Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-03-26
IN A DECENT GRAVE.
Victims of the Hill Farm Disaster
Are Reinterred at Last.
THE BODIES IN A BAD CONDITION.
No Blame Is Attached to the Operators by
r.. the Coroner's Jury.
NEWSY NOTES FROM NEARBY TOWNS

SPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE DIsPArcR.I
DUNBAR, March 25-The remains of the
2S victims of the Hill Farm disaster were
brought from their unnatural tomb to-day,
and reinterred in consecrated ground. At
z O'Clock this morning the company COM
menced bringing the % collins with their
ghastly contents to the surface.
Coroner Hubert arrived on the scene at 8
o'clock, and at once called his jury TO-
gether. The coffins were opened as soon as
they were brought out of the mine. 1t was
only in two or three cases that the men
could be identified by their features. 1t
had to be by some mark on their clothing or
the contents of their pockets. They were
all covered with a shiny, black mud, pre-
senting much the appearance of mummies.
At 10 o'clock the last of the bodies were
brought out of the mine and identified, COM
pleting the list.
AS the % corpses lay about IN the small
space, where they were found, in some
cases, piled one upon the other, they ap-
peared to be in fairly good condition for re-
moving, but the first one that was touched
showed much to the contrary.
Bodies Dismembered by Handling.
On getting 1t on to the stretcher the head
rolled away from the trunk. The feet and
hands fell off, and it appeared that only the
clothing: on the body held it intact. Not SO
much trouble was found with the rest, but
in several cases limbs fell of, and the least
strain on any part seemed to break its fast
enings. The long lay in the water had mold
cred away the tissues, and while the form
had been preserved the weight and sub
stance of the flesh were gone, only the mere
semblance of human beings remaining
The bodies were usually light. To get
them into the caSkets as whole, each body
was wrapped in enough muslin to hold 1t
together and then placed in. The work was
tedious uncanny and laborious, and 1t was
late in the night when the last corpse was
placed in the casket. The caskets contain,
ing the remains were then loaded on road
wagons to the cemeteries, where they were
placed beside the open graves where they
remained until this afternoon, when tie last
sad rites were performed ana THEIR dSneS
consigned to earth.
The Last Rites Over the Dead.
Fully l,5oO people preceded the strange
looking funeral train to the cemetery. 1t
was here the first real demonstration of
grief was made public. Women shrieked
and cried, threw themselves across the cof-
prayers and lamentations:
In the meantime the inquest was being
held at the Office of Superintendent Hill at
the mine. The testimony OF Superintendent
Hill, Mine Inspector Duncan, Robert Lang
and other workmen was heard. The result
OF the Investigation was the following YER
dict: Suffocation from smoke from fire
which was accidentally started in brat
tice. No blame is attached to the Dunbar
Furnace Company, and the officials are de-
serving of credit for the efforts they have
made to recover the bodies of the dead. The
jury then adjourned to meet again when
the remaining six bodies are found.
1t may take ten days or a month to find
the remaini victims. They are supposed
to be in the lower dip in the lowest part of
the mine. and 1t is filled with water. The
pumps are being worked day and night, but
the task is a big one.