The Savannah morning news., 1902-07-13
TOTAL LOSS AT MINE
LIST OF KNOWN DEAD NOW
PLACED AT los.
GRIM SUNDAY FOR JoHNST0WN
FUNERAL PROFESSIONS WILL BE
ORDER OF THE DAY.


Disaster Will Be Investigated, But
Few Are Alive who Can Throw
Light on Subject.
Johnstown, Pa, July 12.-The extent
of the horrible catastrophe of the roll
ing mill mine of the Cambria Steel
Company is not capable of being grasp
ed. Early tonight in spite of conflict
ing reports as to the number of dead
a careful and complete compilation by
the Associated Press shows that liz is
the exact number of bodies taken from
the mine. Up to o'clock this evening
108 had been recovered, and at o'clock
four more were brought to the surface.
To this. future explorations of the
cannot be many.
Almost all the employees who could
have been in the mine at the time of
the life wrecking explosion of Thurs
day are accounted for. Very few inqui-
ries for missing men have been
presented the authorities or to
the mine officials and this
better than anything else demonstrates
the impossibility of many bodies still
remaining in the death tomb.
The mine officials say there is no use
attempting to estimate the number of
dead They say they simply do not
know, and urge the futility of placing
the matter on the basis of guesswork.
They express the belief, however, that
ii
General Superintendent Robinson came
ter an arduous days exploration. He
expressed his conviction that not more
than five dead bodies would be added
to the 10S already known.
Sunday will dawn upon the populous
city of Jamestown prepared to devote
it's attention to mourning and funeral
obseQuies. The inaugural of this grim
programme was given to-day, when
more than a score of interments took
place. AS late as o'clock this even
ing funeral professions, with bands
playing dirges and uniformed escorts
at. their heads, passed through the
streets of the city. While time is
pressing on the undertakers to take
care of all the funerals, tomorrow s
mournful programme will not start es-
pecially early. Many are trying to
defer the last sad rites until the af-
ternoon.
The Worst Seems Over.
Early to-day a general belief settled
over the community and those Off
cially associated with the disaster,
that the end of gruesome developments
were about reached. This did not de-
ter the coiners of street rumors, who
actively piled their avocation and
caused numerous wild-goose chases.
After the bringing of the fifteen
bodies to the morgue at an early hour
it was commonly rumored thN mine
officials were endeavoring 10 hide the
truth as to the extent of the disaster.
The development of the day showed
that these suspicious were unwarrant-
ed. At 8 o'clock in the morning there
was an important consultation in the
offices at the foot of the run way from
the Westmont entry. 1t was partici-
pated in by Mine superintendent G. T.
Robinson, Chief Mine Inspector James
E. Roderick, State Mine Inspector J.
T. Evans, Mine Engineer M. G. Moore,
Assistant Mine Engineer A. G. Prosser.
A large map of the mine was examined
and explained to Chief Roderick. Many
of the employees of the mine, including
diggers, trap boys, mechanics and
others were called in and questioned.
Inc inquiry was QeSlSIleu 10 give Olllel
Inspector Roderick a preliminary i'm
preston of the status of things.
To ne Full Investigation.
Inspector Evans said later as to fu-
ture Investigations:
Those of the company's officials who
were in the mines at the time of the
explosion, and have survived their in
juries will be called on to testify. I'm
~ al 70 ha ont of
the inquiry and testify, it will be use
less to try to do anything. The Cam
bria Steel Company has the right to
make the best presentation of the case
possible and these are the ones who
can best speak of the situation in
which the company was concerned"
Asked as to whose duty it was to
take care of the accumulation of gas in
the mine, Mr.. Evans said:
1.-The fire boss, of course, but two or
three of the fire bosses were killed by
the explosion, and in the presence of
death we must be altogether charita-
BILE and suspend judgment.
After the consultation at the office,
Evans, Robinson and Moore went in
the mine and did not emerge until late
in the afternoon. They examined the
damage wrought and the possible hid
ing places of more dead bodies. Prying
about in the IOurJn r1gnL neaOlng IN
the Klondyke, State Inspector Evans
came across rooms 10 and 20, distrib-
uted between which were the bodies of
the three which were brought out at
2:3O D. m. Evans was alone at the
time. The bodies he found were in a
bad state of decay. The search went
on after the three were brought out,
and still continues.
All day thousands of men, women and
children, drawn thither purely out of
morbid curiosity, fingered about the
low frame structure.
The four taken from the mine to-
night are:
Martin webjar, 80 years, laborer:
Paul Cvene, laborer, wife and three
children; George Babula, 40, family in
old country; Andrew Babula, 40, mar
ried.
Identified by a Shoe.
The last named was identified by his
wife by shoe. All were badly burn
ed William Malcolm, one of the res
cl1ing party said one man was found
in No. 4 room of the sixth right entry,
and three in No. s room. They might
easily have passed. unnoticed for days,
as all were so bIackened as to resem-
BILE bodies Of broken coal. Malcolm
was subpoenaed tonight to appear at
the inquest. It is said he has impor-
tant testimony. Coroner E. L. Miller
said tonight he had no thought Of
opening the inquest until late next