The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1901-11-25
BODIES RECOVERED.
Remains of Eight Mine Officials
Found Yesterday.
WERE OVERCOME BY GAS.
Entered Wing of a Burning Mine
and Died.
RATS HAD ATTACKED BODIES.
Some of Them Showed Traces of Having
Struggled.
rsih.
SPECTACLE WAS PRESENTED
Mine Is Still Burning and the Only Hope
Now Is to Flood II Which May
Cause Serious Explosions.

Blueheld, w. Va November 2i.-The
dead bodies Of the lost party Of eight well
known mining men who entered West mine
of the Pocahontas Galleries company on
Friday morning last at II o'clock were re
covered at 124j O'Clock today.
AT Z O'Clock this morning rcscuing party
numbering forty persons entered the main
entrance, bratucng the mine as they went,
In order to prove the circulation Of tho
air. They had reached distance of $500
feet from the entrance when they encoun-
tered such quantities of white damp that it
was impossible to proceed further. Retrac-
ing their steps, they decided 20 make an.
other attempt from the Tug river entrance,
some six miles across the Flat Top noun
tains. They went In this entrance about
1870 O'Clock and after going a distance of
600 feet found the dead bodies of A. S.
Hurst, chief inspector; Bob Oldham sub
Inspector and Frazier 6. Bell, mining en-
sineer all huddlcd together. From their
position they must have met death sud
denly and without pain. All of them were
lying face downward with no signs Of a
struggle. Hurst had made a pillow Of his
coat, on which his head rested.
The bodies of the other FIVE members OF
the party, Superintendent Of Mines Walter
O'Malley; Joseph Cardwelt superintendent
Of the Shamokin Coal and Coke company
r. e. St. Clair, second assistant inspector;
State Mine Inspector Price and Maurice st.
Clair, Sub-inspector, were found several
| hundred feet back in the mine three OF
the bodies lying some little distance apart.
Bob ST CLAIR and Joseph CdfdWeil were
lying with arms casped around each other,
| cold in death, The bodies of OMalley,
Maurice St. Clair and Price were discol-
| ored and bruised about the face, showing
| signs OF u struggle, 1t being very plain To
| see they made desperate attempt at re
| tracing their steps To better air, but AZ
| ready mad advanced too far Into the deadly
/ white damp to escape alive.
| II is said by members Of the rescuine
| party that Hurst, Bell and Oldham would
! hardly have lost their lives, but for the
/ fact that they lost their way, entering q
chamber $50 feet TO the left or near one
| of the passages from the Baby mine, IN
which the deadly white damp had accumu
! lated In great quantities, The bodies were
| brought down from the mines In -four
! wagons bedded with Starw and covered
/ from the snow, which has been coming
/ down all day. reaching the Pocahontas
| wholesale grocery house at p. m, WhcTc
they win be prepared for burial The
| bodies are very much swollen, ana having
been attacked by mine rats, present a grew
| some spectacle,
The mine officials seem at n loss TO under
stand how il will be finally eXtlngushed
! Tho only way. IL is believed, is by flooding
This will he an enormous undertaking, rs
the mine is a drift mine. Mine experts
claim there Is great danger Oh eSp'os ,,,,,,
| NV flooding the mine, as when water Gomez
in contact with ire the generation OF gar
| win he SO great as to possibly blow away
the whole side of the mountain,