The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-08-12
DEATH in
SMOKE AND
DARKNESS
Victims of Paris Catas-
trophe Number 100.
EIGHTY-FOUR HAVE
BEEN DISCOVERED
Many Women Among Those
WhoPerished Under Ground
FRIGHTFUL TRAGEDY
IN UTTER DARKNESS
Crowd. of Passengers Sought to Find
Escape from the Fire and
Smoke, Only to Be Suffocated
or TrampIed to Death.
The Whole City in
Mourning.
Many Women Among Those
Perished Under Ground
.FRICHTFUL TRAGEDY
IN UTTER DARKNESS
tEy Associated Pre.s.)

(Ey Associated Press.)
PARIS, August 1L-Eighty-four bodies
have been recovered and teh death list
probably will exceed one hundred in the
underground railway disaster which oc-
Cured here last night.
The accident, which occurred on the
Metropolitan electric railway assumed the
proportions OF an awful catastrophe dur
ing the early hours to-day. when more
than four-score bodies Of the burned and
suffocated victims were removed from
the subterranean passage. The work con-
tinues and indications are that the death
list Will prehaps exceed five-score.
Long lines OF ambulances were brought
into requisition. and the bodies were car
red to the morgue and the nearby mill
tary barracks. After daylight the crowds
at the entrances to the tunnel increased
to enormous proportions. obliging the po-
lice to form solid Gordon, through which
we're admitted only those seeking to ;den-
tify their relatives among the victims.
The failure OF many men. women and
children to return home during the night
gave many the first news Of the catasto-
Fathers and mothers came hurrying TO
phe Fathers and mothers came hurrying
find the absent ones.
We're Trampled On.
The firemen found q great number Of
bodies massed near the ticket office OF
the station, where many had evidently
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 escaped.
but the others had been trampled on. One
woman had fled within the ticket office,
where her body was found. The ticket
seller herself, succeeding in escaping.
At the station of Les Couronnes the
same scenes of death and despair had
been enacted, The accident occurred mid
way between the stations Of Menilmontant
and Les Couronnes, SO that the work OF
salvage proceeded from both ends of the
tunnel In addition to the binding smoke
the tunnel bclched forth terrible heat. as
one OF the trains was slowly burning
within TIL firemen succeeded In throwing
several streams OF water in the direction
or the wreck. while some firemen and
military engineers at great hazard pushed
on inside the tunnel
Terrible Panic.
Further on. the firemen stumbled upon
LNe leTTlDIt MASS } Ilcse WeIc lIc
passengers of the burned train. They had
fled from the coaches when the fire
broke out and cropping through the suffo-
eating clouds of smoke sought the exit at
Les Courronnes station. But the tunnel
makes q sharp turn near the scene of the
disaaster. and at the angle the entire
mass of humanity apparently became
tightly wedged. The panic which took
place at this point within this dark sub
terranean passage must have been terri
BILE.
NJ. Lepine, prefect of police, summoned
a large force of doctors and municipal
officials, who superlntended the removal
of the bodies. The number OF corpses
brought up from the angle where the
mass was wedged was so large that four
and eight bodies were placed In each am
bulance Many Of the victims had hand
kerchiefs stuffed In their mouths they
having evidently tried to keep out the