The sun., 1903-08-12

49,
open mouth and swollen look.
Owing to the extinguishment OF the cleo
tric lights in the tunnel, the passengers
instead OF going toward the Rue des Cou-
ronnes station rushed toward the dead wall
at tho entrance Of the tunnel. The wallis
to q height of six feet are covered with
blood. There is also large pool OF blood on
the ground in which are hats. umbrellas
and even a loaf of bread
TIE heat was intolerable, and 1t was
hardly safe to venture into the tunnel this
afternoon
STORIES OF SURVIVORS
Alfred Martin says that with his wife
he took a train at the Place de Clichy.
Wher they arrived at the Boulevard Barbes
some officials ordered the passengers to
leave The train. as the floor of the motor
Ctrw y burning. This fire was extinguished
Y using hand grenades. and the train
r'oce ded. Half way between the Boule-
Nlrd Barbes and the Boulevard dale
agn the train stopped again because
the ! 'lleville train ahead had stopped
The lassengers we"n again ordered TO
leave The train as their train was required
to puh the Belleville train. They did so
and boarded the following train, At the
Couronnes station another halt was made.
81 mo of the passengers complained Of the
d. 'ay, while others laughed and chat,rd.
The station masier had just signalled
fo.' the train to leave when two employees
Of the company wore seen 10 come out I
the tn mel, crying to everybody I" save
thcnse ives. There was much excitement,
but the passeng gers were mostly incredu-
lo,s, believing that they were being made
the victims of a hoax. They crowdei on
the station staircase demanding that their
fal es be returned TO them There was
n crowd coming down the station stairs
and as neither these nor those wanting to
ascend would give way a terrible crush
resulted.
The Martins and dozen others started
TO return to Belevle. which was distant
ten metres Within the tunnel the light
failed. but they struggled through the
smoke, which was impregnated with an
acrid odor, and finally reached the Belle
vile station Here similar crowd was
found on the staircase demanding the
return of their three-cent fares. Mr..
Martin vainly implored the crowd to make
way. The smoke was then beginning to
enter the station, and Mr. Martin and others
used their fists and fought their way TO
the open air.
One survivor says that he shouldered
his way through a struggling mass TO the
station, whose locality he knew, and went
straight to the staircase. While ascending
this two women clung o his legs and were
saved in this manner
A rescued passenger of the name OF
Olivier said that the conditions in the
tunnel after the accident were indescrib-
ably frightful He said
Il do not know how got out but could
not have gone another twenty yards. The
train was much nearer to the Rue DIES Cour-
onnee station than to Menimontaut but
many of the passengers rushed in the lat
ter direction. Every one was mad with
terror. I trod on several persons who
were Wing on the ground"
One man who ran 10 he assist ance of
those below upon hearing of an accident
entered the tunnel at the Couronnes station.
Here he found crowds clamoring at the book
ing Office for the return of their fares
Then there was frightful outburst OF
shouts and shrieks as clouds of thick smoke
poured into the station The station
master vainlv endeavored to reassure the
frightened people. who fled up the stair
case, falling over one another in their panic.
INVESTIGATION BEGUN.
M. Joliet, the examining magistrate
appointed to investigate the cause of the
accident, opened the inquiry to-day. NJ.
Combes, the Prime Minister, visited police
headquarters to view the bodies Of the
victims.
Chauven, the driver OF train 43, believes
that a piece Of metal must have fallen on
the rails, causing a short circuit which
produced sparks and fred the gutta percha
wire covering He used the hand grenades
chat were in the motor cabin, but these
were Of no avail
The general opinion is that radical
changes must be introduced in the system.
Pitch pine cars should be replaced by others
OF less combustible mat erial and there
should be iron railway ties instead of the
wooden ones now in use. The ventilation
and the lighting Of the tunnel should also
be improved.
Traffic on the railway was resumed be-
tween the station du Combat and the Portel
Dauphlne this afternoon.
coMPANY's SHARES DROP.
Owing to the accident the shares OF the
Mseroplitan Electric Railway dropped in the
Bourse quotations from GA to 593 to-day.
The shares OF the Paris Omnibus Company
ROMA from S75 70 Rna