Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1902-07-12
One Hundred and Forty-three are
Dead at Johnstown, Pa,
SOME WERE FOUND ALIVE.
One Poor Fellow Had Gone Mad
Others Were Nearly Dead-No
Accounting ior Explosion.

this morning II can be stated that OF
the COO men supposed to have entered
the mouth of the rolling mill mine OF
the Cambria Steel company Thursday
morning, l4S are known to be dead, ana
% rescued. Four hundred, so
the mine officials claim, escaped
when the explosion occurred, leaving
80 still to be accounted for'
Some Of these, according to those In
charge OF the rescue work, are dead
but the majority, they claim have es-
capped.
From physicians heads of rescue
parties and others who are familiar
with the different headings In the
mine, It Is learned that at least OF
additional bodies will be brought
to the temporary morgue at daylight.
making the total dead l43. THIS,
| President Stackhouse of the Cambria
Steel company, thought would be the
extent of the dead. but until all the
checks by which the miners are known
are presented at the office Of the COM
pany, an accurate list of the dead VIII
not be known. Some of the bodies, II
is admitted by the officials, are en-
tombed in closed headings or buried
beneath slate. Some may be recoy-
cred, but others may never be found,
Along in the early part or the AFTER
noon cheering word came from the m
nermost recesses of the mine that life
yet fingered In some of the bodies
ms
I, the left heading, which they had
been unable to reach the night before
Desolate, even for the scene Of a mine
interior, was the heading that
stretched out before them. Falls of
roof almost choked the heading, but
through and over the debris the brave
men pushed their way. In the front
young Patrick Martin, his brother
Peter, Philip White and several cousins
OF the Martins made their way.
Suddenly, in an open space, they
were startled by the manlacal laugh
which emanated from black form
that rushed at them out of the dark
ness. The man grasped firmly pick
handle and tried In his frenzy to beat
down his rescuers, He was overpow-
cred and dragged back the main
heading and 10 the cars. Thirteen
other living men were found In this
chamber. aud physicians were quickly
taken to the spot
At 3p. IN. the train OF nine cars came
TO the pit mouth, where waiting am
balances stood. Eight men were lifted
over the sides of the cars and, half
carried, wendell their way to the am
balances, They were all Poles. one
bis strapping fellow among them coll
lapsed as he reached the ambulances,
and doctors spent several minutes re-
suscitatihg him.
As the men were driven hurrledly 10
the Cambria hospital, the train Of coal
cars, with the physicians. re-entered
the mine In another half-hour they
came out again, this time with six Nv.
ing but almost dead miners. One man
IN his paroxysms had locked his Jaws
so that force had TO be employed TO
pry them open for instilllng the life
fluids These six were taken In an UNI
conscious condition to the Cambria
hospital. one man brought out with
this crowd died just as he reached day
light.
Most OF those who were brought out
alive this afternoon had saved them
selves by crawling into a chamber and
turning the valve on the compressed
air line which runs along the entry,
One man was found dead with his
hands clutohed so tightly about a
monkey wrench that II could not be
removed.
At the conclusion OF the days work
Mine Superintendent Robinson was
asked what the plans were for con-
tinung the work Of getting out the
bodies. He said: I'VE will work night
and day and will not stop so long as
there is a single body in the mine. The
fact that the fire damp Is all out OF
the mine now will facilitate work, but
while there is much debris on the mine
tracks that will have to be removed
before the cars can be taken to all
sections OF the Klondike, do not Think
II Will take many hours TO know 1.le
extent of the loss OF life.
The disaster is not due 10 any
special amount Of gas In the mine,
That is shown by the little damage
done to the property. The explosion
seems TO have produced an Unusual
amount OF fire damp that / cannot ac-
count for. 1t did the deadly work. but
was really all that gave us trouble.
There is not a mine car In thv~-1rk-
ings that Is damaged or broken
Usually In such an accident as THIS
cars are wrecked and burned The
mules used for moving the cars OF the
different rooms 10 the leaders were
all dead. and | counted some sixteen
of them, and then became too busy 10
notice how many more were about us
State Mine Inspector j. ]. Evans
who has been In the mine almost con-
tlnually since the explosion was Joined
to- pf
bureau Of mine inspection. Evans |
said 10 the Associated Press reporters
"Mr. Rodrrick can hardly credit my
doscrIption OF the condition Of the mine
after such a dreadful calamity. IL ia |
wonderful that there should have been |
such loss of life with such small eX- |
plosion.
"There was very little rock brought |
down by the force Of the explosion. |
number OF doors were blown open and |
some boards Knocked of. but the cost |
OF repairs win be Insignificant. not |
more than SIS, / should say
There was no explosion OF dust; no |
evidence Of Il. The men were working |
with locked safety lamps. There are |
dozen things that might have caused |
the explosion. The man responsible is
assuredly among the dead
Mr.. Evans said he believed the mine
could resume operations by Monday II
Il were desired TO do so.
one Of the unknown survivors NJ the
Cambria hospital died late TONIGHT. ana
two other are expected 10 die before
To Investigate irrigation Problems.
washington. July l2.-F. II. Newell,
chief photographer Of the geological
survey. has gone 10 the western states
10 make q preliminary Investigation OF
The irrigation problem. The irrlgation
avs passed by the last session Of Con-
gress have made II necessary for sur
sey to determine the location OF the ex-
ensiye reservoir TO be located under
ne terms 81 the law and several en-
cheering parties already have been
sent out 10 DO preliminary work Mr..
Newell will have supervision OF the
ask. II Is Intended that the presiml-