The Corvallis times. (Corvallis, Or.) 1888-1909, 1903-08-15
A TUNNEL HOLOCAUST
A HUNDRED PARISIANS PER-
ISH LIKE RATS IN
A HOLE.
Twenty Dead Bodies Recovered
Burned to a Crisp-Others
Found with Features Dis
torted from Great Suf-
IT,. fering. II

Paris, Aug. 11.-Today this vast
city is thrown into gloom of sad
ness as result of the terrible ca
tastrophe which occurred on the
Metropolitan Electric Railroad last
evening.
The lines Of this company trav.
erse the city mostly in tunnels, and
in one of the longest underground
passages the frightful accident hap
pened.
The horror was caused by train
breaking down in the tunnel at
/ Menitmontant, very populous dis
trict of the city. The passengers
were fortunate in escaping from the
train just as another came along.
The second was given orders to
push the disabled train out Of the
tunnel and to the repairing sheds.
| While this was being accomplished
both trains took fire, but all aboard
succeeded in escaping.
/ While the trains were burning,
crowded section from Les Cour-
/ ronnes arrived at the preceding sta
!. ton, and seeing dense clouds OF
smoke pouring from the tunnel,
the people grew frantic and tried to
escape through windows and every
/ other means of egress. 4
The smoke became uncomfortable,
| and many of those who had gained
the outside of the train were suffo-
Gated. Others who tried to return
to Bellville also lost their lives.
The railroad officials are severely
criticised this morning for not at
once running the train back from
the smoke-flled passageway and
for not compelling the passengers
to remain in the cars until this
could be accomplished.
Not until 7 o'clock this morning
were firemen able to penetrate
the tunnels at Menitmontent, the
scene Of last nights catastrophe.Sev-
en- corpses of persons were found
who were smothered while buying
tickets. Further on the body of
the agent was found near the ticket
booth. The fumes at this point
were SO dense and overpowering
that the fremen were unable to
penetrate further. At Couronnes
station corpses were strewn at every
step, and at 7 o'clock this morning
As bodies had been removed to the
surface. and within the next hour
35 more, making a total of 80.
The unhappy victims had left
the train, evidently trying to reach
the open air. when they became as
phyxiated The bedies bore a. con-
vulsed appearance. Many were
holding handkerchief to their
mouths.
Faces were swollen and distorted,
and in many cases the skin had
peeled off.
The victims were equally divided
into men, women and children.
Some were handsomely dressed and
had evidently been prominent, but
few identi6cations have as yet been
made.
The terrible mortality was caus-
ed by smoke, the people having no
means of egress except through a
narrow stairway.
Eighteen months ago the Paris
fire department warned officials of
the Metropolitan Railway to put in
airholes the entire distance of their
tunnels, in order to allow fumes
and gases to escape. The order
was ignored.
AS the foreman advanced bodies
were removed from the tunnel to
the entrance, where they were tenn
porarily laid in long line of wait
Ing hearses and ambulances. An
immense crowd surrounded the
morgue. Thirteen bodies have SO
far been identified, but 20 are burn
ed beyond recognition.
Exploration of the tunnel pro-
crosses slowly, with extreme pre-
caution, as collapse of portion
of the street is feared. Here and
there in the fatal tunnel large pools
of blood reveal the fearful struggle
of life between the panic stricken
fugitives. The prominent artist,
SandilIon, was found among the
dead.
AS official inquiry is proceeding. |
the most vivid, description of
the accident is told, which is con-
sistent with the version of Station