Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-07-12

1t was 555 o'clock when the first train
load of victims were brought to the
mouth of the main entry. Forty-nine
cars were used in bringing out 46 dead
bodies and four living injured. The
discovery of the dead bodies was made
by a searching party about 10 o'clock
last night. They were lying in the main
heading two miles in from the main Pit
mouth. No attempt was made to re-
move them until certainty was estab-
iished that no more living remained in
the mine The first official statement
Of the dsaster-was given the Associ-
ated Press reporter by General Mine
ing. He said:
LAS to the direct cause of the eXplo-
,ion, | cannot exactly say. We know
there was an explosion of firedamp in
he sixth right heading of a section of
4 mine commonly known as the Klon
dixie. So far as l can find out now
there were not more than three or four
Deaths from the explosion itself. The
balance We're caused by the after damp.
Our mine officials, Mine Foreman
Henry Rogers, Fore Boss John Rota
lex, Machine Boss VIM. Robinson, who
my brother and Slav whose name
( do not know, were back eating when
he explosion occurred They immedi-
te,y went down to the point of the
xplosions to put up the slopings in or
Ter to carry the air in its urOper chan
rel again. These had been blown down
~ the force of the explosion.
They with the exception of the as
;istant foreman and one of the fire
losses, were overcome by afterdamp.
They We're found by a rescuing party
and the chances are that all will re-
cover with the exception of my brother.
LAS to the rescue work / directed ii
to commence just as soon after the ex
plosion as possible. We started in at
/ o'clock p. NJ We started working
our way down by putting up brattices
n order to carry the air in with us. /
suppose it was 10 O'Clock at night be-
fore we came across the bodies of the
living. Drs. John LOwman and John
Hannon went down with us. They car
led tanks of oxygen with them, which
we're emptied to good effect on the liv-
ng.
I'VE found % dead on our our way to
hese four living. Twenty more we
found later on. They We're scattered
through that section of the mine. Most
of them were on their way out when
caught by the fatal afterdamp.
Mining Engineer Moore and myself
will organize another search party and
go in at o'clock this morning. There is
damp in the left headings which will
make our progress toilsome. Part of
The mine is so filled with afterdamp we
cannot get in until we turn the current
of air in
Frank Sabot, one of the boys who
met death in heroic endeavor to save
his comrades, was safely taken out of
the mine after the explosion. After the
explosion he fastened back into the
vault of death to do what he could to
close the traps and check the spread of
afterdamp. His body was found lying
near a partly closed door leading off to
one of the left headings.
Soon after the discovery of the first
corpses the mine officials began to
make arrangements for the removal of
the bodies from the scene of the dis
aster. Nearly a score of young men
We're called in to assist the dozen I'M
dertakers of the city. dry goods estab-
lishments were opened and hundreds of
Yards of muslin, toweling and other
goods gotten out for the purpose of
preparing the bodies for burial.
Sleepless mothers and wives waited
all night for news from the missing
ones and peeped through drawn blinds
as the corteges passed on the way to
the morgue. Many trips were neces-
sary and dawn had come long before
the last trip had been made.
Pres. Stackhouse and Supt. Price
were on hand for the arrival of the
bodies at the morgue. and the wives