The Sun.
London, England, 1857-06-08 00:00:00

THE DREADFUL _ACCIDENT AT TEE

HAUENSTEIN TUNNEL.

A telegraphic despatch, received about a week
ago, stated that the bodies of 54 victims of this
accident bad been got out. It appears, however,
that the announcement was premature, as it is
only three days back that the first 32 bodies were
arrived at and brought to the surface. We regret
to have io add that this extraction has cost the
lives of 16 labourers. The following are some de-
tails of the accident, contained in a letter from
Bale, of the 4th - - - -
" The Hauenstein tunnel is on the centre rail-
way which unites Bale to Aarau, Lucerne, Berne,
and other towns in the neighbourhood, and is five
kilometres (about three miles) in length. The cut-
ting of the tunnel having been commenced at both
ends, progressed satisfactorily until only about 300
metres remained to be pierced. In both sections
are several shafts for extracting earth and letting in
air, and in the northern one, one of the shafts,
bearing the No. 1, which is about 800 metres from
the spot where the works are going on, was sup-
ported by solid woodwork, to prevent the fall of
earth and stones. In the tunnel a fire was con-
stantly kept up, in order to increase the circulation
of air, and at the very bottom of the shaft a forgo
was established. The woodwork •of the shaft be-
came extremely dry, and at last, ctn the 28th ult., •
it caught fire. The flames shot up with extraordi-
nary rapidity, and set fire to all the woodwork in
the shaft, which was not less than 200 metres deep.
A column of flame rose high abOve the shaft, form-
ing a terrible spectacle. After a while a thick
column of smoke succeeded the flames, and in-
dicated that the bottom of the shaft bad
fallen in, and consequently that the retreat
of the labourers, whom it had been impossible to
warn, was cut off. To describe the scene of an-
guish which ensued would be impossible. People
rushed iu crowds to the entrance of the tunnel to
render assistance to the victims, and they reache 1
the mass of earth which had fallen in ; but a large
quantity of coal which had been collected near
suddenly caught fire, and it created such volumes
of smoke and gas that many were overcome, and
had to be dragged away by the others ; seven were
dead, and about 100 others were got out in a piti-
able state. At length something like order was
established, the workmen being formed into gangs,
who replaced each other every 10 minutes. Fire
engines were employed to throw water mixed with
chalk into the tunnel to extinguish the fire and
neutralise the noxious gas, and pipes for conveying
pure air to the workmen were established. At the
moment I write the cutting of a gallery in the mass
of fallen earth has commenced, though the fire is
not yet completely extinguished. But no hopes
whatever are entertained that any of the men
buried will be got out alive, for though they had
an open space of about 800 metres, and though in
it there is a spring of water,. and they
.had four
horses which they might kill for food, it is certain
that the noxious gas must have suffocated them.
Of the 54 men buried, 32 are Swiss, 4 English, and
18 Germans. The wives of the English workmen
who have perished have behaved in the most ad-
mirable manner, not only constantly encouraging
those who were eadeavouring to reach the unfortu-
nate men in the tunnel, but attending carefully to
such as suffered from their exertions."
Since the above account was written intelligence
has been received of the extrication of 32 dead
bodies.

FIRES.

DESTRUCTION OF THE RED LION INN, AT HOUN.
SLOW.—A fire was discovered to have broken out at this
well-known inn yesterday morning about five o'clock,
and so rapidly destructive were the flames, that the in.
terior of the house was wholly destroyed in a short
time, notwithstanding the efforts made by the lloun.
slow Barracks and Isleworth fire-engines to arrest their
progress. The pot-boy fortunately discovered the fire in,
time to enable the inmates attheesfitroo
oeoscmampeenwonitdhionutthpeersonal
what cause it is not at present known. The
cellar,
ilbnjousi rfyo
fi.eui talso is b
tror
the
i landlord,r6ke out
M Mr.
yesterday Lewis,
inthe
pre-
wises belonging to Mr. T. Trowell, a farmer,o situatenel
near the Nunhead Cemetery, Peckham. It
firemen were
andth e usvfinhraaebtl etch() touoyl
could
extinguish
a
in a wooden building filled with farm produce,cm andlie commenced
boruiigldiningosf
thelwe ee rn
ee
d c flameso.
cons
The
mh
eue dnn
n. t iffl To rhe theesufferer
was insured in the County Fire Office
Another fire happened through a Child playing
Lucifer matches, with
in the premises belonging to Mr. S.
Williams, situated at No. 10, Goldsmith-row, hackney.
road, and had it not been for the exertions of the neigh-
hours the child must have been burned to death, as the
whole of the bed, bedding, and ether articles, were
nce
in
flames before the child could be rescued. The engi
of the parish and London Brigade were so
not on in attend-
ance, and the flames were extinguished, but until
considerable mischief was done.
Late on Saturday night a call was received for a fire
at the East end, and which turned out tole of a very
trifling character ; but as one of the engines was pro.
passing over her arms, cut a large piece of
Feeding up Cornbill, a female was knocked down, and
the wheels
flesh off and broke the bone. The sufferer was at once
I removed by the firemen to the hospital, where she at
(resent remains.

Wosuzuvur, DiscovEuix4.—At the meeting of the
French Academy of Seim* on the 25th of filday, M.
Elie de Beaumont announced the folloPirg novelties,
viz.: a method of reproducing animal life ; 4
complete
solution of the problem of aerial navigation; a project
for a universal language ; and the discovery of the cause,
nature, and an infallible cure for the oholera.—Mcc/ta.
Itt44' lifagc4ZinC. •

.T.