Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1895-09-13
DEAD RECOVERED.
Twenty-Five ofthe Victims ct the
OsceoIa Pit Horror.
sAs STILL DAB IN THE WORKINGS,


Found Us if Stricken with Death as They
and Seventy-Five or More People Are
Severely. but Not Fatally Hurt.
HoUGHToN, Mich, sept. 13.-The OPEN
ing of No. 2 shaft at the Osceola copper
mine and throwing supply of live steam
down the shaft had an excellent effect in
causing an up draft and at p. III. Welnes-
day No. 1 was opened Very little smoke was
discovered and both shafts Were left open
all night. Shortly after O'Clock yester-
day morning preparations were begun for
exploring No. shaft in search of bodies.
First a skip containing four lighted can
dies was lowered to the twenty-cighth
level, and then hoistcd to the surface,
when all but one were found To be still
burning. The miners then decided that
1t was safe 70 go down into the shaft, or at
least portion of the distance, and an ex-
ploring party. consisting of Captain PROXY
Richards and Ave miners was lowered in
| the skip stopping at each level down TO
the fourteenth.
First Tarty Finds Some Bodies.
This party WAS down over an hour, and
before II reached the surface a large crowd
had gathered about the mouth OF the
shaft, watching most anxiOrLsly for the
| return of the party. When it did come up
| it was only to aiSappoint the crowd fer a
time rs it brought go bodies. The eX-
| plorcrs reported that much gas w;Is still
| in the mine. But though the party did
| not hrirg UP any of the victims it had
! found where a number of them lay. Cap
| tain Richards reported t. Superintendent
parneil and showed him where She bodies
| were found. They Were twcntythrec in
| all, and were loeatcd within !. 400 feet of
the surface, being stretched along from
the fourth ievcl to the fifteenth One was
| found at the fourth Lowell, three near the
| tcsth, two III the tvselfth, thirteen at the
fourteenth, and four at the fifteenth. Cap
| tain Edwards and a party of six rntfl then
went down to bring up the bodies Ow-
! ing to the condition Of the shaft the men
| could not stand it long, only making
| three trips, when frcSh crews with Cap
| tains White and Warrington in charge
| were sent down.
How the Unfortunates Were Found.
IN o'clock the whole Of the bodies were
| brought TO the surface. The last one. n
Polack, was found in the shaft below the
| tenth level, all the rest having been found
| in the laddCrway, clinging to ladders.
James Williams was found only 800 feet
from the surface. Captain Treuboth was
found On the la.ldcrway at the fourteenth
level in q position s-- II lie was NJ the act
Of taking hold of the bell rope to signal to
the surface. After dinner more searching
parties wcrc sent down and succeeded in
finding two more bodies, one at the cgil-
nj ~, ,,,,t
| latter was Anton Zczwick, found lyins
close to an old piece of tagging. This
made twenty-five bodies recovered. There
are still five missing, as follows: William
| Bryant, William Mcdonald, Ross Jones
| Fred G. PearCton and Joseph Slotta. AS
| soon as the bodies were brought TO the
| surface they We're taken to the carpenter
| shop. where all the GndertakerS of the
county were present and ready TO take
| care of them.
Death Came in Painless Form.
After zach body was washed and EN-.
| bafmcd it looked quite natural and was
taken home. The bodies showed 10 sign
| OF having suffered any before death. "
! doubt the death of most Of them WAS pain
| less. Only one body was marked up, that
| Of Il PolUndcr who fen down the shaft.
| The skip must have run over him. Tbe
coroner's jury has been cmpancllcd and
will investigate the death of the unfor-
| tunatcS. 1t was u sorry sight to look
| upon-twenty-iivc bodies laid side Ivy side
In tho carpenters shop. The funerals
Will mostly occur tomorrow. Captain
| TrcubatiI and Richard Curtis will be
| buried this afternoon. Many of the un-
| fortunatcs ara members of the FempIc of
| Honor, Sons Of ST George. Forcsters and
| Miners club, apd these societies will turn
| out and have charge of the funerals.