The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-07-28
DETAILS OF THE DISASTER.

before the eyes of those who were doing
their utmost to rescue them.
DETAILS OF THE DISASTER.
It is now reported that 200 people
were either killed or injured as a result of
the St Mapde collision. Many of the un-
fortunate people imprisoned beneath the
wreck of the railroad cars were drowned,
while partly roasted, by the fremen, who
were summoned TO the scene. Forty min
utes elapsed before the firemen 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 that
they were attempting to rescue.
The work of rescue proceeded slowly
during the night until dawn. People then
began to flock to the scene, many seeking
friends who had not returned from the
fete, and by daylight there were 20, 900 per-
sons around the station, and the school
room and town hall where the bodies Of
the dead were lying were besieged by dis
tracted people. Inside there was a con-
stant succession of heartrending screams
as the Identification of the charred and
mangled bodies proceeded. A man search
ing for missing relatives suddenly came
upon the bodies of his wife and daughter.
His cries attracted his brOther-in-law, who,
in turn, recognized his grandchild lying
dead and learned that his wife and mother
were in the hospital dying. Another man
had wife and five children on the train,
aud only one child escaped alive. Most of
the bodies in the town hall were scOrched
and burned beyond recognition.
The investigation showed that the sec
Ond train left NincenneS at the regulation
interval-fifteen minutes after the first
train. The first train was delayed at St.
Alande owing to the enormous crowd of
eXcursionists. The station master at Vim
Cennes blames the driver Of the second
train for the accident. When this train
was starting the station master advised
the driver to 90 slowly, as there was
train in front of him, bat the man paid no
heed 20 the advice and went ahead at full
speed. This driver at first alleged that all
the signals indicated that the line was
clear, but the inquiry confirmed the report
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 the communication
with the air brake, thus preventing him
from bringing the train to a standstill the
instant he perceived the lights in the
rear of the stationary train.
A leading official of the railway blames
The public for crOwding into the rear van,
which, he says, was intended to remain
empty. The greatest number of dead was
found beneath the ruins of this van. An
official statement gives the number Of
dead as forty-fOur and the injured as 1O4
Most of the victims are women and
children
PARIS, July 21-Le Paris this evening
states that an investigation into the ST
Mande railroad accident has disclosed the
startling fact that the disaster was inten-
1lonally caused by some unknown mis-
Creaut, who deliberately altered the signal
50 Is TO bring the two trains INTO collision
This announcement has caused the most
intense indignation among the relatives
and friends OF the victims and has aroused
popular feeling generally to a state of
great excitement. There seems TO be little
doubt a, 10 the fate that awaits the
cowardly wretch who caused the terrible
accident should he fall into the hands of
the mourners now gathered at St. Mande