The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-08-11

NV" NOAAAS SAs
Paris, Aug. 11.-Eighty-fo bodies have
been recovered and the death list prob
ably will exceed 100 in the underground
railway disaster which occurred here last
night
The accident, which occurred on the
Metropolitan Electric railway, assumed
the proportions Of an awful catastrophe
during the early hours of the day, when
more than four score of the burned and
sufTocated were removed from the sub
terranean right Of way The work con-
tinues and indications are that the death
list will perhaps exceed five score
The scenes at the mouth of the tunnel
where the victims were brought forth were
of the most heartrending description.
Crowds OF men, women and children strug
gled forward in an effort to recognize their
relatives and friends. Most of the
are from the middle and working
classes, s.. ... +.s 10. E..,.t
Altho the accident occurred at o'clock
last evening, the officials and flremen
were unable until early this morning to
descend into the tunnel owing to the
binding clouds of smoke from the burn
ing train. Frequent attempts We're made
by heroic volunteers whom it was neces-
sary to revive, half suffocated, and carry
away to the hospitals
The First Descent.
At ten minutes after 3 o'clock Sergeant
Ahrons, wearing a respirator, succeeded
in making the descent. He remained seven
minutes and brought up the first lnforma-
ton to the effect that the dead were
strewn all about the roadway of the tun-
mel. Then he collapsed
Twenty minutes later firemen forced
their way down thru the tunnel station
at Menilmontant and returned soon after
ward with seven bodies, two men, two
young boys and three women. These per-
sons had been asphyxiated, as their posi-
tons showed they had been cropping thru
the smoke that filed the tunnel. seeking
a way to escape when they were over
come. -..-'r ~. ..-- ..-.
The work of bringing up bodies went on
steadily after that under the personal di-
rection Of Project of Police Lehine, who
summoned a large reserve force to hold
back the surging crowd, including the rel
atives Of the victims.
Long Lines of Ambulances.
Long lines of ambulances We're brought
into requisition and the bodies were car
ried to the morgue and the nearby mill
tary barracks. After daylight the crowds
at the entrance Of the tunnel increased to
enormous proportions obliging the police
to form solid Gordon thru which were
friends or relatives among the victims.
The failure Of many men, women anG
children to return home during the night
gave many the first news of the catastro.
| phe. Fathers and mothers came to the
| mouth Of the tunnel to try to find the alb.
sent ones At the second descent the fire
| men found a great number Of
bodies massed near the ticke
office of the station, where
many had evidently been overcome while
! seeking tickets. They had been surprised
| by the column of smoke and had sough
! to run back up the stone stairway leading
| to the street A struggle had ensued ant
some escaped, but the others had beer
| trampled upon. One woman suffoca tee
| within the ticket office, where the body
| was found. The ticket seller herself sue
| ceeded in escaping. .,.
| At the station of Les Charonnes thu
same scene of death and despair had beer
| enacted. The accident occurred midwa,
between the station Of Menilmontant ant
| Les Cha ronnes, SO that the work of sal
wage proceeded from both ends Of tn,
tunnel. In addition to the binding smoke
| the tunnel belched forth a terrific heat, a.
| one of the trains was slowly burnin;
within.
| The hremen succeeded in throwing sew
eral streams of water in the direction O
the wreck, while some firemen and mill
tary engineers at great hazard pushed OF
inside the tunnel. They brought out tw
| bodies and soon afterwards three more
| The latter were laborers who had alrnos
succeeded in reaching the exit when the,
were overcome and suffocated
Dead Piled High.
Further on, the fremen stumbled upo,
a terrible mass Of bodies These wer
| the passengers Of the burned train
| ha6
escape the fire and cropping their way II
| suffocating clouds Of smoke sought tn,
exit at Les Charronnes station. But tn,
| tunnel makes a sharp turn near the seen,
Of the disaster and at the angle the entfr,
mass Of humanity apparently becam,
tightly wedged. The panic which tool
place at this point within this dark sub
terranean passage must have been ter
rible. The corpses from this death anel
soon swelled the list until at $50 q, m
Prefect Lep1ne placed the number of vic
Tins at forty-five already recovered Will
the steady file of firemen bringing I'D bod
les continued.
M Lepine summoned a large force o
doctors and municipal officials who super
intended the removal of the bodies. TIL
numbers Of bodies brought up from tn
angle where the mass was Wedged was s.
great that four and finally eight bodte
were placed In each ambulance. Man,
OF the victims mad handkerchiefs stuffe
in their mouths, they evidently hayin
tried to keep out the asphyxiating smoke
The faces Of the dead were red and con
gested. Some women held their chfldre]
tightly in their arms.
AgonIzing Cries Of Relatives.
AS the fremen brought out the bodie
agonizing cries went up from women an
: children who recognized the dead hus
bands and fathers. The clothing of til
victims indicated that they were aImos
, entirely second-class passengers. Their
, were several f1rst-class coaches on TIL
trains and it Is believed that three &C
: cupants were also among the victim,
The body of one of the women was hand
somely dressed while two among the mai
victims were evidently persons of inpo,
lance,
About a. M the bodies Of ten wone
were brought out together. Thew ha
evidently been in the female compartmer
] and had sought to escape in compan
] when they were overcome The bodie
Q of two little girls and two infants we1
I found with them, clinging to the
r mothers. Many poor people claimed til
r bodies Of their children and relatives an
J. tried to take them home, but the polio
gently but firmly insisted on the bodi,
I being taken to the morgue and barracl
9 in order that the magnitude of the cata.
: trophe might be determined
q At the Hotel De Vile the president