The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-12-25

les were taken out, twenty-eight hours
after the explosion. At $50 three were
brought to the surface, and at 6:3O three
more came up in the cage of the main
shaft. The dead taken from the mine
SO far are:
HENRY HAGAR, thirty years old
leaves wife and six children
PETER OROSORY, thirty-three. leaves
wife and four children.
MICHAEL ROHTELL. twenty-four,
SAMUEL MEESE, thirty-nine, leaves
wife and three children.
ALBERT MEESE, thirteen, died after
being rescued yesterday.
MICHAEL MAHIO, twenty eight, leaves
wife and two children.
GEORGE KOVITZ forty. single
JOS. POsTKY, twenty-five. leaves
JOS. MAGYAR, nineteen. single.
WILLIAM MOLOK, thirty-three, leaves
wife and two children.
PAUL PROLOC, twenty-four. wife and
one child
Among the men missing and known tc
be dead In the mine are the following
Hungarians:.
MICHAEL PARAHEK.
ANDREW PARAHEK
PAUL LAUNDRIS
THOMAS KUELAK.
ANDREW TOURSIZKI.
At least twelve other bodies are In
SlSAt, Jul cannot D6 IedcneQ on account
of the debris.
ESTIMATES CONFLICTING.
The estimates of the number of the
dead are conflicting. A. B. Brazenell,
president of the Stockdale Coal company,
this afternoon said he believed but twen-
ty to twenty-five men had been killed.
Men who were working around the mine
yesterday morning give different figures.
They say thirty-ive to forty men were
down the mine shaft in the cages, while
about twenty climbed down the steps in
the elevator shaft. From ffty-five to
sixty men were in the mine, and of this
number but twelve have been recovered!
alive. All the rest, whatever the number,
are dead.
john or as he is popularity known,
Jonah" Meese, is one of the thirteen
men who escaped from the mine alive.
He is fearfully burned and is lying at
his home with his head swathed in
bandages. He told his story today:
STORY OF EXPLOSION.
ST was in the stable Meese said
'currying my mule when the explosion
occurred. My brother Sam was bv nv
side, and his boy Albert was standing in
front of him. Then came the crack of
the explosion I thought my head had
been blown off. In about a second tho
mine was filled with dazzling light. as
the fine coal dust in the air was con-
sumed. My brother Sam dropped to the
ground as If shot through the heart. He
must have been killed instantly. His how
Albert swayed and fell over upon his ia
ther L began to back out of the stable
that Is why my face is so terribly burned
/ was afraid to turn my back upon the
mules for fear they would stampede and
run me down. did not know then that
they had all been killed by the explosion.
Tor our lamps were blown out and wa
were in total darkness
| After l got out Of the stable heard
Albert crying for help I went back and
found him and Henry Atwood, a driver.
L proceeded. half carrying them TO the
/ foot OF the mine shaft. They were both
delirious and I believe I was, too. Both
of them persisted In standing up and be-
gan TO walk around. Immediately forced
them to lie down, to get them out of the
path OF the fatal after-damp, which how
cred about four feet above the ground
Then l felt myself going to sleep. but I
did not care, although I realized that It
was lhe steep VI dedtn lad down upon
something which I could feel. although 7
could not see, was a corpse and fell
asleep as calmly as ever did in my life.
When ] awoke somebody was forcing me
to swallow brandy and coffee, and I was
trying to explain that it would be need
less for me to drive a wagon as there
had been an accident in the mine
The force Of the explosion was ter
rife; my face and scalp are literally fill
CH TXTifl GT1 al Il
shot out of a gun held within few
inches"
Another evidence of the force Of the ex-
plosion was discovered today In the hill
side, fifty feet back from the main shaft
were discovered an arm and q foot. They
were portions of a victim killed 10S feet
below the surface and blown out of the
smart Ike bullet from rifle.
PRESENCE OF GAS.
From statements obtained todav If
seems clear that the presence of gas in
quantities in the mine was perfectly well
known, and that naked lights were used
for several days before the explosion
According to credible authority not a
single safety lamp was used in the mine
by the working crews since last Tuesday "
morning. four days before the explosion
Fire Boss James Ratcliffe, whose dutv it
was to look after the safety of the mine
and upon whose care and intelligence the
lives of the diggers depended, in a large
degree, told his story. Ratcliffe has NOT
yet recovered from his narrow escane
from death The fire boss said:
Il believe that the explosion was caused
by sudden fall, which occurred just be-
fore the explosion. I do not believe there
was enough gas in the mine to be dan
gerous. Ag a matter of fact the coal
itself gives off little gas, but the gas
comes chiefly from the roof 81 the pit, ,
After the explosion went into the mine