Morning journal and courier., 1892-03-12
NEWS BY TELEGRAPH. From All Quarters. 0VERTW0HUNDRHDDEhD A Horrible Mining Disaster
 in Brussels. HoH. HENRY WAT1ERsoN's VIEWS. Poisoned His Parents for a Little Property. THE BLIZZARD IN THE NORTHWEST. The Damage by It's Work
 Enormous.
THE BLIZZARD IN THE NORTHWEST.
FIRE DAMP ExPLoDEs.

1t Causes a Terrible Catastrophe in a
 Coll1ery - Three Hundred Miners
 Tmprfsoned-Doubtf if Many Are
 Saved-Men, Women and Children Wild With Fear-Unable to Escape
 by the Pit's Mouth-An Attempt to
 Blow Up n Magistrate.
 BRUSSELS, March 11.-An accident oc- cured to-day in a colliery near Charleroi which it is feared will result In great loss of life. Three hundred miners were em- ployed in the coal pit, when there was @ terrific explosion of fre-damp. The pit mouth was rendered unavailable as 8 means of escape, and up to the present the fate of the 300 imprisoned workmen is unknown.
 The explosion was at the Anderlines coIliery, and occurred at o'clock this morning. It was very heavy and the ground for large area rocked and trem- bled for several seconds afterward. Houses were shaken to their foundations, win dows were loudly rattled and smashed and crockery and other articles were thrown about and broken. The residents were at first paralyzed with fear, but soon realized the nature of the trouble. Almost as soon the trembling
 
 and crowds of excited men, women and children. the faces of all blanched with horror, focked to the pits. Almost every family in the place had relative or friend among the men employed in the mine The scene around the pit became one of great excitement and anguish. Piteous shrieks and cries resounded on every side as it was at first thought every one in the mine had been killed. The women in the surg ing crowd were especially loud in their lamentation as they realized that the explosion would likely bereave them of husbands, sons, fathers, brothers or sweethearts. Just as soon as the dead ly fumes which had been rushing up the shaft in stifing volumes had been dissi- pated and it was thought the pit could be entered with safety hundreds volunteered to descend to rescue survivors or bring out dead bodies. Arrangements were quickly completed for making thorough search of all the chambers and galleries in the mine and the first batch of rescuers were lowered down the shaft amid a chorus of prayers. The women that their efforts might result in restoring the imprisoned men to their fam flies. The searchers had to proceed with much caution, as the huge piles of debris which continually barred their passage had
 
 made, and their lives were menaced by the possible fall of immense masses of coal from the roofs and walls. There was long interval of painful suspense before a signal was received from below by the watch at the mouth that the rescuers had reached some miners and were ready to have them hoisted. The cries, prayers and shrieks of the anguished crowd were redoubled as the limp and blackened forms of thirty to forty poor men were brought to the surface. All the victims were either dead or badly injured and the face of each was fearfully disfig- ured. Their countenances were smeared with blood and are completely unrecogniz- able from smoke and dust and were swol- len out of all proportion. A great sheet of flame must have swept through the mine, as the hair, boards and eyelashes of all the unfortunate men had been burned off, and besides the cruel cuts and bruises they had received their bodies were horribly burned. Kind hands bore the victims from the place, and the wounded men, grooming pitifully at every step and followed by sorrowing friends, were conveyed to the infrmary. A large staff of doctors and nurses had already ar rived at the inirmary, all necessary medi- cine and instruments were at hand, and everything possible was done.
 The crowd at the pit increased as the day were on. People flocked from every direction, and soon the place was packed with mass of struggling, vociferating men and women, all endeavoring to get near the pits mouth and catch a glimpse of the mutilated forms as they were slowly hauled up the shaft All were desperately anxious to gain the slightest information in regard to the safe c-.a force of gendarmes which had been hurried to the scene was almost unable to cope with tine crowd, and it was only with the greatest dif6culty that they were able to force passage through the masses for men bearing stretchers containing the mangled forms. The crowd was mad with grief, and women, young and old, sobbing and shrieking in the most heartrending manner, struggled with all the energy of despair to force their way to the narrow human lane and catch glimpse of the men as each successive batch of blackened bodies was carried through. When some bleeding form was recognized shriek more piercing than the others would rend the air, and in many instances women tainted away. Of the men thus far brought out alive only few are likely to recover. In every instance the men were dreadfllly bruised, torn and burned and were also prostrated by inhaling the choke damp which poured in torrents through the mine.
 The noxious gases which still prevail in the mine. owing to the ventilator being destroyed by the explosion, greatly re- tsrds the work of rescuing, as it is impos- sible to safely breathe the heavy air for any length of time and there is constant danger of another explosion. Owing to the condition of the mine hardly a shadow of hope is entertained that any of the miners still entombed can survive. The latest official estimates place the number of dead at 200. The ministers and husbandry and public works are at the scene and are personally directing the res- cuers.
 ANOTHER EXPLOSION.
 PARIS, March 11.-An explosion occurred to-day in the house occupied by M. Benoit, the magistrate who ordered the inquiry | into the dynamite robberies. A valet was | slightly injured. Damage to the extent of l $40, ,OO0 was done. It is now considered
 certain that the explosion was the work of | anarchists.