CHILDREN IN CINEMA

Greymouth Evening Star, 16 October 1933, Page 9

CHILDREN IN CINEMA

ALARM CAUSES STAMPEDE

GLASGOW, September 2

Eight children were taken to hospital and many others are suffering from shock as the result of a stampede in a picture house in the East End of Glasgow this afternoon. There were 900 children in the cinema, and they made a wild dash for the doors when someone shouted “fire.” But there was no lire./ Before the manager or the attendants could really appreciate what was happening, the audience rose in a body and made a. wild dash towards the exits. They tumbled over one another in their panic and the first children to reach the street shouted that, the place was ablaze.

In a few minutes, men and women were swarming round the doors of the picture house and endeavouring to gain access to the building while the children were pouring out ot it. In the congestion and panic at the front of the cinema, adults were knocked over by the excited young-

Mr. Burke, manager of the cinema, said that lie was. absolutely unable to cope with the situation. The children just rose and stampeded for the doors and, despite his appeals, they rushed for the exits, where they fell over one another. The extinguisher was standing on a window ledge and was knocked to the floor accidentally, or as a result of interference by a curious youngster. Valuable rescue work was done by a policeman on traffic duty. He rushed to the cinema and, crawling in on his knees, he pulled to safety dozens of children who were lying on the floor round the exit, while others were tumbling over them.