The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1884-01-26
More Particulars From the
Crested ButteS Disaster.
Burned and BACKED Bodies
Sad and Sickening Sights.
Thirty-f0ur Bodies Discovered
Up to Date.
The Colorado Calamity.


party has almost reached chamber No
2. and has discovered one dead body, tn,
skull broken and the whele body terribl,
bruised and blackened. The gas is Q,
bad in the mine and the passage way
are so blockaded that progress is very
slow. Everything possible is being don,
to reach the bodies as speedily as possible
Ali hope Of finding any Of the buried
miners alive was long since abandoned
Threats are made this evening sgsins
Superintendent Robinson and Mine .Bos
Gibson, principally against the latter
and serious trouble is feared. Robinson
Is at the niue experimenting the worE
fears are entertained for his safety, but Z
residence of Gibson to prevent volence
The threats do not come from the mer
engaged in the mine, but some who had
been discharged take this opportunity to
make trouble. The scene ct the mine il
most pitiful. The wives and children OF
the buried men still hover around the
entrance to the mine, and their lamenta.
tions add to the distressing scene.
Denver, 25.-It is impossible to &c.
only very meagre reports from the scene
Of the Crested Buttes disaster. Through
almost supsrhuman efforts the rescuing
party reached one cham Der in the mine
this morning, where the men were sup
posed to have been at the time Of the ex-
plosion. Hsre fifteen dead bodies were
found, but have not been taken out and
their names are not learned. Toe deadly
gas lie q source Of imminent d anger 10 the
rescuers, who are forced to proceed most
cautiously. The excitement is intense.
Denver, 25.-For thirty.six hours
a force of from twenty to thirty has
been constantly at work searching
for bodies OF miners buried in
the Crested Buttes mine. The work
is necessarily ve;y SLOW, IS the mine
is badly choked up with piles of
displaced timbers, heaps of coal,
rock and other obstructions. at
noon to day ten bodies had been
found. These were all in the main
entry, and being subjected to the
full force of the blast were terribly
burned and blackened. In several
cases the arms and legs were found
broken and the bodies otherwise
mutilated. In this entry were also
found the carcasses of nine
mules and large number of
empty coal cars which had been
battered out of all shape. The work.
men gained an entrance to cham>
Der number one this morning, but
found no bodies there. Searching
further eighteen bodies were found,
almost in q heap, In the air passage
leading to the up cast near the
entrance. The men alarmed
but not injured by the
explosion had evidently at
tempted to reach the furnace
room, and were overcome by Efter
damp when within 200 feet of it.
Fifty feet further back six more
bodies were found, all evidently
having been suffocated. Some mad
tied handkerchiefs over their
This makes q t,tal of
thirty-four bodies found up to this
time, and includes all who were at
work in chamber number one.
These bodies are now being brought
out to the main entry, and will
soon be brought to the sur
face. The workmen will
then begin to search for
bodies in chamber number two
This latter is further into the mine,
and is undoubtedly where the ex-
plosion took place. It is expected
that the bodies there will be found
badly burned. 1t is now known
that there were fifty-nine miners
and boys in the mine. To the list
of names sent last night may
be added: D. Thomas, John Thomas
and Miles Roach, which makes
the list complete, except one.
Among the killed were two boys,
Tommy Lyle and William Meath,
each about II years old, and Morgan
Meath, II years old. The two
former were gate keepers, and the
latter . driver. The cause of the
cannot be definitely told at
this writing. AS before stated, the
mine will be subjected to gas, but
the owners have done everth ing
possible to overcome this by the use
Of sill the latest and most approved
for mine t'lation,
AMI vas cons dered one of the best
ventilated mines in the country. I.
was examined by an inspec ior about
six weeks ago, end in his report he
stated that IL had the worst air and
hest ventilation IF any coal mine in
the State. The owners claim an air
supply Of more than four times the
amount required by law. The fire
man made his regular rounds
Yesterday morning before the
men went to work, and found
. small quantity of gas in
three rooms. In two Of these three
men were warned and given safety
lamps. The miner who belonged in
the third was told not to 60 into it
until the break in the brattice,
caused by letting down q car the
night before, could be repaired. The
came out Of the mine to
get material to mend the brattice
and Just as he reached the open
air the explosion occurred. It'll
is thought the miner dis
orders and went Into
the room with q lamp, causing the
or the men killed but