The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-07-11

| lew SURVIVORS VINO nave oSCdptu lIOHh th'
depths of the mine describe the condition
| to be frightful Outside of the Klondik,
tire mines are safe and uninjured. Within
the fatal limits the havoc wrought by thu
| explc sion is fearful Solid walls of ma
scpry three feet in thickness. were tori
down as though made of paper. Tit
! roofs of the mine were demolished. AND
not a door remains standing. In the fact
\ of these difficulties, even the most heroic
| efforts towards rescue seem hopeless.
| Miners who left the mine by way of the
Mill Creek entrance brought horrible sto-
/ ries of crawling over the dead bodies OF
| their comrades. Two young men who
were at work in the Klondike when the
| explosion occurred escaped by way of the
| air shaft heading up through the Germ
vile Hill from the mine.
Walked Across Corpses.
| fan house now out of use stands at
| the top of this air shaft. This way, the
| youn men. sick and dizzy from nauseous
| after damp. or black camp. reached safe
| ty. They told how they had walked
across dead bodies to pure cir and light.
How many they did not know
| The Cambria steel officials were notified
at once of the explosion. Chief Mining
| Engineer Moore and Assistant Prosser
were the first to enter the mine after the
| explosion. They Went in at the main en-
| trance and began to work their way to
the other end.
| Both were supplied with safety lamps
The progress was slow and tedious. be-
cause of the poisonous gases. The stories
| of the neE who escaped are miraculous.
| Tom Foster. an assistant foreman in the
| Klondike mines. were among the first to
emerge from the Mill Creek shaft. Short
ly after Powell Griffith, fire boss, came
| up. Foster was in his office when the ex-
\ piosion occurred His first thought was
| for the safety of the men under his
charge. With the help of Foreman Rob-
erts, an effort was made to replace a
| few Of the shattered doors. All the while
the fire damp was closing around them.
| They did not falter for an instant, but
straight into the midst of danger they
went They thought save the men, was
| paramount. Through galleries into head
| ings. warning and helping. the two men
went Roberts fell. but Foster staggered
| on, whittier he hardly knew. In the midst
| of the danger he met Powell Griffith, a
fire boss. He mad faced what seemed
certain death in an effort to save his
men.
| Forward they went. dragging comrade
| into a possible place of safety here, CIV
ing a word of warning there until human
| endurance could stand the strain no long
l
ing. where the fire damp had not en-
| tered.
Reached Place of Safety.
There they rested for moment and
| then plunged forward-where they did
not know. until finally they wandered
| into a water level and through it reach
| ed place of safety.
Tom Foster said: How I escaped do
not know. 1t seems like terrible night
mare. Hundreds of times | gave up hope,
but from sheer instinct stumbled for
ward until finally 1 reached a place of
| safety"
John Whitney. who was beyond the dip
when the explosion took place. said: Il
was at the heading one-half mile from
the explosion. Several dozen were over
come by the damp or gas, and / had all
l could do to escape After the explosion
we went back to rescue the less FORUM
ate and nearly lost our own lives. We
got one man and saved his life. | did not
see my father, who was struggling to get
out. l do not think many outside of the
drivers esca ped"
William Malcolm was I'm the upper part
of the mine when the explosion came.
THE first / knew of the trouble" he
said, was when men zane running from
what is known as the dip, or lower sec
ton. They came running without hats,
coats and some without clothes and in
terrible state of excitement AS near as
can remember not more than ten came
that way. and they escaped leaving at
least 200 in the dip
Richard and John Meyers were in the
mine when the explosion took place, but
managed to escape. About o'clock they
concluded to go back into the mine and
brought back a report as to the situation.
They went two miles inside and on the
way saw the dead body of Eddie Yaman-
ski at the first side track. about a mile
from the explosion point.
The damp was fearful said Mr.. Ben
nett. 1--WE had to turn back. We could
go no further"
At midnight President Powell Stack
house gave out the following statement.
Statement of Officials.
THE disaster is an unusual one and
came on us entirely unexpected. The mine
had been inspected only three days ago,
and was pronounced in satisfactory con-
dition. The cause is yet indefinite, but l
believe it was caused by gas escaping
from the fifth heading, which was closed
and was not being worked because it
contained gas.
The number of casualties is now placed
at 125 No list of the names of the dead
miners can be given, for the majority of
tnem were IOESlBHeIS ana were known
only by check and not by name. The only
way their names will ever be known If
the bodies are not recovered in time for
identification, will be by their families
sending their names to u.s."
The armory Of Company II. 5th Regi-
ment, will be turned into charnel house.
PIanks have been laid on chairs in the
armory and the removal of bodies will
begin at an early hour in the morning.
The ambulances of all the undertakers in
the city are at Mill Creek in readiness to
begin the transfer of bodies.
The first four victims taken out were
William Robinson who WAS unconscious
when found John Retalick, alive and
conscious and two unknown Slavs. both
alive, but unconscious.
DR.. John B. l1owman. who came up with
the men said he passed twenty-five dead
bodies. some Of them in sitting postures.
Tho mine in which the dreadful thing
occurred is one of the largest coal mines
in the United States, according to the
statement of officials tonight The mines
is divided into a large number OF head
ings, levels and sections. The men who
escaped this afternoon are familiar with
the mines. They have spent wears work
(Coufiuuad IN pa0a EiyaN