The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-07-28
SCENES OF SORROW.
Identifying the Victims Of the
French Disaster.
Horrible Spectacle in The Town Hall at
ST. Malde.
The CharTed and MaIgled Bodies Of the
Dead-OifiGial Investigation Places
the Blame on an Engineer.
EJecial TO THE MORNING CALI

PARIS, July 27.-The horrors of the rail-
road disaster yesterday at st. Mande, town
four miles from Paris, is the principal topic
of conversation here to-day. The majority
Of the victims were women ana children,
and the work of rescue proceeded slowly
during the night. At dawn people began to
flock to the scene by thou sands, many seek
ing friends who had not returned from the
fete. By daybreak there were 10000 per-
sons around the station, and the school
room and the Town Hall, where the mauged
bodies were lying, were beseged by hun
dreds of distracted people. Inside the build
Ing there was a constant succession of
heartrending scenes as the Identification of
the charred and manged bodies proceeded.
Among the injured sent to hospital num-
Der died Immediately after admission and
many more are expected to succumb.
A HORRIBLE SPECTACLE.
The Town Hall at st. Mande presented
to-day fearful spectacle. The blackened
bodies were placed in rows upon the floor
and tables. In some cases the remains of
the recovered bodies were but little more
than heap of cinders intermixed with por-
tiOns of limbs. One pile of charred limbs
and human cinders was especially conspicu-
Gus, consisting of mass of unidentified
and uncOnnected bodies in heap. About
$50 persons were killed or injured in the COL
lision. Many of the unfortunate people i'm
prisoned beneath the wreck were drowned
by firemen, who poured torrents of water
upon the burning cars and seemed TO be
utterly unaware that they were drowning
the people they were attempting to rescue.
THE CAUSES OF THE DISASTER.
Official inquiry into the causes of the acci-
dent shows that the second train left Vim
eennes Woods at the regular interval of five
minutes after the first train. The latter
train was delayed at St. Mande, owing to
the enormous crowd of excursionIsts. The
station-master at Vincennes blames the
driver Of the second train for the accident
When this train was starting the station
master advised tie engineer to 90 slowly, as
there was train in front of him, but the
man paid no heed TO this advice and went
ahead at full speed. The driver at first
alleged that all the signals indicated that
the line was clear, but inquiry confirms the
report of the officials at ST. Mande and Vim
cennes that danger signals were shown.
The driver now asserts that he has been the
victim of an act of revenge on the part of
some one, who cut the pipes of the air
brakes, thus preventing them from bringing
the train to a Standstll. The official state
ment makes the number OF dead 43 and the
injured l04.
Among the victims are the Marquis and
Marquise MOntierate.
An artillery Lieutenant climbed to the top
OF one of the burning carriages to rescue
girl Dlt fell with her IutD fha hurO nd mas
and neither of them was seen again.
1t is reported that warrants have been
issued for the arrest of the driver of the Sec
ond train and the Traffic Manager at Vim
cennes Station.
lie Paris states that the Investigation into
the st. Mande accident has disclosed that
the disaster was caused by an unknown
miscreant who deliberately altered the sig
nails so as to bring the trains into collision.
He viii be lynched if caught.