The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1903-08-18

Paris, Aug. 11.-Eighty-four bodies
have been recovered and others will
probably exceed n hundred in the
railway disaster which
occurred last night.
h accident. which occurred on the
Metropolitan electric railway. assum-
ed the proportions of an awful catas-
trophe. during the early hours today
when more than four score bodies of
the burned and sUffOcated victims were
removed from the subterranean pass
age. The work continues and indica-
tons are that the death list will. per-
haps exceed five score.
The fremen found a great number
OF bodies massed near the ticket office
OF the station where man. had evil
IDENTIFY 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 SCaped. but the Otn-
ers had been tTdmpelled on One WO-
man had fled within the ticket office,
where her bOdv was Ound. The ticket
I'll = SUNNCNNON III
NJ. Lepine. prefect OF police. sum-
mOued q large force of doctors and
municipal officials who superintendent
the removal of the bodies. The number
of cOrpSeS brought up from the angle
where the mass was Wedged was SO
large that from four to eight bodies
were placed in each ambulance. Many
of the victims had handkerchiefS stuff
ed in their mouths. they having evil
IDENTIFY tried to keep out the asphyXiat-
ing smoke. Thu facns of the dead
We're red and cOngeSted. Some women
held their children tightly in their
arms.
Several visions of the disaster are
given. but the main facts which have
been established are the following:
Train No. ~ which caused the &C
cident came from Porte Dauphin. at
the entrance to the Bots De BOulogne.
in the western ort of Paris. and pass
ing under the place De L'EtOile. cir
Cled the nOrtherly quarter of the city.
In his northern quarter. a manufaC-
turing section. the train picked UP
numbers OF wOrknen. who. after their
days work were returning to their
homes in the pOpulOus eastern arron-
, easements of the city. On reaching
J the neighbOrhOOd of the cemetery of
Pere La Chaise. the electrical motor
failed to act properly and the train
waited 1T the station of Les COurOnnes
until the arrival of Il second train.
which pushed th0 ~criDnlo1 train for
ward. making a total of sixteen
coaches.
After proceeding about two hundred
yards towards MenilmOntant station
the damaged tender Sc eve to the en-
CINE of the train. The engine burned
fierc6ly raising quantities r smoke.
simultaneously the electric lights on
the trains went out. leaving the pas
sengerS in total darkness except for
the light of the burning engine rar
ahead. This impeded the progress Of
the trains toward Menilmontant. The
teTTOr-StriCken passengers got out and
tried to grOpe their way back to Les
COurOnnes. The powerful electrical cur
rent which continued in the rails it
have Uunned many y number of the
passengers managed to reach Les
COuronnes station. but the main body
of the passengers was overcome by the
heat and smoke.
4 terrible panic occurred among those
behind. and the horror of the situation
was increased by a third train crash
ing into the fer mass and adding
another crowd of panic-Stricken pas
SeugerS to those seeking an outlet.
The cars continued TO burn until
twenty were consumed. The burning
debris gave forth 4 fierce heat. which
pufIed out of the mouths of the sta
tons of Les COurOnneS and Menilmon-
taut. Most of the trainmen escaped
but the conductor of the train causing
the accident was. seriously injured. The
escape Of the trainmen is attributed
not tu their lack of attention TO the
passengers. but To their superior
knowledge of the subterranean pass
: which enabled them to hasten for
ward IN spite of the ObScurity-
The names and o~CCupatiOn of the vic
tins give patheti evidence OF their
humble condition. The names are char
aCteristiC Of the French working class.
and OCCUPATIONS are given as painter.
mason. plumber. tailor. seamstress.
lOCkSmith. etc. Outside the wOrkmen.
about every third name is hat Of a
woman. Pitiful scenes were enacted
at the mOrGue throughout the day as
the relatives gathered seeking to iden-
tify the bodies. which were ranged in
long ines on white marble slabs. The
clothing OF MANY of the victims is
torn. showing the fierceness of the
struggle.
a survivor named Jules Bouat de-
scribes the struggle during the panic
in the tunnel as terrible. Women were
screaming Save me: Save me-" An
old man fell suffOcated at his feet. The
women screamed until theH fell as
phyXiated.
NJ. Gauther. the magistrate for the
district. says one of the main causes
Of the loss of life was that those es-
Gaping took the wrong exit one pasEa-e
letting out TO the street while the other
was barred as 1t was usually used foT
admitting passengers. Many of the
victims sought the barred exist were
found mashed against the wall. where
they had been slowly ~SuffOCated.
At the American consulate 1t was
learned that there were no Americans