The Portland daily press., 1888-03-31
AFTER THE CALAMITY.
Removing the Dead from the Mine
at Rich Hin, Missouri.

KANSAS CITY, Mo-, March 30.-The mine
explosion at Rich Hill, while terrible ca
lamity, was not as extensive as reported 1t
was thought at first that nearly 100 miners
had been killed, but investigation today
shows that while the disaster is great, not
more that 80 were killed.
When the smoke would permit the res
cuers to enter the mine last night, they
found horrible scene. In the tunnels.
chambers and passages, where the men were
caught and suffocated, the heat was intense.
and the air was filed with dust and smoke,
so that several of the rescuing party sue
cumbed, and had to be carried out by their
comades.
The wounded were first taken out, but
they were few, and many were beyond all
hope of recovery. Many Of the dead were
found stretched out with tools in their hands
showing that death came swift and sure
The bodies were all warm, and 1t was hard
to distinguish the dead from the unconscious
living.
As the dead and dying reached the mouth
of the shaft, the scenes were ag0niZing be-
yond description. Mothers, wives and chill
dren pressed forward to Identify the bodies
lley were all cdITicQ W tllb DldckSulLu SHOP
and messengers despatched to Butler and
Fort Scott for physicians.
The panic and excitement were so great
that it was impossible to ascertain the names
or exact number Of the dead. A conserva-
tive estimate places the number Of dead at
40. A large number are still in the shaft.
The Rescuers' Terrible Experience.
Superintendent Sweeney spoke to re-
porter as follows, concerning the attempt
made to enter the mine Immediately after
the first explosion yesterday: "At just seven
minutes after noon, was telephoned that an
explosion had occurred at No. 6, which is
four miles northwest Of the town. went
out as soon as possible, and found the south
cage, on which the men always ascend, stuck
in the shaft about half way from the bottom
with eight men in it. went down in tub
lowered with ropes, and found them all bad
ly burned and in frenzy; in fact they were
crazy, some shouting and others singing. l
found it impossible to have this cage hoisted
as the timbers were all blown out of posi-
tion. We finally managed to be hoisted by
means of ropes and pulleys, in a fainting
condition, and it was then ascertained that
the north cage could be worked by clearing
some timbers which had been driven through
from the south shaft. This was done by
saving them short OF.
81 then called for volunteers to go down
with me to see if any of the poor fellows at
the bottom could be got out. Robert Brick,
George Henry, Charles Smallwood and Matt
Duleband responded.
"When we reached the bottom looked
through into the entry and saw light and
! asked who was there and voice responded,
Gray and told him to put out his light. l
then asked him to crawl to me but he was so
exhausted that he sould NOS do so, and
reached through the small aperture and
dragged him on to the cage.
"Just as this was done wind rushed with
the velocity of a cyclone up the entry, put
ting out all our lights but one.
This was followed by two loud reports
and seething flame Of fire, which came
with a deafening roar, completely enyelop-
ing us for length which seemed ike an
age and shot out the mouth of the shaft, 240
bly, burned and thought our time had come.
"The flames receded as suddenly as they
had come and we had to abandon the at
tempt to save the others.
II yelled to the men on the top to hoist
away, but it was some time before they got
the signal or understood my meaning.
''The moments thus spent were a living
death. l thought they could not hear me
and concluded we should have to crawl
through to the south shaft and undertake to
climb out that way. l was just in the act Of
doing SO when felt the cage move, and we
ascended about 80 feet, when the cage began
descending.
"I thought the machinery broken and that
we were falling to an awful and certain
death. The wall that went up from those
men was heartrending
''All at once, however, the cage came to a
sudden stop and again began responding to
the pressure of ropes and pulleys, and we
were soon at the top"