Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-08-11
the male victims were evidently persons of
importance.
Ten Women Found Together.

Ten Women Found Together.
About am. the bodies of ten women
were brought out in a bunch. They had
evidently been together in the female COM
partment and had sought to escape In COM
pany, when they were overcome The booies
of two little girls and three infants Were
found with them. clinging to their mothers:
Many poor people claimed the bodies OF
their children and relatives and tried TO
take them home. but the police gently put
firmly insisted on the bodies being taken 10
the morgue and barracks in order that the
magnitude of the catastrophe might be de-
termined.
At the Hotel de ville the president Of the
municipal council announced that the city
of Paris would bear the entire expenses OF
the funerals of the victims.
BY $50 IN. the total of the bodies lying
at the morgue had reached forty and the
total at the barracks of the municipai
guard forty-four, making eight-four alto
gether.
At 8 o'clock the number of bodies was un-
officially estimated at above one hundred.
Cause of the Disaster.
The causes of the accident are engaging
the attention of the officials. Several YER
sions of the disaster are given, but the
main facts which have been established are
the following:
Train No. 43, which caused the accident.
came from Porte Dauphine, at the entrance
to the Bots de Boulogne, In the western
part of Paris, and passing under the Place
de fEtoile circled the northerly quarter OF
the city. In this northern Quarter-a manu-
featuring section-the train picked up num-
bers of workmen, who, after their days
work, were returning to their homes in the
populous eastern ACCOMPLISHMENTS of the
city. On reaching the neighborhood Of the
cemetery of Pere la Chaise the electrical
motor failed to act properly and the train
waited at the station of Les Gharonnes un-
til the arrival of a second train, which
pushed the crippled train forward, making
a total of sixteen coaches. ,-
After proceeding about 28o yards toward
Menilmontant station the damaged dynamo
set fire to the engine Of the first train.
The engine burned iereeiy. raising quanti-
ties of smoke. simultaneously the electric
lights on the trains went out, leaving the
passengers in total darkness, except for
the light of the burning engine far ahead
This impeded the progress of the trains
toward Menilmontant. The terror-stricken
passengers got out and tried to grope their
way back to Les Charonnes. The powerful
electrical current which continued in the
rails Is believed to have stunned or killed
many. A number of the passengers man
aged to reach Les Charonnes station. but
the main body of the passengers was over
come by the heat and smoke.
Terrible Panic Occurs
A terrible panic occurred among those
increased by a third train crashing into
the fiery mass and adding another crowd
OF pantc-stricken passengers to those seek
ing an outlet. The officials at the stations
were the first to become aware of the dis
aSter by the clouds of smoke rising from
the tunnel, and the staggering forth of q
few of the stronger men and two women
who had been able to make their way
through the dense smoke and darkness.
Those who got out were unable TO give any
Information Others
hind, but they told of stumbling over bo-
dies AL along the tracks
The cars continued to burn until twenty
were consumed. The burning debris gayo
forth a fierce heat, which puffed out of
the mouths of the stations Of Les Charon-
nes and MenilmOntant. Most of the train
men escaped, but the conductor of the
train causing the accident was seriously
injured. The escape of the trainmen is at
tributed not to their lack of attention to
the passengers. but TO their superior knowl-
edge of the subterranean passage, which
enabled them to hasten forward in spite of
the obscurity. Several soldiers were among
those who effected their escape They
were sighly injured, however, and were
taken to a hospital. Two women who es-
capped 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 through
the smoke to aid the victims. and .s now
in the hospital. Several soldiers and fire.
succor the passengers. Prefect Lepine
himself took his life in his hands by en-
tering the tunnel and proceeding a cOnsid-
cradle distance until the smoke drove him
back.
Excitement in the City.
The catastrophe has caused intense ex-
Clement throughout the city, even the
Humbert trial being forgotten in the W de-
spread feeling of horror and grief. At
noon Col. Meaux St. Marc on behalf of
Pres. dent Loubet, visited the morgue. and
Premier Combes went to the scene of the
disaster M. Hurteaux. procureurfOf the re-
public. and Judge Jolliot of the Seine tr.-
buna' have proceeded to Les Charonnes
stat. on to open a judicial investigation into
the affair.
The chief station master at Les Cha
ronnes. M. Oder, has given a graphic de-
scriptiOn of the events preceding the acct
dent. He says he saw the flames running
along the gear of the cars when the first
train passed througb~the station and called
out to the engineer to stop, saying there
was not time to reach the next station, but
the eng neer declared he had dample time and
proceeded A few .nutes later long blue
flames flashed through the tunnel, followed
by violent detonat!on. Looking into the
mouth of the tunnel. Mr.. Didier could see
flashes from the burning cars.
Great masses of smoke began to pour out,
preventing the officials from entering the
tunnel. Men struggled out through the
smoke. Screams could be heard in the dis
tance amid the cracking of the fire.
Terrible Panic in the Darkness.
Eugene oliver, one of the few survivors,
describes the terrible panic which occurred
In the darkness. The people, he says, rush.
ed and fought with one another, mad'2
seeking to get away. He sick but
nerved to desperation by the situation
managed to get through the struggling
mass AS he went he passed over the
bodies of those who had fallen exhausted.
but Ii was impossible to render them aid.
The names and occupations of the victims
give pathetic evidence of Their humble con-
dition. The names are characteristic OF
the French working classes, AID occupa-
tions are given as painter, mason. plumber
tailor. seamstress. locksmith. &c. Outside
the workmep about every third name ts
that of a woman. PitifU scenes were
enacted at the morgue throughout tile day
as the relatives gathered seeking to identify
the bodies, which were ranged in long lines
on white marble slabs. Tner ciot4sng of
many of the victims is torn, showing the
fierceness of the struggle.
Premier Gombes descended into the tun-
hel and made personal lengthy inspec-
ton. He asked the chief Of police for a
and list of the victims, and announced
his intention of proposing at council of
ministers measures for the relief of the
poor families of the victims. The flag over
the Hotel de Vile has been lowered TO