Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-07-15
Horrible Result of Mine Dis
aster in Pennsylvania.
MANY FUNERALS TODAY
Fifteen charred Bodies Brought Out
and Taken to Moreue This Morning
After Examination by Searching
Party -superintendent's Statement.

Johnstown, Pa, July Zone hun
dred and eight are now reported dead
from Thursdays explosion at the Roll
ing Mills mine of the Cambria Steel
Co. 1t is not probable that this rec
ord will be 'swelled to any great ex-
tent The mine workings were thor
oughly explored by searching party
during the night. Early this morning
the charred and mutilated bodies of
fifteen victims were brought out and
taken to tlieA morgue. There We're
three deaths during the night at Cam
bria- hospital and another is in a pre-
carious condition. any funerals will
take place today.
Expects to Find More Dead.
DIR. j. Frank Taylor, one of the res
cuing party, who made many trips in
to the mine, is confident that there
are many more buried in the mine and
that the list of the dead will be great
lily increased. A number of rooms
have not been entered and in these DR..
Taylor expects that many bodies will
be found.
The total number of bodies brought
out is 10S. OF those taken to Memo
rial hospital three have died. This
brings the dead up to Ill. In the hos
pital there are still fourteen patients,
making total of 1875 living and dead,
who have been brought out of the
mine. IS
Find Party Of Survivors.
| Yesterday afternoon word came from
the innermost recesses of the mine
that life yet fingered in some of the
bodies found The rescuers made first
for No. 4 heading which they have
been unable to reach before. Falls of
roof almost choked up the heading,
but through and over the debris the
rescuers pushed their way in. In the
front young Patrick Martin, his broth
er Peter, Philip White, and several
cousins of the Martins made their way
Made Insane by Suffering.
In an open space they were startled
by a laugh from blackened form that
rushed at them out of the darkness
The man grasped pick handle and
tried in his frenzy to beat down his
rescuers. He was overpowered and
dragged back to the cars. Thirteen
other living men were found in this
chamber and physicians were quickly
taken to the spot.
Superintendent Talks of Disaster.
The first of the statements OF the
disaster was given by General Mine
Superintendent George T. Robinson
He said:
"As to the direct cause of the explo
sion | cannot exactly say. We know
there was an explosion of fire damp
in the sixth right heading of section
commonly known as the Klondike. Sc
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.
"Asto the rescue work, directed II
to commence just as soon after the ex
plosion as possible. We started work
ling our way down by putting up brat
tees in order to carry air with us
Doctors John Lowman and John Han
nan went down with us. They carried
! tanks of oxygen with them and they
were empitied with good effect on the
living"
Dead Numbers 105.
i Johnstown, July 12.-Mayor Pendry
at noon made the positive statemen
that no more than los men lost thei
lives in the explosion of the Cambria
mines near here Thursday. Fourteen
were injured. Some of the latter ma.