area, five rows of corpses were laid out, the number by this time reaching about 60, many having already been re- moved upstairs at the back of the dress circle. Upon the floor at the west side of the drees circle was a long row of 20 corpses, nearly all girls; and on the east side there were 21 boys laid out dead. Judging from the appearance of these, their ages varied from fire to thirteen. Looking along the different rows in the hall below some dreadful evidences of the sad nature of the event were to be seen. In the first row only two bodies, both of girls about eight or nine years of age, remained; the other children who had been deposited here having all been iden- tified and removed. In the second row the first body was that of a little boy, about six years old, his face slightly discoloured. Next to him was j a lad whose face was terribly swollen and blackened; and then eame three girls, the first about nine, the second about five, and the tbird about seven, all bearing signs of suffocation. A little space, and then two girls about eleven and six respectively were placed together, the next bodies after these being those of two boys, one about six and the other five years of age. In the third row the first was a little girl about fivs, then a boy about six with his hands crossed in front, then a girl of eleven or twelve, whose clothes had apparently been torn off in the struggle that had taken place, her remains being covered with a brown aproc. After a short interval weTP three children, I two girls and a boy, of about five or six. Then came I a little girl, with her face dreadfully blackened. Her sufferings had evidently been intense, and blood had flowed from her left ear. Next to these, in the same row, were seven bodies, five boys and two girls, all with one exception bearing traces of having died a horrible death. The exception referred to was a boy, whose face was white and placid, and very different from the swollen and darkened countenances of the bodies on each side of him. At the end of the row lay a girl about nine years of age, whose face was painfully swollen and distorted. Many bodies had been removed from the fourth row, but there still remained eleven corpses, mostly boys. One little fellow of five years of age, lying at the end, had his jacket torn from his back; his vest was torn open in front, and his mouth was cut and bleeding. Next to him lay a boy very black, but otherwise looking very cemposed. Then came five dead bodies, one poor boy in the group being a dreadful pioture, his face being black, his mouth bleeding, aad his clothes had been torn in the struggle. It must have been a dreadful death struggle by those poor children. It was afterwards noted that the boy just referred to was one of the last four to be identified. In the centre of the batch was an affecting spectacle, saddening to behold. It was the corpse of a little fellow who could not have been more than four years of age. He had on a top coat much too big for him; his little face was white and almost unmarked, appearing to be simply asleep. On looking close, there was a bruise on his right eyelid. He looked quite composed, and did not appear to have suffered beyond the slight blow or whatever had caused the discoloured eyelid. Two others of this group bore plain traces on their counten- ances of a severe attempt to free themselves from the deadly crush above them. The last of this group was a girl of eight or nine years of age, whose olothes were torn to some extent. A short dis- tance further were four more bodies—three girls and one boy, the boy being about six, and the girls evidently about five, seven, and nine years, one of the latter having a blackened appearance. In the fifth row, partly removed, were two girls about eight years of age, one of whom was in a dreadful state, her knees being covered with blood. The other was a taller girl of about thirteen years of age and then, after a short interval, were five bodies, all of whom but one were boys, and all of whom were more or less blackened and discoloured.

THE FUNERALS, The funerals of a large number of the children who lost their lives in the disaster took place on Tuesday. Commencing at ten o'clock the dismal processions were to be seen at intervals making their way to the three principal cemeteries in the town. In response to a request issued by the Mayor, the whole of the shops and places of business in the town had their shutters either wholly or partially closed, while along the route of the funerals the window blinds of all private houses were down. The victims by the sad disaster are nearly all chil. dren belonging to the poorer classes, and in most cases the mourners following the hearses were on foot, which seemed to add to the great solemnity of the pro- ceedings. In all about one-third of the dead were buried on Tuesday in the Sunderland, Bishopwearmouth, and Mere Knolls Cemeteries. The thoroughfares through which the mournful processions passed were filled with spectators, a large proportion of whom were working men. At most of the shipyards and engine works the men ceased at breakfast time, and in the remaining yards and shops, as well as in almost every other kind of employment, a stoppsge took place at midday. At the burials at Bishopwearmouth cemetery on Wednesday afternoon some very painful scenes oc- cured. The boy James Hayhurst belonged to the Rectory-park School, and as a mark of respect the childrefa belonging to his class accompanied his re- mains to the grave. Each of the twenty-six boys carried a bouquet, and at the end of the service they ap- proaohed the grave two by two and strewed the flowers upon the coffin, At Sunderland Cemetery the interment of the children began again on Wednesday at noon. The Rev. F. F. Goe, late rector of Sunderland, now of Bloomsbury, and Mrs. Goe sent a letter expressing their warmest sympathy with the bereaved to the Rev. R. Waters, the present rector, together with a wreath of roses, forget-me-nots, maidenhair and esplanium ferns. It will be laid on the large plot where most of the children are buried. The wreath has a black-edged card with the following inscription attached With deep sympathy from tbe Rev. F. F. and Mrs. Goe. 'Jesus called little children unto Him. The MayoresS deposited a bouquet pf flowers on the I graves of all the children who had been killed at the hall. Two more deaths are reported to have occurred at ] South Shields. The names of the children are Mary Jane Atkinson and Frederick Atkinson, eight and five years old respectively. The children resided at South Shields, but came to Sunderland on a visit to their grandmother. These children were slightly injured by the crush at the Victoria Hall, and the doctors dressed their wounds, which appeared slight. The children had received a great shock, and were unable to walk home. They. were carried to their grandmother's house, and the same evening they were taken by train to South Shields. There they gradually grew worse, and the doctor was called in and attended them. They both died on Monday, one at ten and the other at twelve in the morning. There were only two children in the family, and the father was at sea. ] —————————————— ] The official figures are now before the public, and, > with two deaths that have ocourred at South Shields, the number of children who have succumbed is de- finitely fixed at 182. The accuracy of this number is j proved by the following analysisIdentifications j before Mr. Crofton Maynard, 148; identifications before Mr. Graham, 32; deaths at South Shields, two, 1 Total—182. Writing on Monday the Vienna Correspondent of f the Daily Telegraph says:—Probably nowhere outside England has the terrible catastrophe at Sunderland made such a deeply painful impression as in Vienna, where it forcibly recalls the disaster of the Ring I Theatre. The details of the tragic event appeared this morning in a London telegram to the ExtraMatt, and a f few hours after its publication not a copy was to be had, such was the eagerness of the public to obtain j particulars. ]