The weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1852-1858, 1857-07-04
Terrible Calamity I'm Switzerland Sew
antY Lives Lost.

II
The following are some details OF the acct
dent, contained in letter t. ON Basic, of the
4th :
THE Haunestein Tunnel Is on the centre
railway which untes Basic to Aarau, Lu-
cerne, Berne and other towns in the neigh.
borhsod, and is FIVE kilometrea (sbout three
miles, in length. The cutting OF the tunnel
having been Commenced at both ends pro
crossed satisfactorily until only about three
hundred metres remained to be pierced. In
both sections arc several shafts for extracting
earth and letting in ar, and in the northern
one, one Of the shafts, bearing the No 1, which
is about 500 main.s from tEp spGt where the
works are going on, was supported by solid
woodwork to prevent the fall Of earth and
stones.
''In the tunnel fire was conatantly kept
up, in order to increase the circulation of ar,
and al the very bottom of the shaft ford
was Established. The wood work became
extremely dry, end at asst, on the 26th ult,
1t caught fire. i'h6 names shot up with 6x-
traordinary rapidly, and set fire to all the
wood work in the shaft, which was not less
than two hundred metres deep. A column
of flames rose high above the shaft, forming
terrible spectacle. After q while thick
column of smoke succeeded the flames, and
indic..' ed that tie hatteT Gf the shaft hsd
fallen in, and that consequently tho Fetreat
of tn laborers, whom It had been impossible
to warn, was cut off, TO describe the scene
of anguish which ensued would be inpossi-
bic. People rushed in crowds to the entrance
of the tunnel to render assistance to the vic
Tins, and they reached the mass of earth
which had flllep in but . Large qaaatity Of
coal VIII CHI had been collected near suddenly
caught fire, and it created such volumes of
smoke and gass that many were overcome
AMI had to be dragged away Ivy the others !;
segen vara dead, aud L4naI 3D. others were
got ont in a pitiable state. At length some
thing like order was established, the worknen
beng formed into gangs, who replaced each
other every ten minutes. Fire-engiucs were
employed to throw chalk water into the tur
nell 70 ex'iir.gpish! the f,p and hent4al-s the
noxiGus eas, aid pipes for Conveying pure air
t. the wOrkmen were established. The cut
ting of gallery in the mass of fallen earth has
been C mmenccd. though the fire is not vet
completely extinguished. But no hopes
whatever are entertained that any 9f the MEN
buried will be got alive. for though they hal
an open space Of about 800 metres, and
though in it there is spring of water, and
they had four horses which they might kill for
70. d, it is certain that the loxious gas must
have suffocated them. OF the "a men buried,
81 are SWISS four English, and eighteen Ger.
mans.
The wives of the English workmen who
have persisted have behaved ,n the most ad-
mirahlle manner not Gully eenstaatly sacour-
aging those who were endeavoring to reach
the unfortunate men in the tunnel but at
teEding carefully to such as suffered from
their exertions.
":oince the above account was written intel.
'igence has been received Ct tia eSteication Of
thirIy-two dead bodies but we regret to learn
that sixteen IT the labo' ers employed to open
the gale y haye persisted by the poisonous
vapors which were collected therc, making
the total morality, with the ffty-four men
buried in the first instance n0t less tAaa SOW
entS," ~