The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1921-10-10
COLLIDE
IN PARIS TUNNEL
SIXTEEN KILLED AND EIGHTY
KNOWN TO HAVE BEEN IN
JURED-THE WRECKED CARS
BURSTINTo FLAMES CAUSING
MORE SERIOUS DISASTER

MORE SERIOUS DISASTER
Paris, Oct. CA rear end coils
ion of two suburban trians in the
half mile tunnel leading to the Saint
Lazare railroad station tonight led
to terrifying scenes and the death
of many persons bound on their
homeward journey from Paris. The
wrecked cars burst into flames and
the disaster was made all the more
terrible by the explosion Of a gas
reservoir.
At a late hour tonight 16 bodies
had been recovered. Twenty persons
are known to- have been seriously
injured and 80 slightly injured. This
however, gives no idea Of the extent
of the disaster, because the firemen
and others engaged in the work OF
rescue have been unable to get any
distance within the tunnel owing to
the gas fumes. -. -. ~.
The fire spread with great rapidity
and for time cries Of distress and
the means Of the dying were heard
on all sides but these finally were
silenced through the cracking Of. the
burning wooden coaches. :
The firemen under Colonel Hivert
were not prepared for the barrage
of poisonous fumes which assailed
them as they reached the scene.
Finally they succeeded in playing
four streams on the last coaches at
the St. Lazare end of the tunnel but
these were empty and not burning
while II coaches in the center Of
the tunnel far away from the fire
mems efforts were burning fercely.
At no time could they get closer
than 500 feet from the inferno.
Nevertheless, every. now and then a
passenger with blackened face would
come struggling out, begging the
helpless firemen, police and soldiers
| to enter the tunnel and save those
dying within.
The minister of public works, M.
LIE Troquer, whp was early on the
scene helping to direct the rescue
work, described it as "a vision of
hell" He announced that the dead
would be buried and the injured re-
ceive medical treatment at the ex-
pense Of the state.
A hundred thousand commuters
who every evening depart homeward
from the st. Lazare station sur
rounded the yards but were refused
admittance. AS q consequence there
was an immense amount Of confusion
and many of the commuters repaired
to the barracks, placed at their dis
posal by the government.
An American Red Cross unit was
among the first in the relief work.
The collision occurred when the
5:52 train for the suburb Mary-le-
roi crashed into the rear end Of a
train for Versailles, which left four
minutes earlier on the same track
but which stopped inside the tunnel
for some unexplained reason. Cries
for help and means were audible at
the ends Of the tunnel. s
It is feared that those who were
trapped in the burning wreckage
may never be identified as they
would surely be burned to a cinder
in the intense heat yet unreached
| by the firemen who were directing
streams of water frem both ends Of
the tunnel.
Later it was learned that the fire
started by. explosions Of small illum-
mating gas tanks in the coaches Of
the telescoped train. The train for
Versailles had stopped to repair a
broken coupling when the collision
occurred. Hundreds were enabled to
escape by running through the dark
tunnels along the tracks to the ends
Of the tube.
Paris, Oct. 6.-Seventeen of those
injured in the tunnel wreck have
died in hospitals, according to the
l.s.-.~- 41o fatal