St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-08-25

children concerning the loved ones VINO
were Imprisoned. But their questions
were only answered by an ominous shake
of the head. 1t was first thought that
Anderson was not dead, but after being
worked with for ten or fifteen minutes.
and no signs OF life appearing, it was
concluded he was dead. Meanwhile
the miners from the other levels were
carrying on the work of rescue in the
bowels of the earth. The fan keeping
the air current in the mine had been
stopped at the first indication of
fire from the return air course,
but when the reScuerS went to
work the fan was started up, and then
the air in that part of the gangway
south Of Breast GO, on the sixth level.
was kept pure. NJ. ID. Story, one OF the
rescuers, who went IN from the surface,
upon reaching the sixth level north,
ran along the gangway. One thousand
feet in he found the first body, and then
the rest of the miners were found
scattered along III row. AT
one place eight men were lying
together, and in another one Elan was
found under mule, five mules III all
being dead. Story says that the men
were all lying in the middle of the
gangway with their faces in the mud
as if they had tried to bury their heads
completely and thus escape the deadly
and obnoxious coal smoke.
He could not believe they were dead,
and turned them with their faces up SO
they could breathe. but he was soon
nj tiSH hot hau rlu
all the bodies were found south Of the
burning breast. John c. Story. brother
of Nj. ID. Story. was at work in the sixth
level south when boy named Chap
man gave the alarm that Breast 81
was on fire. Story says he tried
to escape via the Green river,
or auxiliary slip, but finding
this impracticable, he returned. making
up his mind that he could go out via the
May slope. Reaching the May slope, he
met others from the sixth level south,
who were going OH to the north level to
do what they could TO rescue their i'm
prisoned comrades, and he joined them,
working steadily for two and a half
hours before coming to the surface. 1t
is his opinion that every man In line
with the deadly smoke was
Killed in Two Minutes
after the smoke reached them. OF the
rescuing party from the south sixth
level was John B. Johns. gas tester,
who is now numbered among the dead.
HIS boy. Evan Johns, is also dead. The
bodies of father and son were found
lying side by side, showing that the
father had remained in the gangway
until he had found his son, but it was
then too late and both died.
AS the bodies began to arrive at the
surface of the mine slope the excitement
of the wives and mothers. and for the
matter of that, the whole populace,
became uncomfortable. At O'Clock the
last of the thirty-Seven bodies were
recovered. and then the people began to
quiet down. Many of them were COM
pletely Frustrated with their violent
grief, and devoted their time to
methodically caring for the dead.
z Supt. Ramsey,in telling what he could
of the disaster. said: "As soon as the
alarm was sounded the men at work at
the fan on top of the hill noticed smoke
coming from the air course, and, not
knowing the cause, they Immediately
shut down the fan. They did just what
they should have done. Had the miners
not fingered SO long at the fire
trying to put 1t out they would
have all been saved, but the smoke
surrounded. them, and before they
were aware Of it they were overpow-
cred and smothered. All those who
were 200 and 300 feet up in the breast
| had time to climb down to the gang
way, and some of them escaped aud
reached the surface, not experiencing
| the slightest unpleasant sensation.
| One of the men who stopped with the
others in breast 62, seeing the danger
he was in, started to run for the main
slope. shouting to his companions:
| Come on,
You'll Not Get Out.
but they fingered, and five minutes
| later thirty-Seven men were dead.
George Smalley was the first man to
go down into the slope after the fire was
out. He answered to my call for yolun-
| teers, and he and three others soon
broughtup the first body, that of John
G. Anderson. Previous to this time no
one knew how serious the accide MT was,
but when the dead began TO arrive, the
voice of the people lamenting for their
| loved ones was terrible to hear. l
| again asked for volunteers and several
whites and blacks responded. They
went down and worked diligently,
bringing men to the top of the slope.
while others who mad gone from tn
south side were bringing them along
the gangway. The excitement increased
every time body was brought up aud
recognized. Four bodies were brought
up at one time, and such lamentable
noise Of weeping women and men
hope shall never have to hear again."
AS soon as the dead arrived atsthe
surface they were taken to the old en-
gine house. where they were
Laid Out in Rows
on the floor, covering almost every inch
of space. The sight was one tha t
chilled the people with horror. Thirty
seven men without scratch on them,
still dead. Ali bad been lively and
happy few hours before with their
families, their friends, little dreaming
that death was near. The few who
escaped, upon reaching the surface,
were greeted with cries Of Joy, while all
the evening men were shaking each
others hands, happy that they were not
among the dead.
One man said this evening: "I
though l had some enemies the other
day, but have none now. Every man
meet now feel is my friend. Pmsso
glad no more are dead, -
This evening gil Is quiet. ID the face
of this awful death. The dead have been
PREPARED, clothed, laid out, and a man
is now among the people seeing what
disposition will be made of the bodies.
Tomorrow men will dig the graves, and
the next day there wiii.be o tremendous
funeral.
All day long the little telegraph Office