The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1888-11-12
FRANTIC WOMEN AND CHILDREN
At the Entrance to the Mine which
Entombed Their Dead.

PITTsBURG, Kan, Nov n.-Many of the
scenes following the mine explosion which
killed nearly one hundred men Friday were
narrowing. Poorly clad women, with babies
clasped to the breasts, came through the
darkness to the shaft. while others, mad In
their despair, tore their hair and garments
and tried to dash headlong into the tomb.
One poor woman, whose husband and two
sons were in the pit. became raving
maniac. At one time the crush of women
and children at the shaft was so great that
1t was feared that violence would be neces-
sary in order to clear the way for the res
cuers. The poor creatures fought each other
in their despair. As night wore on, the work
of recovering the bodies continued until the
floor of the engine house was strewn with
mangled men. Then the bodies were placed
in rows upon the ground, where the snow
and rain beat upon them. Most of the
victims were Shockingly mutilated, and
some were so disfgured as to be unreeog-
nizable. All were covered with blood and
dust, and many were almost stripped of
their clothes. There was nothing left of
the first man brought up from the dreadful
hole but bleeding trunk. Head, arms and
searchers tainted at their work. Others,
stimulated by brandy and the en-
treaties of the frantic women, continued at
their bloody task all through the night.
Some OF the victims were not disfgured.
They were in the chamber the least affected
by the shock and died of suffocation. AS
fast as the bodies were brought to the sur
face there was rush made to identify them.
There are still about fifty bodies in the lower
levels: Some of the victims were found
while others were discovered in groups and
in all kinds of positions. Two men who
have not been identified were SO tightly
locked in each others arms that they were
torn apart with difficulty. Their eyes had
been blown out by the explosion. and their
faces horribly crushed. Out of 164 who had
descended into the mine, only IA have been
taken out alive, the greater part of them be-
ing terribly and fatally burned. Thirty-six
bodies were found on the north and west
sides, where the work of rescue had been
stopped until the other part of the mine
could be strengthened so 1t could he explored
for the. remaining victims. 1t
will probably be three or four
days before the bodies can be recovered, and
many are being burned beyond recognition
A full list of the names will never be known
The State Superintendent of Mines is at the
mine, and says he is confident the disaster
was caused by the flame of an imperfect
blast igniting the coal dust, which, on ac-
count of the extreme dryness of the mines,
| Is great source of danger. The miners,
| however, severely censure the coal company
| for employing incompetent miners, thus en-
| dangering the lives Of all.
Thirty Hours Entombed.
KANSAS CITY, Nov. ia Times special
tonight from Pittsburg says; Searching par
| ties at the Frontenac mine worked without
| cessation all night and to-day. Only three
additional bodies were taken out. At a.
m. relief squad, working at the foot of the
main shaft, were astounded to see
an apparition approaching them. The mys-
terious visitor staggered up to them, dimly
outlined by the uncertain light of their lamps
| and greeted them with Here, fellows, let
| me have light" 1t was Henry Burns who
| had for thirty hours been counted among the
| lost. He was quickly taken to the surface
| and there told story of one of the most re-
markable escapes from death on record.
| lie was slightly delirious but there was con-
| siderable cOherency in his account. He said.
"As l was working in the first room in the
| north entry on the east side there was a roar
and shock. l at first thought l had
been asleep and. in fact, was SO
was in this world or the next. Managing to
make light with my only remaining match,
| found my watch had stopped at five o'clock
but didn't know tile day or whether it
| was morning or evening. l was
| suffering internal agonies from inhaling
after damp, but was otherwise unhurt.
| and proceeded to make my way to the foot of
the shaft. / do not know how long the jour-
| ney lasted. After being removed to the
| open air became more nervous and deliri-
| Gus, and could not be made to understand
the full significance Of what had under
| gone"
Burns could not realize that two nights
| and days had passed since he had lost con-
sciousness, and insisted that the people were
joking when they told him it was Sunday
morning. He is being well cared for, and
will be all right in few days
Rochester's Horror.
ROCHESTER,, N. Y. Nov. 1.-Two more
bodies were found today lin the ruins of the
Steam Guage and Lantern Works. Seventy
eight men were at work when the fire broke
out. OF these II are known to be dead, and
80 are missing. All hope of their being alive
Is given up. Twenty were more or less in.
jured, and II escaped unhurt.