Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1902-07-12
DEAD TAKEN OUT
BODIES OF EIGHTY-SEVEN VIC
TINS OF YOUNGSTOWN DisAS-
TER RECOVERED. g..
MANY MORE STILL MISSING

Believed That Fully One Hundred and
Seventy-five Men Perished and the
Total May Exceed That Number.
Large Majority of the Deaths Due to
the Afterdamp Resulting From the
Explosion.
, Johnstown, Pa, July 12.-At p. m.
eight living men were brought outs of
the West1nont slope. These men were
found in No. heading, in the Klondike
section. They were all lying on their
faces when the rescu1ng party reached
them and after the doctors had worked
with them for while they were able
to be brought out. A little further on
in No. 4 heading the rescuing party
found eight other men who were still
alive. These were in a more serious
condition than those found first.
Johnstown, Pa, July 12.-It is now
believed that not more than ITS men
perished in the explosion of fredamp
at the Rolling" Mill mine of the Cam
bria Steel company although that fig
ure may be found too low when a COM
'plete search d the mine is made For
ty-seven dead bodies, all contorted and
many blackened and burned, lie
stretched on rough slabs in the impro-
vised morgue in the armory building
Forty more are in cars in the mine,
ready to be borne out as fast as room
can be made for them. General Su-
perintendent e. T. Robinson would not
say at this time whether he thought
there were 100 or 800 dead. He says
there is no way Of telling until a full
investigation of the mine is made
When that will be, he says, he has no
means Of telling. All rests with the
difficulty to be encountered in clearing
the heading of Jafterdamp.
1t was 5:55 a. m. when the first train
load of victims was brought to the
mouth of the main entry. Forty-nine
cars were used in bringing out forty
six bodies and four living injured. The
dead bodies were found lying in the
main heading, two miles in from the
main pit mouth. No attempt was made
to remove them until certainty was es-
tablished that no more living remained
in the mine. The first official state
ment of the disaster was given the AS
sociated Press reporter by General
Mine Superintendent George T. Rob
inson at Z a. m. He said:
Deaths Caused by Firedamp.
"As to the direct cause of the explo-
sion I cannot exactly say. We know
there was an explosion of fredamp in
the sixth right heading Of section of
the mine, commonly known as the
Klondike. So far as can find out
now there were not more than three. or
four deaths from the explosion itself.
The balance were caused by the after
damp. 81 -. ':..
"Our mine officials, the mine fore.
man, Henry Rodgers, Fire Boss John
Retallic, Machine Boss William Rob-
lson, who is my brother, and a Slav,
whose name do not know, were back
eating lunch when the explosion oc-
Cured. They Immediately went down
to the point of the explosion to put
the slopings in order to carry the air in
it's proper channel again. These were
blown down by the force of the explo-
sion. u
They, with the exception of the as
sistant foreman and one of the fire
bosses, were overcome by afterdamp
They were found by a rescuing party
and the chances are that all will re-
cover with the exception of my broth
er. r.
AS to the rescue work directed it
to commence just as soon after the eX-
l p. m. We started working our way
down by putting up brattices in order
to carry the air insWith us. suppose
it was 10 o'clock at night before we
came across the bodies of the living.
We found twenty-five dead on our way
to these four living. Twenty more we
found later on. They were scattered
through that section of the mine. Most
of them were on their way out when
caught by the fatal afterdamp.'
Bodies Brought to Johnstown.
When the bodies of the victims came
from the mine a long line Of under
|
in waiting to take them on the round
about road to the morgue in the city.
There they were backed up to door,
where q large force of police were
ready to check the great throng from
pressing in too close. Body after body
was taken from the wagons and borne
inside. All of them were blackened
and unrecognizable until the under
takers got to work The head of one
man was crushed and the only means
Of identifying him will be by his check
number. All of the bodies were cold
and stiff. The arms Of most of them
were twisted in front of them as IL to
shield their faces from fire. The left
hand Of one man was torn off at the
wrist. The bodies now recovered were
all found about two miles in from the
main pit mouth.
The Rolling Mill mine has been