The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-07-11
JOHuSTOVN Visited
BY DISASTER
Continued from First Page.)

Continued from First Page.)
the loss of life until the rescuers reach
the scene Of the disaster, which may De
several hours, possibly midnight
SONS BRAVE ACT.
Griffith Powell and Thomas Foster, two
fire bosses, carried Mr.. Whitney Two
hundred yards in the hope of saving MS
life, when they were compelled to drop
their burden and save themselves. MI.
Whitney was unconscious While oelns
carried by his friends. The fifteen year
old son of Harry Rodgers, when he heard
that his father had been overcome Win
after-damp, started down toward tne
kloniike to help rescue him II posslnle'
and he had no sooner entered the drift
than the dealy gas almost oVercame the
lad and he had to be carried back. HIS
tongue protruded its whole length from
his mouth and men had to force his jaws
apart with a stick to prevent lockJaW.
Young Rodgers, who is employed IN the
mine, was among those who escaped
through the Mill Creek shaft
SAW FIFTY DEAD.
Several miners have reached the sur
face who were working near the scene
Of the explosion. They said that they
passed through portion of the hlondlke
district and saw the bodies Of at least
fifty men. The men who came out were
foreigners and were IN such an excited
condition that it was impossible to get
connected story from them.
The mine has been open for about hfly
years and is producing three thousand
tons per day. It is the property OF the
Cambria Steel Company, general offices
In the Arcade Building, Philadelphia The
families of the entombed miners are as
sembled in large numbers at the opening,
but they cannot secure any definite in
formation and must endure suspense of
many hours.
FIRST VICTIMS.
At 11:2o P NJ. the first four victims
were brought to the surface from the
I>londike Section. They were William
Robertson, who was unconscious Wnen
found; John Retallick. alive and in pretty
good shape, and two unknown SiaVs,
beth alive, but unconscious.
Dr. John B. Lowman, OF this city,
VINO came up with the men. said he
raised twenty-five dead bodies, some of
then. in sitting pastures.
The armory of Company II, Fifth Regi-
ment, N G. p, will be turned into d
charnel house.
Alter q conference lO-lllSHl IL "dS Dill
nounced that the dead miners would be
brought to the armory tomorrow.
Planks have been laid on chairs in the
armory and the removal of bodies will
begin at an early hour in the morning.
The ambulances of all the undertakers
in the CITY are at Mill Creek in readiness
to begin the transfer Of bodies:
RECENTLY INSPECTED.
At midnight President Powell Stack
OF no of n o
and gave out the following statement:
The disaster is an awful one and came
on us entirely unexpected. The mine
had been inspected only three days ago
and was pronounced in satisfactory con-
dition. In the thirty years that the
mine mas been in operation no serious
accident has occurred. The cause is yet
Indefinite but I believe it was caused by
gas escaping from the fifth heading,
which was closed and was not being
worked because it contained gas, into the
sixth heading.
THE number Of casualties is now placed
at 125. No list of the names of the dead
miners can be given. for the majority
only by check and not by name. The
only way their names will ever be known,
if the bodies aye not recovered in time
for ideNtification Will be by their families
sending their names to us.
VERY LARGE MIND.
The mine in which the dreadful thing
occurred is one of the largest coal mines
in the United States, according to the
statement of officials tonight From the
entrance in the hill across the river
from the point to the one at Mill Creek
is a distance Of three and three-Guarters
miles The klondike section. In which
the explosion occurred. is about two miles
from the Mill Creek entrance. The mine
is divided into large number OF head
ings. levels and sections The sections
run off to the left and right Of the head
ings and are known as rights and lefts
The men who escaped this afternoon
have spent years working in it; otherwise
they could never have reached surface.
Lights We're out and there was no way
for them to find their way to the en-
trance had they not known the mine per-
capped from the depths of the mine de-
scribe the condition as frightful Outside
OF the "Klondi!Se" the mines are safe and
,lninjured Within the fatal limits of the
mine the havoc wrought by the explosion
are such as beggar description. Solid
walls Of masonry. three feet through,
were torn down as though bar
riers of paper. The roofs of the mine
were demolished. and not Il door remains
standing.
At . o'clock this morning. Mayor Pen
dry stated that the first body of the dead
miners would be brought to the mine at
s o'clock Mayor Pendry stated that
general manager Rice. told him this num-
Der Of bodies in sight at o'clock was
sixty-five.