The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1902-07-12

Jamestown, Pa, July 11.-This has been
a day of heroic rescues at the Inflated
rolling mill mine of the Cambria Steel
Company. Thrilling experiences attend
ed the efforts Of the forty brave and dar-
ing fellows who went down into the
earth, with a very faint hope to spur
them. that still they might be in time
to restore to life some of those who are
entombed.
Death Iurked everywhere around them,
but undaunted they surged forward.
swayed with the noblest of human pur-
poses. The reward of their efforts was
the saving Of the lives of fourteen of
their fellow men and bringing them back
again into the sunlight and back to lv-
ing families.
Dead and MANNED bodies were located,
out Of the vast theatre of death until
every human energy was put forward to-
wards seeing that no living soul might
escape their aid. That done. the dead
were attended to and put in tram-cars
and brought up and exposed to morbid
gaze while being transferred to wagons.
In which to be taken to the morgue.
Eighty-seven dead bodies were recov-
cred from the mine between daylight and
nightfall Still a party of officials and
miners battled on, three miles inside the
mine. Occasionally word would come to
the surface by some mysterious means.
that another heap OF remains had been
exposed to the vision of the searchers.
$50 Low Estimate.
There remain dangerous headings in
tha KIoudika aecffop nf tha v,ofnn IN
be explored No one knows how many
more dead will be found there. The mine
offfcials refrain from gueswork on the
subject. The impression prevails among
the outsiders and certain employees of the
mine that $50 is a low estimate of the
casualty list.
Fated Jamestown spent the day horror
stfuck. From day to dusk flying ambu-
lances coursed the streets bearing grew
some freight from mine TO morgue, from
morgue to homes. Great throngs surged
about the pit mouth. the improvised
morgue at the armory and about the
stricken homes of the dead. Bulletin
boards were eagerly scanned for news
from the seems of the disaster.
Exaggerated rumors of all kinds pre-
vailed. A report gained circulation that
disaster had overtaken the rescuing par
ty which entered the mine shortly after
y o CLOCK. Ills proved one OF the enter
tanning yarns that had its origin among
the crowd at the pit mouth.
Returning rescuers substantiated the
details OF the report by officials.
1t Ia difficult to picture with any de-
gree approaching its full worth the work
of rescue ana the attending scenes and
incidents of the day at the centre of in
terest How brave mon went into the
jaws of 6eath in it's most horrible form,
encountered their fellows transformed
into ravfng maniacs by hours of waiting
in the pitch darkness of the earth's In
terror. lifted them moaning from their
beds Of fallen rock and then bending and
crawling on all tours carrying them a
quarter of a mile under ground to where
cars could be reached to take them out
side.
Life Yet fingered.
Along in the afternoon cheering
word came from the innermost
recesses of the mine that life yet lin.
gered in some of the bodies found. The
rescuers made first for heading No. 4,
which they had been unable to reach the
day before. Fallen roofs almost choked
up the heading, but through and over
the debris the brave men pushed their
way In the front young Patrick Mar
tin. his brother Peter. Phillip White and
several cousins of the Martins made
their way. Suddenly in an open space
they were startled by maniacaI laugh
which emanated from a blackened form
that rushed at them out of the dark
ress. The man grasped a pick handle
and tried In his frenzy to beat down his
rescuers. He was overpowered and
dragged back to the main heading to
the cars.
Thirteen other living men were found
at this chamber and physicians were
quickly taken to the spot. At 3 p. M the
train of mine cars came to the pit mouth
where waiting ambulances stood. Eight
men were lifted over the sides of the
cars. and, half carried. wendell their way
to the ambulances. They were all Poles.
One big, strapping fellow among them
collapsed as he reached the ambulance
and doctors spent several minutes resus-
citating him.