Belated information regarding the affair reached the Chinese press in Shanghai only yesterday stating that even children of high officials were among the injured. Under the official supervision, some artistically-minded and patriotic. Chinese decided to stage some plays in order to impress the people of the fall of their famous lake city. The meeting was called to order at 7 p.m. at the "Wen Chang Pavillion," a temple for the Chinese scholar" god, by Mr. Chu Changoao, the magistrate who made an opening speech.
No sooner had Mr. Chu finished his concluding remarks than a loud explosion occurred in the make-up oom which soon gave in and many players were either crushed to death or fatally injured under the debris. The magistrate and all those attending the meeting took to their heels and the stampede for safety started.
Police and militiamen started a thorough investigation of the tragedy afterwards but the report did not mention the cause of the explosion. Clearing-up work continued until midnight when 22 persons were definitely known to have been killed Fifteen bodies were recognized by their crying relatives. More than 60 injured persons weregtaken to two hospitals.
Daughters of Messrs. Hsu Shao-ti and Chao Chung-ssu, head of the Department of Education of the Chekiang Provincial Government and principal of the Chekiang Middle School respectively, who were to have participated in a play, were among the injured. Mr. Vu Tzehsien, a primary school principal, was seriously injured because he was standing near the make-up room at the time of explosion
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.