The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-03-26
VY0MING'S
LATE HORROR
Norman B. Dresser Tells the
Story of the Tragedy.
RESCUERS' GALLANT WORK
What Was the Cause of the
Explosion?
The theories Are Almost as Numer-
Gus as the characterization
Taken-Case VIII Be Thoroughly
Investigated and the Blame
Ped Where 1T Belongs.

have just returned from the little
cemetery at Almy. where thirty-two of
the victims Of the mine explosion last
Wedne sday were laid to rest.
Governor Richards has sent out an
appeal for charity and it is hoped there
wiz be a speedy and generous re-
Spouse.
The Town of Amy.
Almy is a village of several hundred
cabins scattered along Bear river,
about five miles north of E''anston.
The cabins ere one story board or log
dwellings,, unpointed, unfenced and
uninv1ting for the most part. The red
dish brown hills above the river on
the west are checkered with patches of
snow. Under THE eastern hills lie the
veins of coal Here and there great
dumps OF black and smoking slack dis
figure the hillside. Around the black
pits mouth are half ruined engine
houses and forsdken cabins, showing
the location of a worked out and
abandoned mine. There are many such
and athey add TO the drearinesS of the
scene. Even under summer skies,
with the river Embossed and its banks
brig8ined by the green fringing of the
willows. Amy would not be a cheer
full and inspiring place, but in March,
with a keen air blowing, and under
the shadow OF death and disaster, il is
desolate indeed.
The Fatal Spot.
No. mine. where the explosion oc-
CURED last Wednesday, is one of two
mines owned and operated by the
Rocky Mountain Coal and Iron COM
pany. another name for the Central
Pacific railway company. The force Of
the explosion blew the timbering from
the mouths of the slopes, wrecked the
fan house and demolished portion of
the engine house. It did not seriously
injure the mine and work can be re-
stunned within short time.
OF the sixty-one persons killed, fifty
were married mer and many of them
left large families. Eight were Fin
landers, two We're Austriars and the
rest were English, Scotch and Welsh.
Immediately after the explosion, Su-
perintendent Bradbury called for vol
unteers to go down in the mine. One
of the first to respond was William
Graham, foreman of No. 6, whose son
was one of the victims. Under his
charge, ready hands sc on cleared away
the timbers from the man-way, and
within four hours, the first body was
taken out Graham thought it was his
son. but this did not make him des-
continue his search for other bodies.
J Searching For Victims.
From, that hour until after six
o'clock Saturday evening, a gang Of six
teen men, relieved every few hours by
new<men, continued the search. The
BOZ; were found scattered along No.
and, entries, which are 1,60O feet
from the mouth of the slope The last
three bodies were recovered on sat
urday. They We're those OF W W4aI'dn
Sellers sr, Hugh Sloan and Waiver
Miller. Nearly all the bodies found
-aar the slope where the chief
force Of the explosion was felt, were
more or less mutiiated, having been
thrown violently against the SIDES or
the slope or entry. Those farther away
from the slope were uninjured. From
+ba nosi+ion of some of these bodies it
anu6ared as If the men had had
,nohent's warning and had thrown
themselves face downward in the entry
with their arms over their heads for
nrotection. One man had crawled
eight or ten feet along the entry after
being stricken down These men t .
evidently been suffocated by the after
damp rather than killed outright by the
kerce of the explosion.
Badly MutiIated.
AS the bodies were brought up they
,.,era laid in the blacksmith shop. Some
wore mutilated beyond recognition
T1bev we're identified only by their
cIothes the buttons, or initials pegged
into the bottom Of the shoes. The
task OF washing and dressing :he
eornses for burial was an awful one,
s ool tSI1l those which were brought
m last But Mr.. Cashin, who had
charge of this work. kept at 1t till the
iae+ hody was decently prepared Tor
burial Saturday night.
S,1-,a,.intendent Bradbury did every
thing possible for the victims and their
families. He feels the accident very
1Lesslv. The company paid for the
oXets the lots IN which the bodies
~ buried. and al other expenses of
the funeral.
anS how far was the company respon-
s5bIa for the terrible loss of hfe? To
settle these points l talked freely with
many of the men. Also Win Superln-
+an6snt Bradbury, State Mine lnspec-
+oy Dave Thomas, Superintendent
oeaorga Black, Of the Union Pacific
lines who is up rendering what help
car and Foreman GrifHths, of Rock
Springs
Theories Numerous.
,,.,y of the miners hold to the the
or1Sl that it was a gas explosion ana
tiy+erlv denounce the company as re-
s.ons;bIe for the accident. others sd-
p i;t thai as the company took every
frecaution against accidents from gas.
S Was one of the best, II not the
~. ~ hssf ventilated mine in the state.
ses2actor Thomas tells me that his
own inspection and the reports Of
sTo,.a,,,ar Bruce showed 1000 cubic feet
- :. air i,.', nar minute for every man work
inc in the mine. James Bruce had
seen foreman for eighteen years and
and ff,1
was a most competens ana careiul
liked him because they thought he was
too particular.
Joseph Bird, the gas watchman, was
thoroughly qualified man. 1t was
his duty to go through the mine every
<uorning before the men went down to
,,csIik and inspect it for gas. IL a room
w IeI1 right he chalked it Oh the min
" :, = hdder or shovel. If he found gas,