Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1903-08-12
DEATH LIST May
EXCEED A HUNDRED
Terrible Underground Ao-
cident In Paris.
EIoHTY-FouR BODIES RECOVERED
Accident Occurred on Metropolitan
Electric Railway and Was a Catas-
troPhe of Unparalleled Proportions.
Weeping Men, Women and Children


troPhe of Unparalleled Proportions
Weeping Men, Women and Children
Paris, August 11.-Eighty-four bodies
have been recovered and the death
list probably will exceed 100 in the un-
foreground rawliay disaster which 90
Cured here last night.
The accident which occurred ON the
Metropolitan Electric railway assumed
the proportions of an awful catastro-
phe today when more than four-score
Of bodies Of the burned and suffocated
victims were removed from the sub
terranean passage. Crowds of weep
ing men, women and children were
struggling around the tunnel entrance
in an effort to recognize their missing
relatives and friends. Most of the
victims are from the middle and work
ing classes, as. the trains were carry
ing them home from their work.
Tunnel Filled with Smoke.
Although the accident occurred at
o'clock last evening, the officials and
aremen were unable, until early this
morning, to descend into the tunnel
owing to the binding clouds of smoke
from the burning train.
At 3:3S o'clock firemen forced their
way down through the tunnel station
at Menilmontant and returned soon af-
terward with seven bodies-two men,
two young boys and three women.
These persons had been asphyxiat-
ed, as their positions showed they
had been cropping through the smoke
that filed the tunnel, seeking a way
to escape, when they were overcome.
The work of bringing up the bodies
went on steadily after that under the
personal direction of Project Of Pc
lice Lepine, who summoned a large
reserve force to hold back the surging
crowd, including the relatives of the
victims
Bodies Hurried to Morgue.
Long lines of ambulances were
brought into reQuisition and the bodies
were carried to the morgue and the
nearby military barracks.
After daylight the crowds at the en-
trance Of the tunnel increased to enor.
nous proportions, obliging the police
to form solid Gordon through which
were admitted only those seeking to
identify their relatives among the vic
tins. The failure Of many men, wo-
men and children to return to their
homes during the night gave many the
first news of the catastrophe. Faith
ers and mothers came hurrying to the
mouth of the tunnel to try to find the
absent ones.
At the second descent the firemen
found a great number Of bodies mass
ed near the ticket office of the sta
ton where many had evidently been
overcome while seeking tickets. They
had been surprised by the columns of
smoke and had sought to run back up
the stone stairway leading to the
street. A struggle had ensued, and
some escaped, but others had been
trampled on. One woman had fed
within the ticket office, where her
body was found
At the station OF LegCharonnes the
same scenes of death and despair had
been enacted. The accident occurred
midway between the stations of Me-
nilmontant and Les Charonnes so that
the work Of rescue proceeded from
both ends of the tunnel In addition
to the binding smoke the tunnel belch.
ed forth terrific heat as the trains
were burning within. The firemen
succeeded in throwing several streams
of water in the direction of the wreck
while some flremen and engineers at
great hazard pushed inside the tun
mel. They brought out to bodies and
soon afterwards three more. The
succeeded in reaching the exit when
they were overcome and suffocated.
Terrible Mass Of Bodies.
Further on the Aremen stumbled up.
on a terrible mass of bodies. These
were the passengers of the burned
train They had leaped from the
coaches when the Are broke out and
cropping through the suffocating clouds
Of smoke sought the exit at Les Char.
onnes station. But the tunnel makes
a sharp turn near the scene of the dis.
aster, and at the angle the entire mass
of humanity apparently became tight.
ly wedged. The panic which took
place at this point within this dark
subteTanean passage must have been
terrible. The corpses from this death
angle soon swelled the list until at 6:F
o'clock this morning Project Lepine
placed a number of victims at Dc al
ready recovered, while the steady file
Of nremen bringing DIP bodies contin.
| ued
Project Lepine summoned a large
force of doctors and municipal off
cials, who superintendent the remov
al of the bodies. The number Of
eorpses brought up from the angle
where the mass was wedged, was sc
large that four and eight bodies were
placed In each ambulance. Many o.
the victims had handkerchiefs stuff
ed in their mouths, having evidentl,
tried to keep out the asphyxiatina
L