The Portland daily press., 1891-07-28
Helpless Victims Escaped The Flames
10 Meet Another Fate
POrty.Three Dead and Over One Hun
dred Rescued TO Suffer.


PARIS, July 27.-Rep0rtS from st. Maude.
near Vincennes, the scene Of the collision
between two excursion trains loaded with
passengers returning from musical festival
at Fonenoy, show that the collision was a
most terrible affair. The engine of one of
the excursion trains telescoped three car
riages loaded with excursionists, and at the
same time the reservoir of gas on the DAM
aged train exploded and set fire to the wreck
age, while scores of people were pinioned
down, wounded aud helpless. beneath the
ruins of the three carriages. In very short
time the flames spread to such an extent that
numbers of the wounded were slowly roast
ed to death before the eyes of those who
were doing their utmost to save them.
Many of the unfortunate people impris-
oned beneath the cars were drowned by the
firemen, who were summoned to the scene.
Forty minutes elapsed before the fremen
were able to obtain water, but when they
did so they poured torrents upon the wreck,
and seemed to be utterly unaware of the fact
that they were drowning the people whom
they were atte npting to rescue. Today the
town hall of st. Maude presents fearful
spectacle. The blackened bodies Of the dead
lie in rows upon tables in that building. In
some cases the remains are but little more
than heaps of cinders, intermixed with por-
tions of limbs or fragments of other parts of
what were but short tine ago human be-
ings. One pile Of charred limbs and human
cinders was especially conspicuous,as as 1t con-
sisted of a mass of unidentified and uncOn-
nected bodies placed In heap.
The majority OF the victims were women
and children. The work of rescue proceed
ed slowly during the night until dawn. Peo-
pie then began to flock TO the scene by thou
sands. many seeking friends who had not re-
turned from the fete by .davbreak. There
were 10000 persons around the station and
the schoolrOom and town hall, where the
bodies of the dead were lying. were besieged
by distracted people. Inside there was
constant succession of heaTtrending scenes.
A man searching for his relatives suddenly
came upon the bodies of his wife and daugh-
ter, His cries attracted a br0ther-in-law,
who, In turn, recognized a grandcbild lying
dead, and learned that his wife aud mother
were in the hospital dying. A man who,
for a long time, had been rushing about half
demented, seeking his family, stopped lit
ter entering the sch0olr0om and found that
thatifbore the CharTed bodies of his wife and
baby, the latter being only few months old.
Five of this mans children were on the train
and only one was rescued living. Most of
the bodies In the town hall are scorched be
yond recognition. Among the injured sent
to the hospital, number died Immediately
after admission and many are expected to
succumb.
Inquiry into the causes of the accident
shows that the second train left Vincennes
at the regulation interval Of five minutes af-
ter the first train. The latter train was de-
crowd of excursionists. The station master
at Vincennes blames the driver of the see
ond train for the accident. When this train
was starting, the station master advised the
driver to go slowly as there was a train in
front. but the man paic no heed to the ad-
vice and went ahead at full speed. The
driver at first alleged that all the signals in
dicated that the line was clear. But inquiry
confirms the report of the officials at st.
nails were shown. The driver now asserts
that he has been the victim of an act of re-
venge on the part of some one who severed
communication with the Westinghouse
brakes, thus preventing him from bringing
the train to a standstll the instant he per-
ceived the lights in the rear of the stationa-
ry train.
The stoker of the second train declares
that when the train left Vincennes, the sig
nal discs indicated that there was no danger
ahead. On reaching the Pont Tournelle.
close to the station of st. Maude where the
line curves, he caught sight OF the red lamps
on the rear OF the front train. He then
tried to put on the brakes but they failed to
dCt pIUpctlys N icduluS OluCIdt VI tuo Idtl
ways blames the public for crowdlng into
the rear van, which. he says. was intended
to remain empty. The greatest number of
dead we've found beneath the ruins of this
van. From the force of the collision, the
engine mounted to the top of the rear van
crushing it to fragments. An official state
ment makes the number of dead 43 and the
number of injured 104.
Among the victims are the Marquis and
Marquise Montferate. An artillery lieuten-
ant climbed to the top of burning car to
rescue a girl, but fell with her into the blaz-
ing nlass and neither was seen again. 1t is
reported that warrants have been issued for
the arrest Of the driver of the second train
and the traffic manager at Vincennes sta
tion.
LIE Paris this evening states that an inves-
tigation which has been made into the st.
Maude railroad accident has disclosed the
startling fact that the disaster was inten-
ti0nally caused by some unknown miscreant,
who deliberately altered the signals so as to
bring the two trains into collision. This an
n0uncement has caused the most intense in
dignation among the relatives and friends of
the victims, and has aroused popular feeling
generally to a state of great excitement.