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

city of Paris would bear the entire ex-
penses Of the funeral Of the victims.
At $3.50 a. m. the total of the bodies at
the morgue had reached 40, and the total
at the barracks of the municipal guard
A, making "a altogether.
I At o'clock the number Of bodies was
unofficially estimated at about 100.
i Stumbled Over the Dead
The officials at the stations were the
first to become aware Of the disaster by
i the clouds Of smoke rising from the tun-
mel and the staggering efforts Of a few Of
the stronger men and two women who
had been able to make their way thru the
dense smoke. Those who got out were
unable to give any information concerning
the others left behind but they told of
stumbling over dead people all along the
way. .r... s.-..
The cars continued to burn until they
were consumed. The burning debris gave
forth fierce heat which puffed out of the
mouth of the station Of Les Charronnes
and Menilmontant. Most Of the trainmen
escaped but the conductor Of the train
causing the accident was seriously in
jured The escape of the trainment is at
tributed not to their lack Of attention to
the passengers but to their superior
knowledge of the subterranean passage
which enabled them to hasten forward In
! spite of the darkness.
!,
effected their escape. They were slightly
, injured, however, and were taken to a
= hospital. 'Two women who escaped were
PARTIALLY asphyxiated.
! A number of heroic incidents occurred.
One Of the employees Of the road nearly
lost his life in seeking to make his way
thru the smoke to aid the victims and Is
now in the hospital.
Project Lepine, himself took his life in
, his hands by entering the tunnel and pro-
1i11cr n la 1iSto 1nti
: smoke drove him back. .-
The cata strophe has caused intense ex-
!, element turnout the city, even the Hum
= bert trial being forgotten in the wide
, spread feeling of horror and grief. At
! noon Colonel MeauX St. Marc, on behalf
: of President Loubet, visited the morgue
and Premier Conlbes went to the scene Of
the disaster. M. Porteaux, premier of the
republic and Judge Joliet Of Seine tri-
t bunal have proceeded to Les Charronnes
: into the affair.
$ Engineer Was Foohardy.
= The chief station master at Les Char
: Isrones has given a graphic description OF
the events preceding the accident. He
, says he saw the flames running along the
: gear of the cars when the first train
- | passed thru the station and called out to
- the engineer to stop saying there was no
. time to reach the next station, but the
= engineer declared he had ample time and
proceeded. A few minutes later a long
- blue flame flashed thru the tunnel fol-
=. lowed by violent detonation, looking into
- the mouth of the tunnel NJ Didier could
~, see flashes from the burning cars.
10 Great masses Of smoke began to pour
~ out, preventing the officials from entering
the tunnel. Men struggled out thru the
: smoke. Screams could be heard in the
- distant amid the cracking of the fire.
= Eugene Olivier, one Of the few SURVIVE
HeScrihaS 10 mi whit
y Cured in the darkness. The people, he
says, rushed and fought with one another
- madly seeking to get away. He was sick,
- but nerved to desperation by the situation,
~ managed to get thru the struggling mass.
~ AS he went he passed over the bodies Of
~ those who had fallen exhausted but it
~ was impossible to render them aid.
Victims Were Working Men.
Is The names and occupations Of the vic
lg Tins gave pathetic evidence of their hum
BILE condition. The names are character
= istic of the French working classes and
IF occupations are given painter, mason,
l. plumber, tailor seamstress, locksmth,
N etc. Outside the Workmen, about every
70 third name is that Of a woman. Pitiful
e. scenes were enacted at the morgue thru
st out the day relatives gathered seeking
~ to identify the bodies which were ranged
4 in long lines on white marble slabs. The
clothing of many of the victims is torn,
showing the fierceness Of their struggle
IN to reach the outer air.
'e Flag at Half Mast.
20 Premier Combes descended into the tun-
IN mel and made a personal inspection. He
IA asked the chief of police for a speedy re-
"a port of the causes Of the disaster and a
10 list of the victims and announced his in
"a tention Of proposing at a council Of min
10 listers, measure for the relief Of the poor
W families Of the victims. The flag over
- the Hotel de Vile Getty halD has been
| Low hale -% oos,< A.
le mourning.
n Another survivor named Jules Bouat,
; describes the struggle during the panic
le in the tunnel as terrible. Women were
l. screaming Save me! Save me!'' An old
man suffocated and fell at his feet The
NJ women screamed until they fell asphyx-
r. lated.
,e M. Gauthier, the magistrate for the dis
,e tr1ct, says one of the main causes of the
~ loss Of life was that those escaping took
es the wrong exit, one passage leading out
w to the street while the other was barred
ID as it was for admitting passengers.
~ Many victims sought the barred exit and
e. were found mashed against the wall where
!, they had been slowly suffocated.
IN M. Bienvenu, chief engineer of tho
Metropolitan Railroad, says from the tech
nical point Of view every precaution to
avoid danger had been taken He declares
es that many Of the plans suggested for the
I'D ventilation or inundation of the tunnel
s. were after thoughts. The chief misfortune
he was that the employees did not organize
st with sufficient rapidity to permit the pas
re sengers being quickly drawn out A large
he force of mounted guards Is at the mouth
c. Of the tunnel. The flremen have gathered
,s large collection of torn clothing, bat
d tered hats, twisted umbrellas and blood
le stained handkerchief showing how des-
~ perate was the underground struggle.
No American Victims.
on At the American consulate it was learn
~ ed that there were no Americans among
nj the victims. The prefecture of police con-
nv firms this.
les How It Happened.
re The causes of the accident are engaging
cir the attention of the officials. Several
he versions Of the disaster are given, but the
nd main facts which have been established
Ice are the following:
les Train No. 43 which caused the accident
ks came from Porte Dauphine at the emit
IS rance to the Bots De Boulonge in the
western part of Paris and passing under
of the Place de PEtoiie circled the northerly
he quarter Of the city. In this northern