The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1869-09-08
Fearful Accident in sazony
OYER FOUR HUNDRED LIVES iosr.

| cnrrence. From the Dresden cores
pondence of the London Times, dated
August 5th, we copy as follows:
Early On Monday morning last, in
telligence was received here that at a
short distance from this city upward of
four hundred men had fallen victims
to terrific colliery accident. At first
it was hoped the numbers were consid-
erably exaggerated, but it is nearly GER
tain now that the figures will prove
even greater, four hundred and twenty
or more being absent from the roll call
on Tuesday.
The following are the details as ex-
act as it is possible to arrive at them
dnring the CONSERVATION caused by
this sad calamity. On Monday morn
ing, at O'Clock, shock like that of
an earthquake ALARMED the neighbor-
hood of Potschappel, pretty little viii
lage somewhat resembling Matlock in
DerbyslIire, situated about five miles
from here among the hills beyond
Plauen, and it was Immediately sur
missed that an explosion, had occurred
in one of the great mines belonging to
Baron Burg. Two men were blown.
out OF the shaft by the force of the ex-
plosion, hut in such fragments as to be
altogether unrecognizable. The gas
ighited the coal, and for some hours
the pit was in flames. At ! P. N. a
man volunteered to descend, notwith-
standing several minor shocks had oc-
Cured, but when the cage returned to
the bank he, too, was gone, nor could
he be rescued before 3 P. NJ. tho fol-
lowing day ('ruesday,) when he was
found insensible and apparently dead
some yards from the bottom Of the
shaft. He has since recovered, and
states that ON first descending lie dis
tinctly heard cries for help, but this is
generally considered very improbable:
Up to Tuesday night only fifteen bod
les were recovered. Some were burnt
to cinders, Others singed black With
the explosion, the scene around being
past description. The crowds of poor
women, some of them having lost three
or fonr of their family, standing in the
widest grief around the pit, hoping
against hope that their loved ones
might still he rescued alive, the heart
breaking sobs of children. and the ster-
ner grief of the men, made the scene
in the extreme.
On Wednesday morning i went car
" to the spot aud found that altogeth-
er fifty bodies had been recovered and
were placed in a neighboripg shed for
recognition. En- route thither I met
cart after cart carrying away one or
two coffins, and two large vans loaded
with empty shells for the reception of
the bodies as they were brought to the
bank. saw altogether thirty corpses,
and. their state defies description
Here long shapeless black mass,
which the miners told you was one of
their comrades, but 10 which it was
difficult to recognize the slightest like
ness to humanity--here one had his
head blown off, there one his arm one
lay Oh his bed Of leaves with his face
split open; another as though much
bruised by the coal falling on him.
The sad work of recognition was pro.
ceeded with as much dispatch as
possible, and the bodies were then
placed in their shells and their names
written on the lid in chalk. A shrek
in yon corner would tell of mother
recognizing her son, or wife her hus.
band, lying among the long row Of the
unsightly corpscs, while the plaintiff
vail throughout told of. q far wider
spread grief, conversed with one Of
the miners who had Just come up. and
he said the labor Of recovery must be
very slow; labont one body every three
hours) as the sides of the mine had fall.
len in, and they had to work the coal
away. In most cases they found the
men lying under the sides Of the mine
some buried in coal, others on whom
the coal had fallen and then burnt up.
One WAS found near the mouth of the
farthest shaft, hardly injured at all,
and as he lay in the shed he formed a
striking contrast to his companions,
being extremely white and we'll Dress
ed. The appearances of the few recov-
cred seems to indicate that most of
them must have been killed from suffo
cation, being mucl, swollen in the face,
aud nearly all bleeding considerably at
the nose only a few Cat presently being
much burnt with the explosion.
Two men work at a time at each
end, the two shafts being quite three
hundrcd yards separated, but they
ceased work at the end nearest the vii
lage on Tuesday. EACH man dis he de-
scends is asked whether he is perfectly
willing to go down, and at first Mass
was held for those who we're to de-
scend, at the top of the pit. The
depth is three hundred and thirty
French metres and t1,a HnItiary 10 .;.