Custer County Republican. (Broken Bow, Neb.) 1882-1921, 1902-07-17
DAY OF RESCUE AT MINE
THRILLING EXPERIENCE AT THE
YOUNGSTOWN MINE.

bria Steel company. Thrilling ex-
petiences attended the efforts Of the
forty daring fellows who went down
into the mine with the faint hope
they might be In time to restore to
life some OF the entombed men.
They saved the lives Of fourteen
men by bringing them again into
the sunlight.
Many dead bodies we're found but
they were left in the theatre OF
death until every living person had
been rescued That doue, the dead
were brought up and exposed to the
morbid gaze Of the people on the
way to the morgue. Eighty-seven
dead bodies were recovered from the
mine between daylight and night
fall. Occasionally word would come
to the surface by some mysterious
means that another heap OF remains
had been exposed to the vision OF the
searchers, three miles inside the
mine. Dangerous headings In the
Rlondike section yet remain uneE-
plored. Many more dead may be
found there.
1t is thought that $50 is low es
innate of the casualty list. Johns
town spent the day horror-striclen.
From dawn to dusk flying amb l.
lances courSed the streets bearing
grewsome burdens from mine to
morgue; from morgue to homes.
Great thrnngs surged about the pit
mouth, the improvised morgue at
the armory and about the homes Of
the dead. Bulletin boards were
eHgerly scanned for news from the
scene of the disaster. Exaggerated
rumors Of all kinds prevailed.
1t is difficult to picture with any
dergee approaching its full worth
the work Of rescue and the attending
scenes and incidents Of the day at
the center Of interest.
Along in the early part Of the
afternoon cheering word came from
the innermOSt reccsses Of the mine
that life yet fingered In some OF the
bodies. The rescuers made first for
No. 4 left heading which they had
been unable to reach the nighC be-
fire. DeSulate even for the scene
Of mine interior was the heading
that stretched out before them.
Suddenly In an open space they were
startled by the mad laughter of
blackened form that rushed at them
out of the darkness. The man
glasped firmly pick handle and
tried in his frenzy to beat down his
rescuers. He was overpowercd and
dragged back to the main heading to
the cars. Thirteen other living men
were found in this chamber.
At 3 p. m. the train Of mine cars
came to the pit mouth where wait
ing ambulanCcs stood. Eight men
were lifted over the sides of the cars
and half carried, they wendell their
way to the ambulanCcs They were
all Poles, AS the men were driven
hurriedIy to the Cambria hospital,
the train Of coal cars with the physi-
cans le-cnterCd the mine. In an
other half hour they came out again,
this time with six living but almost
dead miners. One man had lock jaw.
At that time three more head
ings, believed to he filed with the
dead, were unsearched. Thirty
nine bodies were lying within reach
in the main ,headi ng. These were
brough out at 4:35 p. m. Their
TO lies were piled high in the coal
cars and covered with canvas.
These remains we're in terrible
state, showing that there had been
slow death in each case. One of
the men had his mouth and nose
tied about by towel. The rest OF
his face was turned beyond recog-
niton. The bodies of all were twist
ed In horrible shapes, most of the
arms being crooked so as to shield
the face. The only one who could
be Undermined at the pit mouth was
Fire Boss Joseph Tomlinson.
One Of the volunteer reScuers who
came out with this load Of dead
stated that fire was raging In parts
or the mine that would take some
time to quell. Most of those who
we're brought out alive this after.
noon had saved themselves by crawl!
ing into chamber and turning
valve on the compressed air pipe line
which runs along the entry. One
man was found dead with his hands
clutched so tightly about a monkey
wrench that it could not be re-
moved. ii
1t was at 5:55 a. m. when the
first train load OF victims was
brought to the mouth OF the main
entry. Forty-ninc cars we're used
l.