The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1891-07-30
FIFTY PEOPLE DEAD
EXCURSION TRAINS COLLIDE NEAR
SAINT MANDE, FRANCE.

Theee Carriages wrecked and Fifty Reo-
pie Sent Into Eternity-Ths wreck
caushs Fire and Many Unfortunates
s Were Roastsd Alive.
PARIs, July "a. terrible railway
accidept occurred near the village Of
Saint Mnde in the department of the
Seine Two excursion trains collided,
OWN ko some error on the part Of the
drivet OF one Of the trains. Both were
loade6 with people ont for 9 holiday.
The eollision was followed by scene
Of fr1EhtfuI confusion. Three carriages
were utterly wrecked, over fifty peo-
pie being killed and sixty injured. Most
Ofthe bodies recovered are without legs,
through the seats being jammed to-
gether and cutting off the limbs. TWEEN
ty thousand people assembled at the
scene, including many relatives of the
injured and dead. The scenes were
most heartrendering as the victims
were extricated. The driver and fire.
man Of the second train were burned
alive. The stationmaster, on whose
oversight the blame is now placed, has,
it is reported, gone mad and disap-
peared.
Scenes of Horror.
PARIS, July s7.-A dispatch just re-
ceived from the scene of Sunday nights,
fearful collision between excursion
trains near Sainte Mande represents
the accident as having been even Of a
more distressing character than at first
appeared. After the fearful crash the
train caught fire and the unfortunates
who were hopelessly wedged in the
debris were slowly roasted. Many of
the poor creatures were SO placed that
for many antagonizing minutes they
were forced to look upon death re-
morselessly burning its way to them.
Nothing that humanity could do could
extricate them from situation not to
be described by language. The awe
stricken multitude were compelled to
stand helplessly by and listen to the
awful din made by the cracking flames,
the falling iron work Of the burning
cars and the shrieks, means and prayers
OF the doomed Occasionally q voice
would raise itself above the tumult,
supplicating the merciful to kill the un-
u0PPy 6PC0A04 dA0 pun O0b vi Dt4lU.
In q number OF instances men and
women were seen laughing, gibbering
and f1inging their arms wildly about,
fear having dethroned their reason.
Two Hundred Killed or Injured.
The engine of the rear train teles-
COPIED the last three cars Of the train
ahead and almost instantly the reser-
voir in which the gas was stored ex-
ploded with terrific force. The wreck
age then caught fire. A half hour
hour elapsed after the outbreak of the
flames before the last faint cry of agony
was stilled. Fully 200 persons are
known to have been killed or injured.
The town hall of st. Mande presents
a fearful spectacle. The blackened bod
les of the dead lie in rows upon the floor
and upon tables in that building. In
some cases the remains are hut little
more than heaps of cinders intermixed
with partions of limbs and fragmentsUf
other parts Of what were but short
time ago human beings, laughing chat
ting and singing in jovial contentment.
One pile of charred limbs and human
cinders was especially conspicuous, as it
consisted of mass of unidentified and
nncopnected bodies placed in heap.
An Offcial Statement.
PARIS, July 2S.--An official statement
of dead and wounded in the railway ac-
cident at Saint Mand, Sunday, place the
number Of dead at forty-three and Of in
jured at nineteen.