The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1899-12-30
NUMBER Of DEAD
Will REACH FORTY
Probably That Many Lost Their
Lives inSthe Pennsylvania
Mine Horror.
DETAILS OF THE GREAT DISASTER
Twelve Bodies Are Taken Out-.De-.
scrIptions OF the Affair Given
by Survivors: Caused by
sl Naked Light.

= usl AFolu bTONnSSltie says:
The horror of the Braznell mine
grows IN intensity every hour. The
number of dead is now estimated at
forty, and may pass that figure. At
the same time there is a strong pre-
sumption that the laws regulating
mining were carelessly and probably
criminally disregarded.
Yesterday the first bodies of the VIC
tins We're brought out of the mine,
and never in the history of mine dis
asters were human beings so horribly
mutilatsd. 1t was nearly IL o'clock
before the first five bodies were taken
out, twenty-eight hours after the ex-
.p%losion. At $3.50 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, aged 80, leaves
wife and six children.
PETER OROSORY, aged SO, leaves
wife and four children.
WILLIAM THOMAS, aged SO, leaves
wife and four children.
MICHAEL ROHTELL, aged "a, sin
gle.
SAMUEL MEEl. aged IS, leaves
wife and three children.
ALBERT MEEZ, aged 49,.
MICHAEL MAHIO, aged 90, leaves
wife and two children.
GEORGE KOVITZ, aged 40, single.
JOSEPH MAGTOR, aged 10, single.
wife.
JOSEPH MAGAIR, aged 10, single.
WILLIAM MOLOK, 81 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 IRE the fol-
lowing Hungarians:
Michael Karackek.
Paul Laundis.
Thomas Kuelak.
Andrew Toursiste.
Number Will Reach Forty.
At least twelve other bodies are in
sight, but cannot be reached on ac-
count of the debris. The estimates of
The number of dead are conflicting.
President Braznell, of the Stockdale
Coal company, this afternoon said he
believed twenty to twenty-five men
had been killed. Me. who We're work
irg around the mine yesterday morn
ing give different figures. They say
thirty-five to forty We're down the
main shaft in the cages, while about
twenty climbed down the steps in the
elevator shaft. From fifty-fve to six
ty men were in the mine, and of this
number but twelve have been recor-
cred alive. All the rest, whatever the
number, are dead.
John Meez is one of the thirteen
mac who nsno nod fro,,, H. ,-s.a o1;,o
He is fearfully burned and is living at
his home with his head swathed in
handages. He told his tory yesterday:
II was i'll the stable" Meez. said,
"currying my mule when the explo-
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 l 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. 1 began tc back out Of
the stable; that is why my face is so
terribly burned. l was afraid to turn
my back upon the mules for fear they
would stampede and run me down. II
did not know then that they had all
been killed by the explosion in the
darkness.
after ! got out of the stable I went
back and found Albert and Henry At
wood, a driver. / proceeded, half lead
ing and half carrying them to the foot
of the mine shaft. They were both de-
lirious, and l believe i was too. I inn
mediatelSs forced them to lie down, to
get them out of the path of the fatal
after damp, which lowered about four
feet above the ground. Then l lay
down upon something which | could
feel was n corpse. and fell asleep as
calmly as ever ! did in my life. When.
/ awokc somebody was forcing me to.
swallow brandy and coffee. The eff
feet of the explosion was terrific, and
my face was filed 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 q
foot. They We're portions of a victim
killed 1OS feet below the surface and
blown out of the shaft like a bullet
from Il rifle.
Presence Of Gus Known.
From statements obtained it seems
clear that the presence of gas in guam
titles in the mine was perfectly well
known, and that naked lights were
used for several days before the cx-
p~losion. According to credible sources
not n single safety lamp was used in.
the mine by the working crews since
last Tuesday morning, four days be-
~ RLLwH - - -@lrNHE