The Butte inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1901-1912, 1903-08-11
Wreck in the Underground
Electric Ry. Tunnel in
Paris Claims Many.
HEAPS Of CORPSES
Work of Recovering Dead
Marked by Agonizing
Scenes.
ny ASSOCIATED PRESS.


Paris, Aug. It.-Nearly 100 bodies have
been recovered and the death list probably
will exceed 100 in the Metropolitan Elec-
trio 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 today when more than four
score Of bodies of the burned and suifo-
Gated victims were removed from the sub
terranean passage.
Work Being Pushed.
The work continues 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 weeping men, women and chill
dren struggling forward in an effort to rec
ognize their missing relatives and friends.
Most OF the victims are from the mid
die and working classes, as the trains were
carrying them home from their work.
Although the accident occurred last
evening the officials and fremen were un-
able to descend into the tunnel until this
morning, owing to the binding clouds of
SInOkc from tHc DufUlHR Tram.
Taken to Hospitals.
Frequent attempts were made by heroic
volunteers whom it was necessary to res
cue, half suffocated, and carried away to
the hospitals.
At 81 o'clock Sergeant Ahrens, wear
ing a respirator, succeeded in making the
descent.
lie remained seven minutes and brought
the first information to the effect that
corpses were strewn all about the roadway
of the tunnel.
Then he collapsed and was taken to the
hospital. Twenty minutes later fremen
forced their way down through the tunnel
at Menilmonant and returned soon after
ward with seven bodies-three men, two
young boys and two young women.
Overcome by Smoke.
Three person had been asphyxiated as
their positions showed they had been CROP
ing their way through the smoke when
they were overcome.
The work of bringing up bodies went on
steadily after that, under the personal di-
rection of Prefect of Police Lepine, who
summoned large reserve force to hold
back the surging crowd, including the
relatives OF the victims.
At the second descent the fremen found
great number of bodies near the ticket
Office of the station, where many had evil
IDENTIFY been overcome while seeking
tickets.
Endeavor to Run.
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 the others had been trampled on. One
woman had fed within the ticket Office
where her body was found
At the station of Les Charonnes the
same scenes of death and despair had been
enacted. The accident occurred midway
between the stations, so that the work of
salvage proceeded from both ends of the
tunnel.
In addition to the binding smoke the
tunnel belched forth a terrific heat, as
one of the trains was slowly burning
within. The fremen succeeded in throw
ing several streams Of water in the dircc-
ton of the wreck, while fremen and mill
tary engineers at great hazard pushed on
inside the tunnel. They brought out two
bodies and soon afterwards three more.
Mass Of Bodies.
Further on the fremen stumbled upon
a great mass of bodies. These were the
passengers of the burned train. They had
leaped from the coaches when the fire
broke out and grouping through the suifo-
eating clouds OF smoke sought the exit at
Les Charonnes station.
But the tunnel makes a sharp turn near
the scene of the disaster and at the angle
the entire mass of humanity apparently
became tightly wedged in.
The panic which took place at this point
within the dark subterranean passage must
have been terrible.
Cries Of Agony.
AS the firemen brought out the bodies
agonizing cries went up from women and
children who recognized their dead hus-
bands and fathers.
About ? a. m. the bodies OF 10 women
were brought out in a bunch. The bodies
of two little girls and three infants were
found with them, clinging to their moth