Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1899-12-25

explosion. Stone Stopping two feet
thick and cemented together was ut
terly destroyed. Not even particles Of
rock remained. The stone was blown
into dust"
William Pastorlous, a driver in the
mine, tells sensational story. Pas
torious, who has lived In Brownsville
for many years and Is regarded as a
man OF Intelligence, says that Pit Boss
Jones on last Tuesday morning issued
a general order that all safety lamps
might be dispensed with and in their
stead the miners were permitted to use
naked lights. Pastorious also states
that the lamps were unlocked, contrary
10 regulation.
The miners always prefer to use
naked lights" said Passtorious, when
ever possible, as they give better light
and are more easily handled. ! have
been working here a couple OF months
and used a safety lamp until last Tues
day morning. At that time mine
safeties We're In use by drivers and
others who were constantly moving
about the mine and therefore exposed
to greater risk than a digger In room.
Contrary 10 the mining regulations, the
safety lamps In use were In many cases
unlocked The safetles were provided
by the company as usual and they
should be locked 80 that II Is impos-
sible for a miner to open them while
at work. My lamp was unlocked and
/ frequently opened and closed H. On
Tuesday the pit boss issued an order
that the men could use open lamps and
they OF course discarded the safeties,
which made a poorer light. About 100
yards from the bottom from the main
shaft there was a fall which had been
boarded up and In which the gas stood
against the roof. think II was this
gas which exploded"
Superintendent Boyer, who Is the SUI.
perlor OF Pit Boss Jones, when told OF
the above statement, said Il know
nothing OF the order TO dispense with
safety lamps" He would make no fur
ther statement
Mine Inspector James Dllck, who has
been In the mine almost constantly
since last night, came out tonight and
gave a graphic account OF its condition.
Inspector Bllck said:
AT the bottom Of the two shafts the
mine IL a complete wreck. only enough
debris has been removed to allow OF
the bodies beinb brought out, There
are more bodies In the mine, but how
the bodies being brought out. There
undoubtedly a number Of corpses un-
der the wreckage. The lower parts or
the mine are flooded and the water ID
rising, as the pumps are disabled. The
pumps VIII not run for a day or TWO,
as the six-inch pipes draining the mine
have been twisted and broken Ike
reeds. | penetrated to the face OF the
mine today and saw the bodies there.
but the after-damp was thick and l
had TO return quickly. Nothing further
VIII be done to remove the debris until
the water has been pumped out. None
OF the men can possibly be alive. II
will require several days to clear the
mine. The bottom of 1t Is wrecked
but the roof and sides are Intact. There
Is no fire in the mine
Rough but reyerent hands carried the
bodies OF the victims when they reached
the top Of the shaft to the temporary
morgue on the hillside, a hundred feet
away. or one Of the men, Peter eros
by, nothing but a portion OF the trunk
and the back OF the skull remained, ana
that was virtually but a clnder lie was
identified by shred Of his shirt that
had been blown into his flesh. or the
twelve dead there was but one that
was not a hdeous spectacle. Among
the men at the Braznell mine today
were many who had been at other ex-
blossoms. but never had they seen such
mangled. burned and distorted bodies.
DIR. II. II. Taylor, coroner of FayeSte
county, arrived early in the morning
from Uniontown. He lmpanelled jury,
who viewed the bodies as they were
brought TO the surface, The inquest
will be held at Unlontow as soon as
all OF the bodies are recovered.