The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1891-07-30
THE HORRIBLE OUTDONE.
TWO HUNDRED PEOPLE KILLED OR liz.
JURED IN A WRECK
Ont French Railway-TwoE Excursion Trains
collide with Terrible Results-Fire
and Water Add Horror to
the Sickening Scene.

PARIS, July 27.-The latest reports
received from st. Maude-near-V Vim
cennes. the scene of the collision OF
two excursion trains loaded with pas.
sengers returning from the musical
festival at Fontenay, show that forty
nine people were killed and 100 in
jured by the accident. Six people
died after being eXtricated from the
ruins. Details of the accident now
being received from st. Maude show
that the collision was the most terri
BILE 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 damagsd train exploded and
set fire to the wreck, while score of
people were pinioned under the ruins
of the three carriages. In a very
short time the flames spread to such
an extent that a number the wound
ed were slowly roasted to death
before those who We're doing their ut
most to rescue them. The horrible
shrieks of the burning people and
cries of desperation and terror uttered
by the survivors who were engaged
in the work ofrescue continued almost
without interruption for half an hour
after the collision.
LATER.
1t is now reported that 200 people
were either killed or injured as the re-
suit of the collision. Many unfortu-
nate people imprisoned beneath the
wreck were drowned while partly
roasted by fire. Men who We're sum-
to the scene say forty minutes
escaped before the firemen were able
to obtain water, but when they did
they poured torrents upon the wreck
and seemed to be utterly unaware of
the fact that they were drowning peo-
pie they were attempting to save.
Today the town hall of st. Maude
presents fearful spectacle. The
blackened bodies of the dead lie in
rows upon the floor and on the tables
in that building. In some cases the |
are but little more than a
heap of cinders intermiXed with por-
tions of limbs and fragments of other
parts of what were but short time
ago human beings, laughing, chatting
and singing. One pile of charred
limbs and human cinders were espec-
tally conspicuous as it consisted of a
mass of unidentified and unconnected
bodies placed in heap.
ADDITIONAL DETAILS.
The majority of victims were women
and children. The wrecked carriages
of one first-class, two second |
class and guards. The first van was
completely shattered. The work |
of rescue proceeded slowly dur
ing the night. At dawn the people
began to flock to the scene, seeking
friends. There were 10000 persons
around the station and the school
room and town hall where the bodies
were lying were besieged by distract
ed people. Inside there was a con-
slant succession of heart-rending
scenes as in the dim light afforded by
the lamps the Identification of the
dead proceeded. Most of the bodies
in the town hall were scorched be-
yond recognition. They owe their
Identification to some special mark.
The fire that broke out was the
fiercest in first-class carriages, from
which twelve bodies were recovered.
Of the injured sent to the hospital
number died Immediately after adj
mission and many are expected to die.
The earliest workers at the scene were
jhe fire brigade of veterans and sol
Tiers in barracks in the vicinity. They
worked until o'clock when a line was
cleared.
Inquiry into the cause of the acct
lent shows that the second train left
Nincennes at the regulation interval
If five minutes after the first. The
after train was delayed at st. Maude
wing to the enormous crowd of eX-
The station master at Vincennes
Dlames the driver of the second train
or the accident. When this train was
starting, the station master advised
he driver to go slow as there was
rain in front Of him, but he paid no
iced and went ahead at full speed.
This driver at first alleged that the
signals indicated that the line was
lear, but inquiry confirmed the
eport of the officials that the danger
ignals were shown. The driver now
lsserts that he has been the victim of
IN act of revenge on the part of some