Missouri Valley times., 1899-12-28
Twelve Bodies Are Taken out..De.
scripiions of the Affair Given
by Survivors Caused by
Naked Light.

asters were human beings so horribly
mutilatsd. lit was nearly II O'clock
before the first five bodies were taken
out, twenty-eight hours after the eN-
plosion. AT $500 three We're brought
10 the surface, and a, 6:3O three more
came up i'm the cage of the main shaft.
The dead taken from the mine so
far are:
HENRY HAG.AR, aged 90, leaves
wife and six children.
PETER OROSORY, aged Sc, leaves
wife and four children.
WILLIAM THOMAS. aged SO, leaves
wife and four children
MICHAEL ROHTELL, aged "a, sim
gle.
SAMUEL MElsz, aged So, leaves
wife and three children.
ALBERT Ml,IcZ. aged 13.
MICHAEL MAIIIO. aged as, leaves
wife and two children.
GEORGE KONl'TZ. aged 40, Single.
JOSEPH MAGTOR, aged 10, single.
wife
JOSEPH M.AGA1R, aged 10. single.
WILLIAM MOLOk. "a years old,
leaves wife and two children.
PAUL PROLOC, aged "a, leaves wife
and child.
Among the men missing and known
| to be dead in the mines are the fol-
lowing Hungarians:
Michael Karacllek
Paul Laundis.
Thomas Kuelak.
Andrew Toursiste.
Number Will Reach Forty.
AT least twelve other bodies are in
sight, but cannot be reached en- az
count of the debris. The estimates of
the number of dead are conflicting.
President BraZnell, of the Stocktlale
Coal company, this afternoon said he
believed twenty to twenty-five men
had been killed. Men who were work
ing around the mine yesterday MORN
ing give different figures. They say
| thirty-tive to forty We're down the
main shaft in the cages. while about
twenty climbed down the steps i'm the
elevator shaft. From tifty-five to six
T, ty men We're in the mine. and OF this
| number but twelve have been recov-
cred alive. All the rest, whatever the
number, are dead
John Meez is one of the thirteen
! mes who escaped from the mine alive.
He is fearfully burned and is lying at
/ his home with his head swatled in
bandages. He told his tory yesterday:
II was in the stable," Mcez said
"currying my mule when the eNplo-
sion occurred. My brother. Sam, was
by my side, and his boy, Albert, was
standing in front of him. Then came
the crack of the explosion. Never in
my life have heard such a terrific
report: My brother dropped to the
ground as if shot through the heart.
He must have been killed instantly
| His boy swayed and fell over upon
his father. | 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. I
did not know then that they had all
been killed by the explosion i'm the
darkness.
"After got out of the stable I went
back and found Albert and Henry At
wood, driver. proceeded, half lead
ing and half carrying them to the foot
! of the mine shaft They were both de-
lirious, and ! believe l was too. i'm
mediately forced them to lie down, to
get them out of the path of the fatal
after damp, which hovered about four
feet above the ground. Then ] lay
down upon something which 1 could
| feel 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. The eff
feet of the explosion was terrific. and
my face was filled with coal dust. that
felt as if it had been shot out of a gun
held within a few inches.''
! Another evidence of the force of the
explosion has been discovered. On the
hillside, fifty feet back from the main
shaft was discovered an arm and a
foot. They were portions of victim
killed 10S feet below the surface and
blown out of the shaft like bullet
! from rifle.
Presence of Gas known.
From statements obtained it seems
titles in the mine was perfectly we'll
known, and that naked lights were
used for several days before the eN-
plosion. According to credible sources
not single safety lamp was used in
the mine by the working crews since
last Tuesday morning, four DAYS be-
fore the explosion.
William Pastorious, a driver i'm the
mine, who has lived in Brownvile 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 sofety 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 con-
trary to regulation.
Superintendent Boyer, who is i'm the
superior of Pit Boss Jones. when told
of the above statement, said: II know
nothing of the order to dispense with
safety lamps He would make no
1 further statement.
Mine Inspector james Black. who has
been In the mine almost constantly since