New-York tribune., 1892-01-10
BRINGING UP THE BODIES.
DEAD AND DYING TAKEN FROM THE MEAL
LISTER MINE.
DISTRESSING SCENES At THE MOUTH OF THE
FATAL COAL PIT-CoRPsEs MANGLED Be
YoND RECoCNITIoN-THE WORK
OF RESCUE.


YoND RECoGyITIoN-TIIE WORK
OF RESCUE.
Kansas City. Jan "a dispatch to The STAR
from McAister, /. r.. says: Excitement here,
intensified almost to insanity because of the mine
explosion, shows abatement. All day yescr-
day and to-day 5000 people were around the
shaft of the mine crowding gesticulating ana
shricking: some were attracted there by an idle
curiosity, but the majority there driven to the
spot, half-crazed by the fear of what they might
have TO realize Others were standing
about and their banchcd faces and eyes from
which the light had departed. and apathetic pos
turcs told the same story but told II IN diiierehV
way. Wives sisters, sweethearts, mothers iathers'
made such picture Of despair upon the MINDS
of bchoIders that the impression VIII never DE
cffaced
TN To . o'clock this morning. forty-eight dead
bodies had been taken out of the mine, and lOo
injured men, fifteen Of whom died before morning.
The remaining eighty-tiye injured miners are lying
at their homes swathed in cotton and NaSeHhe
up to their eyes, with their eyebrows hair ana
finger nails burned off, and flesh dropping from
their bones. This morning the company ordered
sixty.tive and local un1ertalers ordered o car
load Of collins All the mines in the vicinity have
shut down and the miners and women OF the
families are at Kpbs, the miners
to aid the work of rescue. their wives, sisters ana
mothers to perform the offices for the dead anu
to relieve the suffering or the wounded. Men OF
all natonalitics aiding in the work of rescue.
Americans, Irshmcn, Scotchmen, Poanders, Welsh
men Italians Swedes-all except negroes are at
the work Some time since the white miners re-
fused 70 work with the negroes. This morning
a number of the negroes went to Krebs and as
sisted in the work in a half hearted way, and
one of them, il is said, heard to say that IL
served the miners right. The word was passed
from mouth to mouth and the indignation and
fury of the miners knew no bounds IL
seemed as though another horror would bc added
to the scene but the United States Deputy Mar
sbal. anticipating some such trouble Was on hand
with a posse, and they drove the coored men
from the place at the point of Winchesters
All day and all night scenes intensely sad ana
hcsrtrcnding. scenes which made women shrek Ill
horror and strong weep, which made some pray
and others curse were being enacted at the mouth
Of the shaft As body after body was removed
from the ground women crazcd with despair,
would throw Themselves IN front OF the smart III
their efforts to determine whether the ms
figured remains Of some poor INV"
was not father, brother or nus
band Time and time again were
the women pressed back from the mouth OF the
shaft but a. the work Of the rescue proccedeu
the same scene was enacted and rcenactcd. II
was almost impossible to recognize any resempEancc
fo human form in tho oNe' oi many
81 those rescued. Heads, arms, leSS'
hanGs and icct were IN many INSTANCES
torn from ahe trunks. Tia" PIT csothes ar1
either partia,ly or entirely burned away. and in
.oycral instances the flames had roasted all the
nc,h on the body. The dead were taken to
] 81. ,Lo haf a
morgue had been provided, and the living to
their homes The crowd driftcd between the
shaft and the blacksmith shop all day. The
latter place was constantly crowded with people
scarchinc to aud those whom uicy knew must
bc either dead or fatally hurt.
Zach article of clothing and the contents of
pockets were closely scrutlnizcd, AMI any mark
of any nature whereby the body could be idcn-
titled was eagerly searched for.
more horrible SIGHT met the rc>cuinS parties
"a the bottom of the shaft Wa, racicd. Here a
head. there a hand or leg prorldcd from the mass
~ fallen rock number Of burned lamps caps
and dinner buckets completed the dcsolation OF
The scene Tho bodies were removed with all
po,siblc care. but this did not prevent an arm or
q ee. almost severed from the body. from being
completely torn OF wien taken from uhder the
wrcckaSc.
Among the bodies recognized arc those
Of George Iowcry, Iscyus Fclta, John
Williams. T. Hunt, Robert Powers
William MrtchcD, Joseph Clark, William Mcohahe'
lii lothy Collins, James Tanner.
Among the fatally injured arc George ilarbin
sr George Iarbin. jr, Frank Hathaway, J0Seph
O.lnnd. Enoch Church. William Church. William
Williams Charles Martin Louis Ioobe, joseph
Ioobe, Giovanni Slessaut, Francis las7lo' pi'"N
Rcuro and John ROssi.
Twcnty. four bodies were found at the bottom
of tine shaft but only slN OF trcm rHu'u nr -"
identified Six bcrs, names unknown, VINO VINO were were
tending the fans, were killed outright, ana "''
found dead at their posts:
IL has been learned that the explosion was
caused by George Lowry exploding "na' !"
known rs a window shot.
Thc lotcst estimate Of the number Of missing
is I46 arrived at from the following neureS
About 400 men were IN the mi, az tnr l ,lII hoo, ~
the explosion. Forty-cight dead bodies nave nccl
recovered the names of ninety eight men slightly
and seriously injured are known, and about hlty
escaped without injury. .c T.
literally tore the mine all to pieces. II ci'Sed up
the galleries tore down the harricaueS WliIl N"i'
rhc air from circulating freely through tAr uIi
used portion of tile mine, thus cutting on nv 1T ~,
from the galleries III use, ana lclt 'ncni "IloilE
untcnablc This morning the rricf P%[% 3t
Krchs miners was compelled, a'T ,Y nart. t,a
hours steady labor. to stop w0rk' Inc party was
completely exhausted. ;o ,,
the explosion occurred. and. S'rdnSe ~ ''l "'as
two of tie animals were hurt. ne ~. u'lfcl'
Tl,n E,nc vas killed The frrnzlcd hrlf"s com
mitred crca, damage to the mine III their efforts
20 find outlet. 1 , ib,
r Fleming u mining expert, ana Tor el@ht
ycnrs enpcrin,cndcnt OF the mine. was lntcrV" NcI
this morning in regard 10 the explosion lie snld
flIa; IN, whole blame should he piacei upon Inr
mon :, Inn fired the blast too soon. Wlnd"w
~Lo,- rniIsrd the caiastropc. The blast WIS oNnr-
charged IT should have been irfa & a. ;'S I;ao
~ H., H. o, ,l,si,n would have occurred. but only
Gye or six mem would have been killed As it VAS.
t5c shot was fired at :o1 o'clock before the men
''' ~" ~" Ca"e mines at krtbs. are Could property
and have been operated for years under the man
agcmcnt of parties in s. lopiT Thr 0oseS T'R p
+ Stembcns of Ncw-York. who butt the Missouri
Knrsac and TeXnh road.