The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1906-03-24
THOUSAND DEAD
IN FRENCH MINE
Explosion Works earful Havoc
Among Workmen In
the Pits.
VOLUNTEERS ARE SUFF0CATED
Brave Men Who Attempt TO Rescue
Comrades Are Overcome by the
Noxious Gases, Many Being Brought
to Surface Unconscious.

Paris cablegram: The enormity OF
the nine disaster In the Ccurrieres
district OF the Pas.de-Calais is told In
the figures which number the dead.
or the 1900 men who were In the
mine when the explosion occurred 769
have been accounted for. alive or
dead. This leaves 1881 dead in the
ruiz of the mine.
The recovery OF bodies is proceed
ing slowly Only sixty were brought
up Sunday. but in the evening the res
cuers reported that a hundred more
had been found
Chief Engineer Leon, who headed
the first rescue party in shaft eleven,
was not until O'Clock in the after
noon that Il was possible TO get down
as far as the first gallery The sight
there was awful. There was a con.
fused mass OF beams, rubbish. corpses,
dead horses and cars. The rescuers
heard feeble groans and dashed az an
obstruction with axes They released
twelve men who were In the last gasp
Then they were Obliged 10 return TO
the surface. Another party OF rescu
crs soon descended and returned with
twelve corpses All the dead were
con- pletely carbonized. One was head
less. while the arms were torn of an.
Other There may have been others
alive quite near the shaft. but the res
cuers could not reach them. as the air
was so bad. No one could venture
mere than few yards from the shaft.
Give Life for Life.
At s o'clock Sunday night the min.
lister OF commerce. the minister OF
public works and Col Kerandran. rep.
resenting President Fallieres. were az
shaft three An engineer was let
down. but he found Il impossible 10
breathe when a little more than half
way down, He reported not n sound
could be heard from below
Between midnight Saturday night
and Sunday afternoon only two men
were brought mp alive. and by a
strange irony OF fate exactly the same
number of rescuers lost their lives In
the same pit. victims OF the poisonous
gases.
Replying TO an inquiry as 10 wheth.
or hope remained for the finding of
more men alive in the mine, NJ. Leon
said:
1T Is scarcely possible The state
OF the galleries Is such that clearing
them will be difficult task, while the
flames were SO fierce that many OF
the victims must have been reduced
10 ashes"
Words cannot describe the scenes at
the mouths OF the pits. where $4,000
men. women and children were stand.
ing day and night too stunned by the
horror Of the catastrophe TO give cx.
preston TO their feelings Now and
then woman faints and is carried
away, but for the most part there is a
weird calm. The mining company ON.
cials fear this apparent quletude is
only prelude 10 a violent outbursi
directed against the mine owners.
Signs OF restlessness become so pro.
nounced that the rrefect has sum.
moned achievements OF troops and
gendarmes.
Despite the danger incurred. the vol.
unteers. who include n number OF
those who were successful In escaping
az the time OF the explosion. do not
hesitate TO descend the shaft Some OF
them have been down more than n
dozen times. One OF them. after hav.
Ing brought up fourteen bodies. was
sunocatcd on his fifteenth attempt.
and II Is feared that other fatalities
among the volunteers will follow. as
the air IN the mines is stu lmpreg.
mated with noxious gases number
Of the men engaged In rescue work
have already been brought To tho sur.
face unconscious. and as they were
driven 20 their homes In closed car.
rlages the women followed and broke
the windows, suspectlng that bodies
were being hurried away.