The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-05-03


respondent)
Scofeld. Utah. May 2-This catas-
trophe at the Pleasant Valley coal
mines has developed to enormous pro-
portions It seems that at least $50
men have been killed in this accident.
The accurate figures cannot be given
and they will not be known for some
days. The mine managers declare that
it will be impossible to secure a list
Of names until the dead bodies have
been brought out and identified.
Superintendent Sharp is in such a
nervous and distressed mental condi-
ton that he cannot talk inteIligently
on the subject He is greatly affected
by the terrible accident.
Assistant Superintendent Williams
cannot give figures But there must
be $50 dead. Dozens Of men seem.
from accounts given by rescuing par
ties, to be covered up with dirt, dust,
timbers and debris.
Mr. Sharp said today that there We're
500 men at the mine in tunnels Nos.
and at the time Of the explosion. Of
these it is impossible 10 account for
more than sixty There is such a
hurry and turmoil that those who es-
capped cannot all be seen However,
there is great variance between the
figures given by Mr. Sharp and ,hose
given by Bishop Parmley, mine super
intendent. the third in authority, to
the Provo delegation, led Ly William
N. Roylance and APOSTLE Reed smoot,
who arrived today to look after Provo
victims.
Three Hundred Dead.
Mr.. Smoot said that there were 800
men in the mine. If that is so. then
more than 500 are among the dead.
At o'clock tonight 165 men had been
recovered md the names Of all except
several Firms are known If the mine
superintendent figures are correct,
then half of the strangled and ruangled
bodies are yet in the cross entries and
rooms" piled over with debris and
sunk away in noisome and killing fire.
] damps
There is no recog Of the miners
working from day to day, the COM
pany officials declare. They say that
there is no record except the continu-
Gus one which is kept on the books.
This is rot made up every morning,
for the number of cars the men send
out is accounted by a system of checks.
It seems that the only way to get these
names authenticany is to wait until
the bodies have come out and are
identified by friends. relatives and ac-
quaintanees. It is even impossible to
get the list of these from the officers
of the company. The names secured
were got at the dead houses as the
men We're brought out and washed.
Some were picked UP at the mouth.
of the tunnels as the blackened anC
scared miners were brought out. This
is the only reliable way to get names
Awful Scenes.
The scene Of death and carnage
about this little mining camp, WHICH
strings its way out up and down Win
ter Quarters canyon. has been as "a,
ihetic and as awful as ever seen
Nearly all the public buildings ar,
filed with dead. The Mormon church
meeting house, just below the company
Offices. has every nook and corner hliet
with bodies washed and clothed in un.
derclothing. with white sheetng spread
over each to hide the picture of death
These came from tunnel No. i anC
were taken out on Tuesday night
There were sixty-seven this Afternoon
at4 O'Clock. The public school house il
the camp is, too, filled with them, tn,
bodies mostly Of men who were carried
out Of tunnel No. 4. Some are SCARED
AMI blistered where the cruel flames
of TIRE burning dust licked them t,
death. There. are great holes in theil
skulls and bodies, where the hyin,
timber and debris struck them. Som,
no doubt were killed instantly an;
saved the fortunes Of the searin;
flames. Thirty-two were counted at
o'clock.
Another Charnal House.
At William Edwards boarding hous
the work Of cleaning and washing an,
dressing the bodies as they came GU
of tunnel No went on. First sixteel
were brought in curing the mornin,
and laid out in what was once his mali
dining room, but what is now char