The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-12-24


wrecked by the explosion. and much Of
the force of the fan was lost.
First Attempts at Rescue.
Gradually tho air around the main shaft
became purer and at o'clock the first
body Of rescuers descended. the cages
having been temporarily repaired. When
they got within ten feet Of the bottom
the cage stopped. Amid mass Of wreck
age piled up at the bottom Of the shaft.
with their faces blackened and burned
and their bodies distorted, lay seven
men. The rescuers started to clear away
the debris, but It was slow. hard work.
as the force Of the explosion had been
gigantic.
Rescuers Overcome with Damp.
Pit Boss william Thomas and three
men went back 100 feet to find the source.
They think they succeeded. but they had
no time to investigate. az they were over
come by the afterdamp. Other members
Of the rescue party hastily rushed them
above ground, where they were given
brandy and coffee. Thomas was about
dead. and tonight Is in great suffering.
When tho first party was worn out and
nearly poisoned, another took It's place,
and the work was kept up without a mo-
ments cessation. The rescuers found the
carcasses Of fve mules that had been kill
ed outright.
Little Hope That Any Survive.
At 10 o'clock tonight the work Of rescue
Rad progressed so far that Superintendent
Blower expected to have some bodies out
I~,~ a.
working away In the wrecked mine at the
head Of gangs OF picked men. who are
straining every nerve to save the surviv-
ors, IL there are any. Nine Inspector
James Blick, who reached the scene to-
night. said:
II would not like to say there Is no hope
for the men In the pit. but doubt wheth-
er a single one remains alive. The fan Is
running, but the big part Of the mine re-
mainsa unventilated and is still choked
with deadly. afterdamp. In which no human
being can live. If the men have not been
able to contrive to save themselves from
the afterdamp. / fear they are dead"
One OF the mine officials, who spent the
entire day working in the pit, said:
"The havoc wrought is almost complete.
and have little hope that the men are
alive. The mine cars are wrecked beyond
recognition and piled on each other. Stone
and wooden brattices, as the doors con-
trolling air currents are called. were blown
down like SO much paper. We have the
passages from the main smart to the air
snaie o,careu, W. peyonu INA. we cahnot
,n,ne snv f,rthar at rra.ent ai,ho,,ah
working hard and making slow nropress
As the air is not in the mine beyond this
point. see practically no hope for the
entombed men,"
PitffuI Scenes Mt the Shaft Mouth.
A. +h r,1h. ,r.v ,,..r.r .,,. -
-,..e. sa..s,,. -. .an<.., ~
~ -. 4. ,,., ~
aant raa,r.nt ~ -, 70. 80 a,',,, pn,. a"
80 .ho fat.,,,, -. -. .,.s .
~,,o,,.t.,.,s. s.r,, 80. "
ooro.. ~. r,,,r.aa ,r.,,,r ,,,.u -, a.
or,r.- ,,n,,ts -, 49, ha,.
A. o,a s,da =, ~. 80 60. -. ,.. .
80 900, r,oa. . h,.,,.,.
.ro,,na a. ,,aro ...toa :. a1
.rs Nav, ,,ar. snoao.I.s. 80
lamitv. while others talked IN wh,sn.rs
and seemed to accept the doom meted
out to their companions with the stoicism
of men engaged in dangerous employ
ment. On the board PLATFORM that COW
ereu tne sndIt sFlmy miners knelt with
ears bent to hear the first call for sue
cor from the depths. BY an upper win
dow in the house beyond the tracks could
be seen a mourning woman, her bowed
head visible in the light from a rude
lamp. 1t was Mrs. Meese. whose little
son was lying at the morgue and whose
husband, Samuel Meese. was one Of the
seven bodies waiting transfer ~ tba en-
seSen oooieS "a'nhs transfer 10 the sur
80 o vas "s ,ol Tue men 70