The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1906-03-12
IN the Great French Mine
Disaster Of Saturday.
Is THE LATEST REPORT
There Is Little Hope Of Getting ANY Out
Alive Of Of Even Recovering the
Bodies-Monnmen Will Be
Erected.

Paris, March IL. The latest reports
from Courieres as to the approximate
number of casualties in the great mine
disaster which occurred there Saturday,
give the figures at between 1900 and III
800. There II little hope Of getting out
any Of the miners who are still alive be-
low OF even Of recovering their bodies.
The funerals OF the victims will be held
tomorrow Those who were burned or
mutilated beyond recognition viii be
buried together and monument to com
memorate their death will bc erected
over the spot by public subscription.
The vast moftuary camp Is under
military gnard, four hundred soldiers
having arrived there to assist in holding
in check the crowds of distracted mourn.
ers.
For time hope has 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 even threatened to break
through the Gordon of troops, who had
the greatest difficulty in keeping the
crowds from the pit.
One man named Sylvestre succeeded
in entering the mine, but he never re-
turned. IT is believed he grouped about
inside until he was overcome by the
gases and perished. 1t is reported that
d rescue party numbering forty has been
cut of by the caying in Of one Of the
galleries.
Minister Of Public Works Gauthier,
Minister Of the Interior Dubief and the
secretary Of President Fallieres remain
ed on the ground and endeavored to
comfort the distressed families Of the
miners President Fallieres has given
$4,000 To aid in relief measures.
The ministry will add further sum
to this and the chamber of deputies will
be asked to vote 100000 for the pur
pose of alleyiating distress.
For the time Icing the rhine has been
transformed into a mortuary chamber
and all about it lie the carbonized and
almost unrecognizable bodies Of miners
which were taken there as they were
brought up from the mine. Stricken
relatives arrived at the mine building
from time to time, searching for missing
members of their families, and indescrib.
ablo scenes of grief occur as women rec
ognize loved ones.
He1rt-rending scenes, too. are witness
ell about the mouth of the pit of No. 4,
where in the presence of Ministers Du-
bief and Gauthier the bands OF reseuers
are continually descending and return
ing with bodies. The women with
children in their arms attempt to break
through the Gordon of troops which form
a lane through which the body bearers
proceed to the moTtuary chamber.
Sometimes the burden consists of a
mere heap Of burned flesh and in nearly
every case the body is terribly lacerated
Only one half of the bodies recovered
have been identified.
DESPITE the danger incurred, the vol
unteers, who include number of those
who were successful in escaping at the
time Of the explosion. do not hesitate to
descend the SHIFT Some OF them have
been down more than a dozen times
One of them after having brought ZIP
fourteen bodies was suiToeated on his
fifteenth attempt, and it is fcatei that
other fatalities among the volunteers
win follow, as the air in the mine is
still impreanated with noXioHs gases. A
number Of the men engaged in rescue
work have already been brought to tie
surface unconscious, and as they were
driven to their homes In closed carriages
tho women followed ard broke the w.n.
dows, suspecting that bodies were being
hurried away.