The Sun.
London, England, 1842-05-13 00:00:00

THE LAZE RAILROAD ACCI:DENT
NEAR PARIS.
(From Galignani's Messenger.)
The painful interest excited by this melancholy et sent con-
tinues unabated, or, to speak more, correctly, augeut •nts with
each new afflicting detail; for every hour has shown that the
accounts of the disaster, which were in the first instanee founded
upon public rumour, were not exaggerated, as is usually the
case, but were rather under the truth.
The Gazette de France of yesterday evening has the eel.
lowing :—" The official declaration of the death of ReareAd-
miral Dumont d'Urville, and his wife and only son, a you th of
fourteen, has been received by the Minister of Marine. The
bodies of this unhappy family have been recognised by several
persons, and, as has been already stated, a letter, which
was found on the person of the Admiral, did root permit any
doubt to be entertained of his identity. .M. Dumont:
d'Urville, who had commanded two expeditions of circum-
navigation, and braved so many dangers during a career of
more than thirty-five years, was aged only fifty-one years
and a few months. He was created a Rear-Admiral in 1840.
It will be remembered that this celebrated navigator gave
the name of his wife Adelie to the region which he disco-
vered in his last expedition. By the orders of she Minister of
Marine a commission has visited the late residence of the Ad-
miral, to collect. all the payers which may be usetal to the navy
or to science. It is not true that a naval officer perished with
him, but the report may be attributed to the following circum-
stances :—ln one of the wag,e,ons was a Lieutenant de Vais-
seau, named Guilbert, and his young wife. The vehicle they
were in followed that in which were the admiral and his family,
and was thrown with great -violence by the shock againet that
which preceded it, but the lieutenant had so much presence
of mind, strength, and resolution, that in a few seconds he
succeeded in releasing his lady and himself from their danger--
cue and distressing position, and getting away from the scene
of desolation. Among the sufferers was a young builder
named Pouf, who had both his legs cut off. In the same car-
riage were his brother and his sister-in-!awe who both got safe.
out, but, on looking for him, they found him horribly muti-
lated, as we have said. They got him to Paris, where he soon
died. It has been stated that the number of dead, including
those in the hospitals and at their own homes, amount to at
least 107. This at present may be an exaggeration, but from
the many known to be in a precarious state, the estimate is
likely ere long to be fully realised."
The Monitear Parisien furnishes the following additional
detail :—" From the want of water, the fire continued to rage
until its aliment was almost entirely exhausted, and did not
subside till eleven o'clock. Its intensity might be judged of by
the quantity of the jewellery and money belonging to the pas-
sengers afterwards found in a state of fusion among the ashes. It.
is stated that one of the rails had been broken to the extent of
four or five yards. The two nephews of M. Roulin, librarian
of the Institute, were seriously injured. At eight o'clock, about
two hours after the accident, a train arrived in Paris with some
of the victims recovered from the burning mass. One died on
the way, and six were placed in one of the rooms of the station,
converted into a temporary hospital. A captain of artillery
had his leg broken initwo places. A woman had her thigh and
leg broken, and her face, mouth, and hands, terribly scalded by
the steam. One elderly man had his jaw fractured. One of
the stokers was dreadfully crushed on the loins, and two other
men were suffering from various contusions. They were all
in a state of stupor or delirium. M. Berard, surgeon of
the Necker hospital, accompanied by M. Daremberg,
one of the assistants, and a great many stu-
dents, came and had them conveyed to the Institution,
or to their homes. At twelve o'clock on the day after the
accident, the site of the catastrophe still presented a frightful
spectacle. The two engines completely blocked up the road,
and at certain distances along it were to be seen carbonised
fragments of the waggons, calcined bones, remnants of shawls
and veils, and various
,portions of dresses stained with blood.
Some soldiers kept the ground clear for such as came to seek
traces of t heir lost relations. We are informed that the grand-
son of a late Prefect was among the killed. We are happy to
learn that M. Rebel, the Avocet, is considered to be out of
danger. He was taken into the house, at Meudon, of M.
Walker, a pleader at the Tribunal de Commerce, who also took
charge of several others.
" Mr. George, the engineer, who was killed, was for many
years employed in the St. Etienne Railway. On the after-
noon of this melancholy accident he went with the same loco-
motives to Versailles, and had with him his two sons, who were
to have returned with him at halt-past five ; but they sol cited
leave to stay to see the close of the playing of the waters, which
was granted, and thus they probably escaped destruction. Not
the slightest vestige of this unfortunate man's remains has been
found. Three watches have been discovered, one of which is
said to have belonged to him, but even this is not positive. He
was forty-one years of age, and is said to have been distin-
guished for sobriety and good conduct."
The following results of the disaster is given by this morn-
ing's Quotidienne :—" It was ascertained last night that 87
were dead, comprising these who expired in the hospitals, and,
from the state of others who are injured, there is every reason
to apprehend the number will be increased to upwards of 96."
The Debuts states the number of dead to be much smaller than
that given by some of the journals, brit more considerable than
the number stated by the Messager. According to the Debats,
the number of deaths known up to yesterday evening was 59.
Among the dead seas M. Chavardes, an insurance agent of
Bezirres, accompanied by a friend and his wife, who had been
married only three months, and two other friends. The bus.
hand of the lady, who is lodged at the Hotel du Globe, in the
Rue Croix des Petits CliampS, had both his legs fractured; two
gendarmes dragged him from the waggon, but it required so
much force, that the joints of both the poor man's arms were
dislocated. This was partly occas:oned by hisgrasping his wife
in the hope of saving her also, but she was so much burnt,
that a fragment of her flesh came off in his hand. Among
the persons recognised at the Morgue are a lady named
Mignot, and her son-in-law, and M. Droitecourt, au oil-
merchant, of the Rue Mauconseil. The son of General
Pertherny, a youth only 17, and a friend of his father's, were
taken home on Monday evening very much disfigured, but
hopes are entertained that both will recover. A M. Albinet,
of the Rue d'Enfer, who is 76 years old, had both his thighs
broken. Ho refuses to undergo amputation, and is waiting
his last moment with perfect resignation. His son, his grand-
son, and the wife of the latter, weac with him in the train, and
are all severely injured. A young man, who was on the top
of one of the waggons, was thrown by the shock into a vine
ground. He felt much hurt, but was able to drag himself to
a neighbourmg house. lie opened the door and entered, seated
himself on a chair, and uttering a cry, fell dead. One of the
stakes for training the vines had pierced his chest.
" A singular incident occurred during the confusion on Sun-
day evening. M. Mari in, a merchant, having a country house
at Bellevue, had his cabriolet and his horse at his door, ready
to r onvey him to Paris, but called away by the report of the
accident, he became.so engaged by h.s anxiety to render assist.
ante, that he entirely forgot his intended departure, and when
ho returned to his house at a late hour, his cabriolet and his
horse had disappeared, and were nst seen till five o'clock yes-
terday morning, when they were brought back and fastened
at his own clone. They had, in the meantime, been used in
conveying the sufferers to Paris."

FALL OF A RAILWAY BRIDGE
AND LOSS OF LIFE.
(From the Chelmsford Chronicle of this day. )
Yeste: day morning a fearful accident occurred on the works
of the Eastern Counties Railway, at Kelvedon, in the fall of a
stupendous bridge, which was very near completion, occa-
sioning the loss of one life, and injuring six other persons.
The bridge in question was situated on the north side of the
high road, at the east end of Kelvedon. h consisted of three
arches, the first being thrown over the road leading to Cogg,cs-
hall, the second over the ricer, and the third joined up to the
embankment at the Colchester end. The centre of the first
arch was struck last week, and the road under it had been
thrown open to the public. The clearing of the timbers from
the other arches was completed on Monday, and a great
number of bricklayers had been employed throughout this week
in carrying up the parapets. The rails had been laid down,
and the earth waggons were worked over it, to carry on the
embankment at the eaet end. Yesterday morning there
were altogether about twenty men employed upon it, when,.
about ten o'clock, the whole suddenly came down with a
crash which sounded to the inhabitants of Kelvedon like
a heavy peal of thunder. Fifteen or sixteen bricklayers.
who were upon the scaffolding, were hurled, with the bricks,
timber, and earth, in all directions, some of them falling intsa
the river ; but, fortunately, they appear to have escaped with
only a few bruises and lacerations. At the moment of
the fall, however, a man named Thomas Llsley, a " tipper
on the embankment, was standing behind a leaded
earth-waggon, at the edge of the last arch, and was con-
sequently carried clown in the fall, the earth-v agg,on falling on
him, crushing and partially burying him in the rubbish. As :soon
as the confusion consequent upon the alarm of the terrific crash
had subsided, prompt assistance was rendered to extricate bran,
but he was quite dead. Another man, an aged labourer, was
got out from the mass of rubbish, and was found to have onelof
his legs dreadfully crushed ; but prompt medical assistai ice
being rendered it is hoped he may survive.
For some time it was feared that several other person% had
perished, but the workmen were assembled, and it was found
this was not the ease.

A bricklayer, named Waight, had an almost. miraculous es—
cape from destruction. He was employed upon the brick-w ork
near the end of the bridge, and feeling the whole mass giving
way under him, he gave a sudden spring and jumped into tile
middle of the river, by which he escaped comparatively unhurt.
We are informed that the accident was caused by the wet
state of the weather when the work was put together. In col a-
-1 sequence of which the centres have been kept in for the last foi it
months, by the direction of the engineer-in-chief, but were, 'En
the course of the last week, eased by the contractor. The whc he
mass was at first a wreck, completely blocking up the road,
but vast numbers of workmen were employed in clearing aw ty
the materials, to make a way for passengers along the road,
and afford a vent to the waters of the river, which were partiall:.y
dammed up the ruins. This was speedily effected, and both
the road anel river were restored to their former state. The
damage is estimated at 2,6001., which will fall upon the con -
tractors, Messrs. Wythes.
Soon after the accident occurred, Mr. Braithwaite, the e n-
g!neer-in-chief, was upon the spot, to take the necessary stein,
and ascertain the cause of, and remedy the calamity.

THE MARKETS.-(THIS DAY.)
CORN EXCHANGE.
We had a good arrival of Oats and Foreign Wheat, but trade
was excessively dull, and the few sales made were at last
Alonday's quotations. In the seed trade scarcely anything
was done.