Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1906-03-15
THE WHOLE REGION
STANDS APPALLED,
THE WORST MINE DISASTER IN
FRENCH ANNALS.
ELEVEN HUNDRED VICTIMS
Six Thousand Fathers, Mothers
Wives and Children In and Around
Courrieres, Bereaved BY the
Terrible Calamity.
An Explosion of Firedamp Carried
Death and Destruction, and OF
1900 Men In the Workings
LOO Lost Their Lives.

Paris, March ia mining catdS-
trophe of in~calculable horror and 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
centered at Courrieres, and fire fol-
lowed the explosion, making rescue dill
ficult and almost impossible.
The intense excitement and confI-
sion in the vicinity prevented early es-
Inmates of the exact loss of life, but
the worst fears as to the enormity OF
the disaster have been realized. The
death list numbers 1,100, 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 n
military guard 400 soldiers having ar
river there to assist in holding in check
the crowds of distracted mourners. Fol
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 even 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. 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 of
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 or
the ground endeavoring to comfort the
distressed families Of the miners. Pres
ident Failleries has given $4,000 to aid
in relief measures. The ministry viii
add a further sum to this, and the
chamber of deputies will be asked t
vote 500. 900 for the purpose of allevi
ating distress.
Ministers Gauthier and Dubief have
received complete details Of the catasr
trophe from M. Layaurs, the director
of the mine.
"Of 1900 miners who were down il
the pits when the explosion occurred,
he said, 1913 were working in Pit No
q, 1882 we're in Pit No. 3, 571 in pit No
2 and the remainder in pit No. 10"
The Number Rescued.
Those rescued were taken out as fol
lows:
From pit No. 4, 1870; from pit No.
is, escaped through pit No. IL; 40
came up from pit No. 2 and "A iron
pit No. 10. A number of these were in
jured and some of them have died since
At the present moment over LOO
men remain imprisoned.
Another director declared that tn
imprisoned men numbered LOO.
Minister Dubief inquired: Have 70
still any hope?" TO this the directo
replied: mo. l believe all of them ar
dead"
This was whispered into the ear G
the minister, In order that his word
might not be overheard by the pale
faced miners who stood a~nxiously abou
the mine building waiting for an off
cial view of the state OF affairs.
An I%mprOvised Morgue.
For the time being the mine built
ing has been transformed into a mo-
tuary chamber and all about in it |
the c~arbonized and almost unrecogniz
Bile bodies of miners which were take
there as they were brought up from tt
mine. Stricken relatives arrive at IL
mine building from time to time, searcl
ing for missing members of their fan
!, flies, and indescribable scenes of gri
!, occur as women recognize loved ones.
H~enrtrending Scenes.
Heartrending scenes, too, are wi
i messed about the mouth Of pit No.
! where, in the presence Of Ministe
: Dubief and Gauthier the bands of re
:, cuers are continually descending and r
turning with bodies. Women with CHI
!. dren in. their arms attempt to bret
:. through the Gordon Of troops viii,
forms a lane through which the DO,
bearers proceed to the mortuary char
Der. Sometimes the burden consists
a mere heap of burnt flesh, and in nea
i ly every case the body is terribly lac
a ated. Only one half of the bodies !
covered have been identified.
Heroic Rescue Workers.
Despite the danger incurred, the V,
g unteers, who include a number of the
t, who were successful in escaping at
k time Of the explosion, do not hesits
IS to descend the shaft. Some Of thu
N have been down more than a doz
W times. One of them. after havi
brought up IA bodies. was suffocat
on his fifteenth attempt, and it is feal
that other fatalities among the vol,
- teers will follow, as the air in the mil
! still impregnated with noxious gases.
= number Of men engaged in rescue VIZ
- have already been brought to the $
face unconscious.
Fav sred the Lake Submarine.