The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1902-07-15
WORK OF FATAL FIRE DAMP
Comparatively Small Number of the
Victims Were Killed by the
Explosion Itself.

pduy. AL . CLOCK his morning 81
bodies had been recovered. OF these
Al, all contorted and many blackened
and burned and some of them head
less, lie stretched on rough slabs in
the improvised 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.
The latest estimate of the number of
dead reduce the fatal scope of the
calamity. General Mine Superintend-
ent George T. Robinson would not
say at this time whether he thought
there were 100 or 800 hundred dead.
He says there is no way Of knowing
until 8, full investigation is made.
When that will be, he says, he has no
way of telling. All rests with the diff
iculty to be encountered in clearing.
It was $50 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 injur-
ed.
The discovery of these 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 remove them until certainty
was established that no more living
remained in the mine.
Eating Their Lunches.
From the positions of the bodies
the miners were evidently eating
their lunches when suddenly stricken
by the explosion. They were seated
in groups of five to 10 with their
buckets. and the remains of their
lunches were scattered over the floor.
Evidently their lives were shut out
quickly and easily.
The first statement was given out
by Superintendent Robinson at Z
O'Clock this morning. He said:
las to the direct cause of the ex-
plosion I cannot say. We know there
was an explosion of fire damp in the
sixth right heading of a section of the
mine. commonly known as the Klon-
dixie. So far as l can find out now
there we're not more than three or
four deaths from the explosion itself.
The balance were caused by a fire
damp.
"Our mine officials. the mine fore
man. Henry Rogers, Fire Boss John
Retallic. Machine Boss William Rob
inson. who is my brother, and a Slav,
whose lame I don't know, were back |
eating lunch when the explosion oc-
Cured. They Immediately went down
to the point of the explosion to open
up the stoppings in order to carry the
air in it's proper channel again. These
were blown down by the force of the
"They. with the exception of the
assistant foreman and one of the fire
bosses. We're overcome by after-damp.
They were found by a ~rescuing party
n the chances are that all will re-
cover with the exception of my broth
er.
Started at Once.
AS to the rescue work, | directed
1t to commence just as soon after the
explosion as possible. We started in
at l p. m. We worked our way down
by putting up brattics in order to
carry the air with is. l suppose it
was 10 o'clock at night before we
came across the bodies of the living.
Drs. John Towman and John Hannah
went down with us. They carried
tanks of oxygen with them and they
were emptied with good effect on the
living.
I'VE found % dead on our way to
these four living. Twenty more were
found later on. They were scattered
through that section of the mine.
Most of them were'o on their way out
caught by the fatal a%fter-damp.
Mining Engineer M. G.. Moore and
myself will organize another search
ing party and go in at 9 o'clock this
morning. There is damp in the left
headings, which will make IL prog
toilsome.
Part of the mine is filed with after
damp and we cannot get in until we
turn the current of air in"
When the bodiess of the victims
came from the mine, a long line OF
wagons were in waiting to take them
On the roundabout route to the NOR
que in the city. There they were back
up to a door and a large force of
police were ready to check the great