The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1888-11-12
HHARTRHEDNG SCENES
Incident to the Great Mine Hor.
ror at Pittsburg, Kansas.
WILLS OF BROKEN HEARTS

And the Tcrrible Work of Removing
the Bodies of the Entombed Min
ers-Grier OF the Families Of
victims-sccncs at the Pit.
Prr7sBuRa; KAs., Nov. ll.-This little
villageis isoverwhelmed with grief. There
is scarcely cottage in town or in From
tenac that is not in mourning. Nearly
every family in the two mining villages
has lost a relative in the terrible colliery
disaster Friday evening. The stores are
closed and the blinds Of the cottages are
tightly drawn. The only place of busi-
ness remaining open is the little under
takers shop which has long since been
cleared of its ghastly stock. streamers
OF Grape flutter from the doors OF cot
tages at every step, and the village bell
has been tolled almast without inter-
mission since sunrise. Carpenters are
now hurriedly making coffins from such
timber us is at hand. The noise Of their
hammers, the shrieks Of hysterical Wo-
men, and the creaking ofwagons as they
move slowly over the rough roads with
their loads OF mangled human bodies are
about the only evidences OF life in the
stricken village.
Such a night as has Just passed has no
parallel in the history OF Kansas. The
wailing and shrieking OF 1900 women
and children above the tomb of 100
sturdy miners, the screaming OF the
storm through the wreCkage OF the fatal
shaft, and the glare of score OF ofbontires
upon the low-hanging clouds made pic
turc Of hideous characters and OF the
most gruesome colors. For hours after
the ebxlosion
sNUFFED OUT THE LIVES
OF 100 men the scene at the pit was dis
tressing. Poorly clad women with babies
clasped to their breast came through the
darkness with the light cast blythe bon
fires like haggard, uncanny beings from
another world. Some shrieked above
the roar of the storm. Others seemed
bereft OF reason, and moaned and NUT
tered as they fell helpless on the should
ers of their stranger neighbors.
Still Others were mad in their despair
and tore their hair and garments and
would have dashed headlong into the
tomb but for the strength eXertcd by
miners from other shafts. One poor
woman, whose husband and two sons
were in the pit, laid her three youngest
children beside blazing fire and then
fellin Mysteries among them. She lay
unnoticed in this position until morn
ing, when she was removed to her home
raving maniac. At one time the crush
OF women and children at the shaft was
so great that it was feared violence would
bc necessary in order to clear the way
for the rescuers. The poor creatures
fought each other in their despair and
in some instances inflicted severe pun
ishment.
About midnight the hoisting appara-
tus was patched up and then crew OF
miners without lamps slowly descended
into the pit. With breathless interest
the women and men watched the car
disappear. The moments passed like
hours to the watchers. Finally the sig
nal for hoisting was given, and then
amid a most profound silence the car
slowly
AROSE FROM THE TOMB,
The rescuers were pale and nearly
overcome from the gas with which the
mine was filled. They staggered out of
the cur, bearing between them the dead
body OF miner, whose face was torn
and bespattered with blood and dust.
For an instant not word was spoken.
Then wall that drowned the scream
ing OF the autumn storm arose from the
watchers. who fought with blind des.
peration for the body, the identity Of
which had not been established.
As the night wore on the work OF re-
covering the bodies continued, until the
floor OF the engine house was strewn
with mangled men. Then bodies were
placed in rows upon the ground, where
the rain and snow beat upon them. The
victims were shockingly mutilated.
Some were so disfigured us to be unrec-
ognizable. All were covered with blood
and dust, and many were almost stripped
OF their clothes. There was nothing left
OF the man who was brought up from
the dreadful hole but u bleeding, pulpy
trunk, tue head, and the arms and the
legs having been blown OF.
Many OF the searchers tainted at their
work. Others, stimulated by brandy
and the entreaties of the demoniacal
women, continued ut their bloody task
all through the long night. Some OF the
victims were not disfgured. They
worked in chambers least affected by
the shock and
Persisted FROM AFFIRMATION.
As fast as the bodies were brought to
the surface there was a rush made to
identity them, half.dozen women in
lnany cases being engaged at one time in
scanning the bleeding face OF some un-
fortunate. When morning came it found
the same crowd OF weeping women
about the shaft. The air was raw, and
the sky was still overcast with clouds.
The work OF emptying the pit OF its
dead was continued all day Saturday
until ninety-six corpses had been borne
to the surface. There are still about
fifty bodies in the lower levels. Some
OF the victims were found buried beneath
immense weights OF slate, while others
were discovered in groups and in all
kinds of positions. Two men who have
not been identified were 80 tightly locked
in each others arms that it was with
great difficulty they were torn apart.
Their eyes had been blown out by the
explosion, and their faces SO horribly
crushed that the bones were ground
into the flesh. With the coming Of day
light the bodies which had been identi-
fed were borne TO the cottages in
Frontenac aud Pittsburg, while those re-
naming unidentified were laid in rows
in the village church.