FATAL PANIC IN A MENAGERIE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXI, Issue 9581, 4 August 1894, Page 2 (Supplement)

FATAL PANIC IN A MENAGERIE.

An extraordinary series of accidents happened at a menagerie at St. Gilles les Bruxelles, on Juno 5. A box containing gunpowder, which had been left near the entrance, by some means exploded and set fire to the clothing of a woman who was acting as money taker. The noise of the explosion and the cries of the woman caused a panic among the persons inside the menagerie, and the whole of the spectators, about 300 in number, made a rush for the door In the confusion a child fell close to a cage containing bears, and was pullled in and torn to pieces. Another child was knocked down and trampled under foot by the crowd, which was in a thoroughly terrified condition owing to the roaring of the animals and the smoke from the canvas roof, which had also caught fire. The flames were soon extinguished, and it was then found that some thieves, taking advantage of the alarm, had stolen the cashbox, containing several hundred francs, the receipts of the last few days. This succession of disasters so affected a wild-beast tamer that he attempted to throw himself into a cage of untamed lions, and was only with difficulty restrained.