Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1857-07-09

Terrible Accident in Switzerland
The following are some of the details of
the accident at the Hauenstein TuuneI,con-
tanned in a letter from Basle of the 4th:
1.-The Hauenstein Tunnel is on the GEN.
tire railway which unites Basle to Aarau,
Lucerne, Berne, and other towns in the
neigh hborhood, and is five kilometres (about
three miles) in length. The cutting of the
tunnel Having been commen need at both ends.
progressed satisfactorily until onlyi about
three hundred metres remained to b. fl uish.
ed. In both sections are several shafts for
extracting earth and letting in air, and in
the not thern one one ol he shafts, bearing
the No /, which is about eight ndred me-
tres fro the spot where the works are 60
ing on, was supported by solid wood work
to prevent the tall of earth and stones. In
the tunnel fire was constantly kept up in
order to increase the circulation of air, and
at the very bottom of the shaft forge was
established. The wood d-work of the shaft
bee anne extremely dry, and at last, on the
2sth ultimo, it caught fire. The flames
shot up with extraordinary rapidity, and set
fire to all the wood work in the shaft, which
w's not less than two hundred metres deep
A column offiame rose high above the shaft,
forming terrible spectacle After awhile
thick column of smoke succeeded the
flames, and indicated that the shaft had fal-
len in, and that consequently the retreat of
the laborers, whom it had been impossible
to warn, as Gu, off To describe the scene
of anguish which ensued would be impossi-
bic. People rushed in crowds to 1.-THE en-
trance of the tunnel to render assistance to
the victims, and they reached the mass OF
earth which had fallen in; but a large guam
tity of coal which had been collected caught
fire, and created such volumes Of smoke
and gas that many ewere overcome
and had to be dragged away by the others;
seven were dead, and hundred others
were got out in pitable state. At length
something like order was established, the
workmen being formed into gangs, who re-
placed ea.h other every ten minutes. Fire
engines were employed to throw chalk and
water into the tunnel TO extinguish the fire
and neutralize the noxious gas, and pipes
Tor conveying pure air to the workmen were
established. The cutting of a gallerey in
the mass of fallen earth has been commen-
ced, though the fire is not yet comp etely
extinguished But no hopes whatever are
en,ert 'ined that any of the men buried wi
be got out alive,for though they had an open
space of about 500 metres, and though in it
there is spring o: water, and they had four
horses which they might kill for food, it is
certain that the noxious gas must have SUI
focated them. Ofthe 81 men buried 80 we're
Swiss, English. and Is Germans The
wives OF the English workmen who have
persisted have behaved in the most adm:ra-
BILE manner, not only constantly encoura-
ging those who were endeavoring to reach
the unfortunate men in the tunnel, but at
tending carefully to such as suff red from
their exertions.
"Since the above account was written in
tellegence has been received of the extrica
tion Of 81 dead bodies but we regret to learn
that sixteen Of the laborers employed to
open tic gallerey have perished by the poi
sonous vapors VIII ich were collected there,
making the total mortality, with the 81
men buried in the first instance, no less
than seventy.