The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-05-03
THEORY OF THE EXPLOSION.
Thought Giant Powder May Have Been TAken
Into the Mine.
(By the Associated Press

Salt Lake City, Utah, May 2.-Every
house in the little town of Schoteld is a
house of mourning. The awful scene OF
yesterday gave place today to the calm
of despair When the removal of the
bodies from the mine began hundreds OF
men volunteered their services for the
purpose The rescuers came from other
mines and towns surrounding, and worked
necessarily to bring out the burned and
mangled remains of the dead miners. The
bodies were taken to the company build
ing as soon as they were brought out OF
the mine and were there dressed and laid
out preparatory to the coroner's inquest
and for Identification
Many of the rescuers came near losing
their lives from the fatal after-damp, but
the work was continued in the face of all
NAMED exhaustion
danger and most of the brave fellows
remained at their posts until almost ex-
hausted by the poisonous fumes.
John Kirton was the first man brought
to the surface He was still alive, but
presented terrible sight. His Scalp was
burned to cinder and his face was al
most unrecogniZable.
In his horrible pain he cried out to
his companions, begging them to end his
misery by taking his life.
1t was 2:30 o'clock this morning when
Superintendent Sharp sent his valiant
workers to their beds and was himself
the last to leave. When active work
ceased at the mines 1877 dead had been
recovered. Fifty Of these were laid in a
row in the little meeting house of the lat
ter Day Saints, while others were
stretched out in the improvised morgue,
just as they were found in the mine. Ac-
cordng to the closest estimate there
were about 800 men all told employed at
the two mines which are practically one
mine. About fifty of these were working
in what is known as the No / back
level, which was so far from the explo-
sion that it had spent it's force before the
shock reached them and they all got out
They heard the report, but did not grasp
the situation at once, one of the men
continuing to a load a car after it oc-
Cured.
All efforts are now being concentrated
to bring out large number of bodies
known to be in No. 4. where So men per-
ished. Here the force of the explosion
broke down the timbers and the bodies
can only be got at through No. 1. Up to
noon 149 bodies had been brought out.
The theory of Bishop Parmalee is that
some of the Firms recently imported Sc
cretly took giant powder down into the
mine to assist them in their work. They
were exceedingly anxious to make good
showing and make as much money as
possible and it is thought this form of ex.
plosive was used in order that great
bodies of coal could more easily be dis
lodged. It is thought that when the giant
powder was touched off it ignited some of
the dust of which every coal mine has
more or less. Some of the miners are ex-
ceedingly bitter in their denunciation OF
the company while others hold no one is
responsible.
One of the rescuing miners said, when
he came out of the tunnel:
This explosion is the most disastrous
so far as loss of life is concerned, that
has ever occurred in America There will
be 200 dead when we are through work.
''We have had some hard experiences
digging through the mine Several times
members of our party were overcome by
the damp but We got them out in time.
We found the bodies Of the men in every