The Montgomery tribune. (Montgomery City, Mo.) 1892-1910, 1906-03-16
THE WORST MINE DISASTER IN,
FRENCH ANNALS.
ELEVEN HUNDRED VICTIMS
wives and children In and Around
Courricres, Bcrenved by the
Terrible Calamity.
An Explosion of mp Carried
Death ana Destruction, and of
1880 Men In the workings
100 Lost Their Lives.

lTOpHe Ol lnCdlCuldDle nOTTOr anu mag
nitude has stricken the great coal cen.
ter of northern France. An explosion
of firedamp at seven o'clock Saturday
morning carried death and destruction
throughout the network of coal mines
conferred at Courrieres, and fire fol-
lowed the explosion, making rescue diff
ficult and almost impossible.
The intense excitement and confu.
sion in the vicinity prevented early es-
Inmates of the exact loss of life, but
the worst fears rs ITO the enormity of
the disaster have been realized. The
death list numbers 100, and the whole
of the region stands appalled, at the ter
rible tragedy which has brought sor-
row to 5000 fathers, mothers, wives
and children.
The Worst In French History.
The last great mine disaster in France
occurred in 1885, when 293 persons were
killed and 80 injured, but that and all
others sink into insignificance before
Courrieres.
The vast mortuary camp is undel
military guard, 400 soldiers having ar
river there to assist in holding in check
the crowds of distracted mourners. For
a time hope had been held out to the
people that tappings on pipes by the
imprisoned men had been heard, but
gradually this hope vanished, and the
people demanded admission to see the
bodies, and W. threatened to break
through the gordon of troops, who had
the greatest difficulty in keeping the
crowds from the pit. On man named
Sylvester succeeded in entering the
mine, but he never returned, a 1t is be-
lieved he CROPPED about inside until he
was overcome by the gases and per-
ished. 1t is reported that a rescue
party numbering 40 had been cut off
by the caving in of one Of the galleries.
Ministers At the Scene.
Minister of Public Works Gauthier.
Minister of the Interior Dubief and the
secretary of President Failleries are on
the ground ~endeavoring to comfort the
distressed families of the miners. Pres
ident Failleries has given $1,000 to aid
in relief measures. The ministry will
add a further sum to this, and the
chamber of deputies will be asked to
vote 500. 900 for the purpose of allevi-
ating distress.
Ministers Gauthier and Dubief have
received complete "details of the catas-
trophe from M. Lavaurs, the director
of the mine.
"Of 1900 miners who were down in
the pits when the explosion occurred"
he said, 1878 were working in Pit No.
4, 1872 were in Pit No. 3, ST. in pit No.
2 and the remainder in pit No. TO-"
The Number Rescued.
Those rescued were taken out as fol-
lows:
From pit No. 4, 1870; from pit No. 8,
16, escaped through pit No. IL; 400
came up from pit No. 2 and "a from
pit No. 10. A number of these were in
jared and some of them have died since.
At the present moment over 1000
men remain imprisoned.
Another director declared that the
imprisoned men numbered LOO.
Minister Dubief inquired: Have you
still any hope?" To this the director
replied: "No. l believe all of them are
dead"
. This was whispered into the ear of
the minister, in order that his words
might not be overheard by the pale
faced miners who stood a~nxiously about
the mine building waiting for an off,
cial view of the state of affairs.
An Improvised Morgue.
For the time being the mine build
ing has been transformed into a NOR
tuary chamber and ali about in it lie
the ~carbbnized and almost unrecogniza-
BILE bodies of miners which were taken
there as they were brought up from the
mine. Stricken relatives arrive at the
mine building from time to time, search
ing for missing members Of their fam
lilies, and indescribable scenes of grief
occur as women recognize loved ones.
Heartrending Scenes.
Heartrending scenes, too, are wit
messed about the mouth of pit No. A.,
where, in the presence of Ministers
Dubisf and Gauthier the bands of res
cuers are continually descending and re-
turning with bodies. Women with chill
dren in their arms attempt to break
through the Gordon of troops which
forms a lane through which the body
bearers proceed to the mortuary cham
Der. Sometimes the burden consists Of
a mere heap of burnt flesh, and in near
ly every case the body is terribly LAGER.
ated. Only one half Of the bodies re-
covered have been identified.
HerOi Rescue Workers.
Despite the danger incurred, the vol.
unteers, who include a number of those
who were successful in escaping at tho
time of the explosion. do not hesitate
to descend the shaft, Some of them
have been down more than a dozen
times. One of them. after having
brought up IA bodies, was suffocated
on his fifteenth attempt, and 1t ID feared
that other fatalities among the volun-
teers Will follow, % the air in the mines
still impregnated with noxious gases, A
number Of men engaged In rescue work
have already been brought to the sur-
face unconscious.