The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1891-07-28
BURNING RAILWAY CARS
Roast Forty Victims on a French
Excursion Train.
OTHERS DROWNED BY FIRENFN
Who were Attempting to Quench the
Flames.-Ncarly Two Hundred Kill
cd and Injured While Returning
from Fetc-The Collision Thought
to be the Work of Train wreckers.

PARIS, July 27.-The detail of
the accident to the two excur-
sion trains returning from mu-
sical festival at Fontenoy, now being re-
ceived from st. Mande, show that the
collision was most terrible affair. The
engine OF ono OF the excursion trains
telescoped three carriages loaded with
excursionists, and at the same time the
reservoir OF gas on the damaged train
exploded and set fire to the wreckage,
while scores OF people were pinioned
down, wounded and helpless, beneath
the ruins of the three carriages. In o
very short time the flames spread to
such IN extent that numbers OF the
wounded were slowly roasted to death
before the eyes OF those who were doing
their utmost to rescue them. The hor-
rible shrieks Of the burning people and
the cries OF desperation and terror con-
tinued almost without interruption for
half an hour after the collision.
It is reported that 200, people were
either killed or injured us q result oft
st. Mande collision.
Many OF the unfortunate people i'm
prisoned beneath the wreck OF the rail-
roads were drowned while partly roast.
ed By the firemen, who were summoned
to the scene. Forty minutes elapsed
before the firemen were able to obtain
water, but when they did they pour
ed torrents upon the wreck and seemed
to be utterly unaware OF the fact that
they were drowning the people they
were attempting to rescue.
lie Paris this evening states that an
investigation, which has been made into
the st. Mande railroad accident, has
disclosed the startling fact that the
disaster was intentionally caused by
some unknown miscreant who deliber-
ately altered the signals SO as to bring
the two trains into collision. This
announcement has caused the most in
tense Indignation among the relatives
and friends Of the victims and has
aroused popular feeling generally to q
state OF great excitement.
The majority OF the victims were
women and children. The wrecked
carriages consisted OF one llrst-class, two
second.class and guards van. Tho first
was completely shattered. The work
of rescue proceeded slowly during the
night until dawn. People then began
to flock to the scene by thousands,
many seeking friends who had not re-
turned from the fete by daybreak. There
were 10000 persons around the station
and the school room and town hall,
where the bodies of the dead were lying,
were besieged by distracted people. In
side there was constant succession OF
heartrending scenes as i'll the dim light
afforded by the lamps the identitica-
ton OF the charred and mangled bodies
proceeded.
Most Of the bodies in the town hall
were scorched beyond recognition. and
owe their identification to some special
mark. The fire that broke out after the
accident was fiercest in the frst-class
carriages, from which twelve bodies have
been recovered so. badly charred that
identification is impossible. Among the
injured sent to the hospital number
died Immediately after admission and
many are expected'to succumb.
An inquiry into the causes OF tho ac-
cident shows that the second train left
Vincennes at the regulation interval OF
five minutes after the first train. The
latter train was delayed at st. Mande,
owing to an enormous crowd of eXcur-
sionists. The station master at Vim
cennes blames the driver OF the second
train for tho accident When this train
was starting the station master advised
the driver to 60 slowly, rs there was u
train in front Of him, but the man paid
no heed to the advice and went ahead
at full speed.
This driver at first alleged that all the
signals indicated that the line was clear,
but an inquiry confirms the report OF
the officials at St. Mande and Vincennes
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 severed communica-
ton with the Westinghouse air brake,
thus preventing him from bringing the
the train to a standstill, the instant he
perceived the lights in the rear OF the
stationary train.
An official statement makes the num-
Der of dead 43 and the number Of in
iured 1O4. 1t is reported that warrants
have been issued for the arrest Of the
driver OF the second train and the traffic
manager Mt the VinCcnnes station,