Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-07-28
THE DEAD NUMBER FORTY-rHREE
Fuller Details Of the Railway Disaster Near
Paris. go

The majority Of the victims Of the Ste. Mands
| railway disaster near Paris SUNDAY were
women and children. The wrecked carriage.
consisted OF one first-clsss, two second class
and guards van. The first was COMPLETELY
shattered The work Of rescue progressed
slowly during the night until dawn. People
then began to flock to the scene by thousands
many seeking friends who had not returned
from the fete by day break. There were 20. 0oC
persons around the station, and the school
room and town hall, where the bodies of the
dead were lying, were besieged by distracted
people. Inside there was a constant succession
OF heartrending scenes as in the dim light af-
forded by the lamps the identified ton of the
charred and mangled bodies proceeded.
a man searching for missing relatives sud-
denly came upon the bodies Of his wife and
daughter His cries attracted his brother-in-
law, who IN turn recognized graudchild lying
dead and learned that his wife and his mother
were In a hospital dying. A man who for q
long time had been rushing about half de-
mented seeking his family stopped litter
entering the school room and found that it
bore The charred bodies of his wife and baby
tie u, latter being only few months old: Five
OF this mans children were on the train and
only one was rescued living. The bodies of the
others were picked from the debris
Most OF the bodies in the town hall were
scorched beyond recognition. They owe their
ldentlhcat1on to some special mark. The fire
mat broke out after the accident was hercest in
the first-class carriage, from which twelve
bodies have been recovered so baIly charred
that identification is impossible. Among the
injured sent to the hospital q number died
Immediately after admission and many are
expected to succumb.
The earliest workers to 60 to the rescue we're
the lire brigade Of Vincennes and the soldiers
IN the barracks in the vicinity. These worked
without cessation until o'clock, when the line
was cleared.
CAUSE OF TIE DISASTER
An inquiry into the cause of the accident
shows that the second train left yincennes at
the regulation interval of five minutes after
the first train.
The latter train was delayed at Ste. Mande,
owing TO an 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 the driver to go slowly, as there was a
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 in
curry confirms the report of the officials at St.
Mahue ana 'lncennes that danger signals were
SHOWN. The driver now asserts that he has
been the victim OF an act of revenge OH the
P"it VI eoilc uIe VINO severed communication
WIN the Westinghouse air brake, thus prevent
ing nm from bringing the train to a slandstill
the instant he perceived the lights in the rear
of the stationary train
The stoker of the second train declares that
when the train left Vincennes the signal disks
indicated that there was no danger ahead. On
reaching Pont Iourneile, closz to the station of
Ste hande, where the line curves. he caught
sight OF the red lamps the rear of the front
tram. lie then tried 10 put on the breaks, but
they failed to act properly.
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 we're found beneath
the ruins of this van. From the force of the
collision the engine mounted to the top Of the
rear van, crushing it to fragments.
An official statement makes tine number of
deed IL and the number of injured l0i.
One OF the numerous accounts of the accident
says that the station master detained the first
train on account of squabble with u passenger,
who insisted upon riding first-class because the
thlrd-class carriages were full, and forgot to
signal the second train