In December 1894 a large crowd of children and parents gathered in an overcrowded upstairs classroom at St Peter's National School on Raglan Street for a school performance. The gas lighting suddenly failed, the room was plunged into darkness, and a cry of "Ghost!" was reported. In the confusion people rushed to a narrow staircase, those at the front fell, and the crowd surged on unaware that the stairway had become blocked. Five children were crushed to death and many were injured. Local residents helped the injured.
It was suggested afterwards that two local youths had interfered with the gas supply as a prank. The boys were arrested and held, though accounts say at least one gave unreliable statements, and the circumstances were never fully resolved.
From this point the account passes from documented history to local tradition. Later retellings say one of the boys heard noises in custody, and that for months after, the school itself had unexplained sounds in empty rooms, breaking windows and moved furniture where the tragedy happened. There is no verifiable evidence for these claims, and they are recorded here only as a folk tradition.
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