h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: The Victoria Hall Disaster - A874172
Author: The Snockerty Friddle - U191777

Supporting entry for A873740

Blimey

A cheery little tale isn't it.

TSF

it's a good entry on an unnerving incident.

Blimey

I'd just run it through a spell check (conjouring -> conjuring) but it a great entry... very chilling.

corrected

TSF

Strike a light - I've never heard of that one before - reminds me of those 'morality stories' you find in pre-war Sunday School prizes. (Or you find them if you spend all your spare hours in second-hand book shops)

Good one. in fact

A very sad tale, but you have answered my confusion about why there was a covered statue in mowbray park. i'll have to have a closer look tomorrow.

Just read this TSF. Reminded me immediately of the football disasters and i'm sure there's an h2g2 entry on one of them (can't remember which at the moment - maybe Heysell - it would be worth a search and a link.

Interesting entry though. Is there an exact date for it?

I wonder if the throwing of sweets was part of his regular act, what was it about this particular crowd of children provoked this response? Of course, sweets were probably much more hard to come by in this time period, so they may have been much more desirable in the minds of the children.

Where did you get the background info, TSF? Is there more?

What happened to the conjurer?

Oh, yes - small typo - childrens > children's.

I'd known of the story for ages but details came from a couple of local history web-sites. I will add a link to those. They say that not only sweets were given out but that there were toys too, one claims that a broken rocking horse on display in the Sunderland museum was one of these toys.
There is a complete list of those who died here http://www.swinhope.demon.co.uk/genuki/Transcriptions/VictoriaHall.html , I wasn't going to include it in the piece but maybe I should put in the link anyway as it shows their names alphabetically along with their addresses too so it makes you realise how many families lost two or three children in one go.
Oh yes and the date was 16th june, accidental omission

TSF

Another glaring omission, now fixed, was of course the fact that the doors at the bottom of the staircase opened *inwards*

TSF

I think including the link would be good.

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Well done, SF!

Another great entry for the Edited Guide



J

2 for the price of one


TSF

congratulations monseuir friddle.

I actuallty went to look at the ststue the other day.

Ta very much to all


TSF

was it worth the visit Egon? Apparently it cost something like £30,000 to restore. I'd hav built them a new one for half that...

TSF

Well it was on my way home so it wasn't realy out of my way, but it is a very touching representation of a grieving mother, and they actually have a spotlight inside the protective canopy which makes it look very beautiful at night.