The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1903-08-12

cials, who superintendent the reho,a'
OF the bodies. The number OF corpses
brought up from the angle where the
mass was wedged was SO large that
four and eight bodies were placed In
each ambulance. Many Of the victims
had handkerchiefs stuffed In their
mouths, they having evidently tried
to keep out the asphyxiating smoke
The faces Of the dead were red and
congested Many poor people claimed
the bodies of their children and rela
tiyes and tried to take them home, but
the police gently and firmly insisted
upon the bodies being taken to the
morgue and barracks in order that the
magnitude of the catastrophe might be
determined Train No. 43, which
Caused the Accident,
came from Porte Dauphin, at the en-
trance to Bois de Boulogne, in the
western part of Paris, and, passing un-
der the Place de lEtoile, circled the
northerly quarter of the city. In this
northern quarter-a manufacturing
section-the train picked up numbers
Of workmen who, after their days
work, were returning to their homes
in the populous eastern portion OF the
city. -,
In reaching the neighborhood OF the
cemetery of Pere la ChaiSe the cleo
trical motor failed to act properly and
the train waited at the station OF Les
Charonnes until the arrival OF a sec
ond train which pushed the crippled
train forward, making a total OF SIX
teen coaches.
After proceeding about 200 yards to-
wards Menilmontant station the dam
aged dynamo set fire to the engine OF
the first train The fire burned fiercely,
raising quantities of smoke. Slmui-
taneously the electric lights on the
trains went out, leaving the passen-
gers in total darkness except for the
light of the burning engine far ahead.
This impeded the progress OF the
trains toward Menilmontant. The ter
ror stricken passengers got out ana
tried to grope their way back. The
powerful electric current, which con-
tinued in the rails, Is believed to have
stunned or killed many. A number
of the passengers managed to reach
Les Charonnes station, but the main
body of the passengers was overcome
by the heat and smoke.
A terrible panic occurred among
those behind and the terror OF the SIT
uation was increased by third train
Crashing Into the Fiery Mass
and adding another crowd Of panic
stricken passengers to those seeking
an outlet. The officials at the stations
were the first to become aware OF the
disaster by the clouds Of smoke rising
from the tunnel and the staggering
forms OF a few OF the stronger men
and two women who had been able to
make their way through the dense
smoke Those who got out were un-
able to give any information concern
ing the others left behind. but they
told of stumbling over dead people all
along the tracks.
The ears continued to burn until
twenty were consumed. The burning
debris gave forth a fierce heat, which
puffed out of the mouths OF the sta
tions of Les CharonneS and Menllmon-
tant. Most of the trainmen escaped,
but the conductor of the train causing
the accident was seriously injured
The escape of the trainmen is attrlb-
uted. not to their lack of attention TO
the passengers, but of their superior
knowledge Of the subterranean pas
sage, which enabled them to hasten
forward in spite of the obscurity.
A number OF heroic incidents oc-
Cured One of the employees OF the
road nearly lost his life in trying to
make his way through the smoke to
aid the victims and is now in the hos
pital.
Prefect Lepine himself took his life
in his hands by entering the tunnel
and proceeding a considerable dis
tance until the smoke drove him back