The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1891-06-16
OVER A HUNDRED LIVES LOST.
Terrible Result Of the Sunday Swiss Rail-
road Disaster.
TIE WHOLE CITY IS IN MOURNING.
Many Are the Scenes OF Sorrow and Suffering
The Prince OF Wales Defended
Foreign Events.
by Gable 70 the Times.l


BALE, June l5.-Further details received
from the scene of the terrible railroad acci-
dent which occurred yesterday at a village
near Bale on the Moenchenstein and Bale
railroad. show that two engines and
three carriages loaded with excur-
sionists fell into the stream which
flowed beneath the iron bridge, which gave
way and caused the disaster. These carriages
and engines now form shapeless heap OF
wreckage beneath the bridge structure and by
its own size prevented two other carriages,
which were suspended practically in the ar,
from falling and still further increasing the
number OF killed and wounded.
MANY scKNEs OF SUFFERING.
At this hour eighty excursionists are known
10 have been drowned, though many OF the
bodies have not been recovered yet. W the
large number of persons injured many have
suffered 50 seriously that It IL considered ike
L. that their injuries will terminate tatally, as
they consist Of bad iacerations, and. IN some
cases, limbs have been completely severed
The bridge or viaduct which collapsed and
caused the accident had only recently been
built and had inst been strengthened, after
sustaining damage by the rising OF the nyer
Until the bridge is rebuilt traffic over this
road goes via Mulhausen Passengers going
to Moenchenstein are using the ordinary foot
bridge
ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY LIVES LOST.
Lote1..-The total number Of people who lost
their lives yesterday by the collapse OF a rail-
road bridge on the Moenchensteln and Bale
railroad is now placed at l2O with hundreds
more or less injured.
Another account of the disaster says that
fifty-seyen bodies have already been recovered
and that forty persons are severely wounded.
Ii Is feared that many others are uead WHOSE
bodies have not been found.
The victims are mostly leading CITIZENS OF
Bale and its neighborhoOd.
THE IRON WORK GAVE WAY.
Engineers who have inspected the bridge
since its collapse say that the iron work Of the
structure alone gave way and that the mason
ry IS intact.
Bale is now truly city of mourning, aplace
of the dead and the scene Of bitter desola-
tion and mourning. Nearly every family IN
the city may be SAID to have been touched oy
the calamity, for those families who have not
actually lost one of their members have dear
friends or acQuantances either among the
dead or among those who are mourning the
loss Of relatives.
CARING FOR THE WOUNDED.
Everything the local and municipal au-
thOrities can do 10 help the wounded, recover
the dead or assist those who have been
plunged into distress by the fearful railroad
wreck, is being done. Clergymen, priests
and physicians, large force of troops and
fremen, and scores of vehicles to be used as
ambulances have been dispatched to the
scene of the wreck. The troops and hremen
are busily engaged in removing the wreckage,
recovering bodies of the dead, and trans
porting the wounded TO their homes IN
this city or tO hospitals. The physicians
and ministers of the Gospel Of all denomina-
tions are doing noble work in minlstering 10
tho wounded and IN comforting the bereaved.
The neighD0rhOOd Of the collapsed bridge, as
this dispatch IS sent, resembles IN many
features the after episodes OF Dattie Oh the
closing acts IN some Warllke struggle. Stll
more SO was this the case during the whole Of
the past night, when the river banks we're
Illuminated IN a CHASTITY manner by the huge
fires built up OF the FIR trees.
DRAGGING THE RIVER.
The troops and iremen worked increasingly,
dragging the rver for the dead. nursing the
wounde ed and keeping Gordon around the spots
where it was not thought advisable 70 admit
the crowds OF people who had Hooked about
the broken bridge from every village In Can-
ton for the dreadful news spread In all quar-
ters with mostastouishing rapldlty The other
detachments Of troops were attending the
bivOuacs OF their comrades as If ln
actual time, cooks and camp fires not
bing wanting to complete the scene, which
j. mostly sadly picturesqu hitting here and
there OF soldiers holding torches on river
banks and in boats. or on RATS, warning
cries exchanged. sharp words OF command,
moaning and grOaning of the wounded, the
horrible pile Of wreckage about which
soldiers and fireman were working IKE
beavers. blazing fires here there and every
where it seemed. warning railroad men on
the sadly lighted track above. the arrival and
departure of friends OF the excursionists all OF
ks41,f nl u ~ A.
throughout tins morning, furnished material
for the most realistic picture.
THE STREAM SWOLLEN.
The work of the soldiers dragging the
river-was greatly impeded by the fact that
the stream was considerably swollen by the
recent melting Of the SHOWS, thus the waters
carried many OF the bodies u long way down
the river so much 50 that 1t IS expected
that several days Of such bridging work
will be required before the soldiers work
will be completed. Ghastly as the broken
bridge and It's envrons were during the
work lust described, there WAS one corner
OF the dark picture which was the centre Of
interest, II IL were only from the TACT that
II was the centre OF horror. This spot was an
imprOvsed mWgue on the river bauk Wnele
the dead bodies were taken and tenderly lad
in rows by the soldiers Close 10 this place OF
the dead were two huge fires Of hre-trees and
the blyouac of infantry soldiers, who furnished
guard from their number. who, with fixed
bayonets. formed a square OF sentlnels
around the dead admitting within their
lines only those who we've actually IN search
or missing relatives such people arrived
there at all hours OF the night from this city
anu elsewhere, and were most kindly received
By the officers in command or the troops, who
gave the visitors every facility to prosecute
their search The red glare OF the byouac ire
lit up this morgue with awful intensity, the
Aashing arms Of the troops surr unding 1t,
stretchers made of branches hastily cut from
the trees adding force 10 the picturesque,
though horrible tableau presented.