Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1871-06-22
LOST IN THE CATACOMBS OF PARIS.

AUS1 IN L III IA ANVVuDS VI L AhlS.
The Terrible Retreat from Fort Vanves
--Thirty-six Hours Underground.
Correspondence of the New York Times.
PARIS, May 10, 1S71.-We have been
supping full Of horrors nearly every
evening; we have had horrible re-
treat, horrible tumble and horrible
explosion. The retreat was the retreat
from the Fort of Vanves the tumble,
that of the Column of Vendome, Ga
copy of the celebrated Antonine pillar
at Rome, and the explosion, that of a
cartridge mandatory, which blew up
on Wednesday evening, and, according
to the official account, which accuses
the parracine Theirs of the disaster, en-
compassed the destruction OF hundred
adults and one child at the least.
When last wrote Nanves was in n
critical position, hanging only by the
skin but few days later the garrison
came to the conclusion that it was high
time to go home The easements had
been broken in, and the troops of the
Assembly had succeeded In almost in
vesting the place. Even the Com
mandant, Durassier, who had just Ia
ken command of the fort with the very
best intentions, felt that he would be
more at ease within the walls of the
capital, and, to cut a long story short,
it was decided to evacuate the place. H.
stead Of returning across the open
country, which was commanded by the
Chassepots of the regulars, it
was determined to regain Paris
by subteraneous passage commu
nicating with the interior of the city,
and this accounts for the fact of the
work having been abandoned without
the knowledge of the enemy. On Fri
day the garrison suddenly disappeared.
and but for fortuitons circumstance
would certainly have persisted i'll the
bowels of the earth. The country be-
tween the fort aud the city is ike a
rabbit warren, and is honey -combed
with galleries which communicate with
the celebrated Catacombs. Men to
plunge into their intricacies without
guides or lights must be sore pushed,
but this is what the garrison of Nanvres
did and narrowly escaped perishing. A
man named Chollet has related how
he was instrumental in saving the
insurgents from these "Stygian caves
forlorn. He and his comrades happened
to have some stone-cutting to do III the
vicinity of the fort, and they set
out for their work at 6 p. m. At 10
o'clock Chollet reports that he fell in
with body of National Guards, COM
handed by a youthful officer, the whole
party being in lamentable state of
dirt. hunger and fatigue. The officer
turned out to be young woman who
had distinguished herself during the
siege of the fort, by pointing the can
mons and encouraging the men. Chollet
served out candles to this unfortunate
detachment, which had given up all
hopes Of ever seeing daylight again,
and undertook to extricate them. 1t
was long and perilous march back,
through damp, unwholesome passages,
cut upon various levels, but after few
hours the Catacombs were safely reach
ed, and there Chollet and his party fell
in with another detachment of the late
garrison, which was valnly en-
deavoring to escape from the
realms of Pluto. Once in the Cata-
combs the road became easier, and in a
short time the open air was reached,
and had the effect of intoxicating the
National Guards. With the fatigue,
moral and physical, it was some time
before they could speak and relate their
adventures. They at last told how they
had been obliged to abandon Vanves,
and it was clear that large portion of
the garrison must still be in the sub
terraneous galleries. There is an old
saying "Fdcitis decensus averno, BUTT
is quite another thing mounting from
the Internal regions when once you
have descended. The intrepid Chollet
and his men set out in quest of the re-
mainder of the garrison, and after some
hours, came to dark and loathsome
spot, where the foul air extin-
gllished their candles, but beyond they
heard men groaning, and they push
ed CALAMITY forward and found another
portion of the ex-defenders of the fort
lying half dead in one of the most
noisome places of the galleries, After
taking certain precautions this party
was also e1tricated from It's dangerous
position, and after long tramp
through fetid pools and noisome vaults,
the surface was attained. Another lot
was recovered at o'clock in the eve
ming, after having been under ground
for thirty six hours. Such was the ter
rible retreat from Vanvres. I saw
some of the men who had made this
march they looked more like ghouls
than human creatures, were very dirty
and very drunk, and had evidently COM
menced by making clean the inside Of
the platter
An Affecting California Incident.