2.--An appalling loss of life was occasioned at Yarmouth by the fall of
the Suspension Bridge, which had been the subject of so much litigation
between Mr. Cory and the Yarmouth and Norwich Railway Company. A clown
named Nelson, belonging to Cooke's Equestrian Circus, had announced that
he would perform the feat of sailing in a tub drawn by four geese from
the old Draw Bridge to the Suspension Bridge. Thousands of persons
assembled to witness the spectacle, and upon the bridge itself there were
between 400 and 500. The bridge, which was the chief means of transit
from the railway terminus to the town, and had been widened to admit of
increased traffic by a footpath constructed on either side, was suspended
from two piers. Just as the clown was entering the Bure, at ten minutes
to six o'clock, there was a rush to the south side of the bridge, the
suspension rods snapped, the chains gave way, and "the bridge fell on
that side like the leaf of a table let down," pouring the crowd upon it
into the water. A terrible scene ensued. As many as possible were
rescued and conveyed to the Vauxhall Gardens, but notwithstanding the
efforts made by watermen in boats and upon the river banks, there was
fearful loss of life. An inquest was opened at the Church Hall on the
3rd, when Mr. Cooke, the proprietor of the circus, intimated that he
would at once withdraw his company from the town. The inquiry was
adjourned from time to time, and at the last sitting Mr. James Walker,
C.E., who had been sent down to examine into the cause of the disaster,
reported: (1) the immediate cause of the accident was a defect in the
welding of the bar which first gave way; (2) that the quality of the iron
and the workmanship were defective, and the accident would not have
happened had the work been properly examined at the time of construction;
(3) the widening of the bridge appeared to have been made without
sufficient reference to its original strength and the weight which it had
to support; and (4) that in the original construction of the bridge the
casualty of a great load all on one side did not appear to have been
contemplated. The jury returned a verdict in accordance with Mr.
Walker's conclusions. The number of dead bodies recovered was 77; some,
however, were supposed to have been carried away by the current. Nearly
all the sufferers were children or very young persons, but it was related
as "a very extraordinary circumstance" that "Mr. Thomas Bowles, aged 84,
who was on board the Royal George when she sank, and who is probably the
only living survivor, should have been on the Suspension Bridge during
the late accident. He was precipitated into the water, but was once more
miraculously saved."
3.--The Norfolk Yeomanry Cavalry assembled at East Dereham in stronger
force than on any previous occasion, for eight days' permanent duty.
--The last troop of the 4th Dragoons marched from Norwich Barracks, and
were, on the same day, replaced by the 7th Hussars.
5.--Died at West Somerton, aged 74, "Mr. William Hales, father of nine
children, whose united heights amount to 57 ft. 6 in., including the
Norfolk giant and giantess."
7.--The experiment was made at Norwich Theatre of still further reducing
the prices of admission to 2s. 6d. for dress boxes, and to 1s. 6d. for
the upper circle.
8.--Mr. Walter Morgan, aged 23, of the firm of Messrs. Morgan, of the
King Street Brewery, Norwich, met with his death by falling into a vat of
beer.
10.*--"A handbill has been published in Norwich showing that out of 1,664
persons who have had small-pox, 1,536 had not been vaccinated, and only
128 were vaccinated. Out of 506 who had escaped the disease altogether,
only 84 had not been vaccinated, and 422 vaccinated. Of 141 who had died
from small-pox, only four had been vaccinated, one a man 93 years old;
the other three were suffering from teething or were otherwise ill when
vaccinated."
24.*--"The Hanworth Hall estate, comprising a mansion, cottages, and
1,465 acres of land, has been disposed of by private contract to Mr.
William Howe Windham, of Felbrigg Park, for 65,000 pounds."
26.--A series of lectures on phonography was commenced at the Assembly
Rooms, Norwich, by Mr. Joseph Pitman and Mr. Reid. "Mr. Reid appears to
have mastered the system so far as to be able to follow a speaker, but no
reporter has yet adopted it."