The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-05-05
BIG FUNERAL TRAIN STARTS
HAS ON BOARD VICTIMS OF THE
sCOFIELD DISASTER.
One of the Miners who Escaped I'm
hurt From the Explosion and En-
gagged in Rescue Works Gives
Details of Work Under Ground.

SALT LAKE. May 4-The greatest fu-
neral train in the history of Western
America started ON its sad journey from
Scoheld today. The train had upon 1t
the remains of about thirty-five or more
of the victims of the Winter Quarters
disaster. Accompanying the bodies were
many relatives, who are bowed down
with the severity of the blow that they
have 80 suddenly sustained.
About ! O'Clock this afternoon the body
of young Langstaff was brought out OF
No. /. 1t was found with four others in
a part of the mine known as Pixies
Peak.
A Miners story OF the Rescue.
One of the miners who was in the mine
at the time of the explosion and who was
one of the first of the rescuers who went
in to recover the bodies, tells an interest
ing story. He was in No. l, in the first
raise, when the explosion occurred, but
so far away from it that the sound did
not reach him. He noticed a movement
in the air, but thought 1t the result OF
a cave and worked on for quarter Of
an hour, when his miners instinct told
him that something was wrong and he
came on down to the main entrance.
A door had been fitted in here to keep
the current of good air from going above
and to direct it into the main workings,
where 1t would meet the damp and either
weaken 1t very much or drive 1t back.
This door was guarded on the other side.
Passing on to the mouth of the tunnel
this miner. with others, Joined Superin-
tendent T. J. Parmeley and went to No.
4, where the greatest danger existed.
Outside OF the mine those working had
all been injured, so the party was small.
Going in" said the miner I'VE passed
a number OF dead, but of course our OBJ
ject was to find If any were alive first.
/ simply stopped to see If these men were
dead and passed in We only found
three alive and two of them have sinte
died. No. was so blocked that progress
was slow and very dangerous, and we
had to carry the men out on stretchers.
as the cars could not be used. A good
many in No were badly bruised and
mutilated.
force Of the explosion he was hurled
against the wall or floor with the same
effect that would follow the throwing
of a piece of dough against the wall.
After working a while in No. we went
to No. /, where nearly all the men who
died from the afterdamp were asphyx-
lated.
"A great many people have already
asked II the men who were killed from
the damp suffered much. I can say that
they did not, and know that to be the
case. because | have gone through the
experience to the stage of unconscious
ness during the past two days Many OF
us In the rescue parties were overcome
by the damp and were carried back into
the purer air by our companions. This
damp contains carbon dioxid and is very
poisonous A Whit of t almost paralyzes
a man. and a good breath OF It renders
him unconscious. Then he falls as IL
asleep and dies. unless instantly carried
into the plrer air. What struggles take
place after that first breath are the
struggles that nature puts forth auto
matically. l have seen our men fall and
ct tbay know nOthfpQ of n
Going along in the workings we would
hear one OF our party commence to cry
out and waver. We knew at once he
had the damp and were generally to him
80 far we have not lost q man of the
rescuers, but when we first commenced
work. before the ventilation was restored,
it was a desperate game.
I'VE found the dead in every conoeiv-
able attitude. One man had filled his
pipe and sat down to light it. The damp
struck him and he died then and there.
with the filled pipe in his outstretched
hand.
ION n box where a dead Finlander was
picked up was his watch. 1t had stopped
when the explosion occurred and the
hands marked 1928 O'Clock.
I'VE found men in groups who had evil
IDENTIFY sat down TO consult Other groups
had been overtaken as they rushed ahead
OF the damp. In these groups the men
were mostly lying on their backs. but
where the single men were found scat
tered throughout the workings they were
face downward"
Relief Fund Reaches Big Figures.
The total amount of the relief so far
is ss6, sos.
Gov. Wells has issued a proclama-
ton to the people of the state of Utah
urging prompt and energetic action for
the relief of the grief-stricken families of
the dead miners of Scofieid. and appoint
ing central subscription committee.