Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1902-07-12
HORROR At
JOHNSTOWN
Pennsylvania City Is Again
Visited by an Appalling
Catastrophe.
IT'S MINERS LOSE THEIR LIVES.


Rolling Mill Mine of the Cambria Steel
Company Scene of FrightfuI Explo'
sion Yesterday-scores of Bodies
Have Already Been Taken Out OF
the Mine by Rescue Parties, but It
May Be Days Before All Are Res
cued-corpses Terribly Manged and
ontorted-Armory at Johnstown
Transformed into Morgue, Where
Hundreds of Victims Are Awaiting
Burial-scenes of Unparalleled Dis
tress.
Johnstown, Pa, July 11.-Just as
day broke through the pail of fog this
morning the grim details of the awtul
disaster at the rolling mill mine OF
the Cambria Steel company dawned
with renewed force on the thousands
waiting for authentic news as to the
extent of the explosion
Forty-seven dead bodies, all comfort
ed and many blackened and burned, lie
stretched on rough slabs in the impro-
vised morgue in the armory building.
Forty more are in cars in the mine
ready to be born out as fast as room
can be made for them.
Estimate of Number Dead.
Last estimates of the number of
dead reduce the fatal scope Of the ca
lamity. But these, while fixing it at
round 100. are not conclusive. Gener-
el Superintendent G. ]. Robinson
would not say at this time whether he
thought there were 100 or 300 dead. He
says there is no way of telling until
full investigation of the mine is
made.
1t was 5:55 o'clock when the first
train load of victims were brought to
the mouth of the main entry. For
ty-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, miles in from
the main pit entry. No attempt was
made to remove them until certainty
was established that no more living
remained in the mine.
Statement of Mine Superintendent.
The first statement Of the disaster
was given the Associated Press by
General Mine Superintendent George
r. Robinson at Z o'clock this morning.
He said:
"As to the direct cause of the explo-
sion cannot exactly say. We know
there was an explosion of fredamp in
the sixth right heading of a section
commonly known as the Klondike.
so far as l can find out now, there
was not more than three or four
deaths from the explosion itself The
balance were caused by the after
damp.
"Our mine officials, the mine fore.
man, Henry Rodgers, Fire Boss Retail
lie, Machine Boss William Robinson,
who is my brother, and Slav, whose
name l do not know, were back eating
lunch when the explosion occurred.
They Immediately went down to the
point Of the explosion to put the slop-
ings in order to carry the air in its
| proper channel again. These were
blown down by the force of the expl0-
| sion. They, with the exception of the
assistant foreman and one of the fire
bosses, were overcome by after-damp
They were found by the rescuing par.
ty and the chances are that all will
recover with the exception of my
brother.
"As to the rescue work, I directed
It to commence Just as soon after the
explosion as possible. We started
in at o'clock p. m. We started work.
ing our way down by putting up brat
tices in order to carry the air in with
us. I suppose it was 10 o'clock at
night before we came across the bodies
of the living. Doctors John Lowman
and John Hannah went down with us
They carried tanks of oxygen with
them and were emptied with good ef.
feet on the living Twenty more were
found later on. They were scattered
through that section Of the mine Most
of them were on their way out when
caught by the fatal after-damp."
Bodies Twisted and contorted.
When the bodies Of the victims came
from the miae a long line of undertak.
ers' wagons and picnic wagons were
in waiting to take them on the round
about route to the morgue in the city
There they We're backed up to a door
and a large force Of police were ready
to check the great throngs from press
ing in too close Body after body
was dragged from the wagons and
borne inside All of them were black
ened and unrecognizable until the un.
dertakers got to work. The head Of
one man was crushed and the only
means of Identification will be by his
check number. All of the bodies were
cold and stiff The arms Of most o.
them were twisted in front Of them as
II to shield their faces from fire. The
left hand of one man was torn off at
the wrist The bodies now recovered
we're all found about 2 miles in from