The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-07-12
One Hundred and Fifty Thought
to Be a Low Estimate.
ONLY A FEW ESCAPED DEATH
These Were Rescued in Awful Cond'-
ton. Some Being Crazed by Awful
Experience They Underwent.
Eiehty-Seven Dead Bodies
Taken Out Between Day
light and NightfaII.
(By Associated Press.)

4
-1STOWN, PA, July 12.-At l
o'clock this morning it can be stated
that OF the six hundred supposed to have
entered the mouth of the Rolling Mill
Mine of the Cambria Steel Company,
gI::rsoay morning. 143 are known to be
dead and twenty-five rescued. -Four hun
dred. so the mine officials claim, es
capcd when the explosion occurred, leav-
ing thirty-six still to be accounted for.
Some of these, according 10 these in
charge of the rescue work, are dead, but
the majority, they claim, have escaped.
AT least thirty-nve additional bodies will
be brought to the temporary morgue at
daylight, making a total list of dead oAe
hundred and twenty-five.
JOIINSTOWN, PA, July n.-Ihis has
been a day Of horror and rescuing at the
Rolling Mill Mine of the Cambria Com
pany There were horrible and thrilling
experiences for the brave men who pene-
trated into the Rolling Mil Mine.
!, ith faint hope of coming out alive. for
the purpose of saving those who were IN
6arEer. The poisonous gas was thIck
in the mine. but undaunted they went
. - q.
paIroses. in the hope of rescuing thelf
Ielow men and bringing them back into
the sxpilght. F'orfy-five bodies were 10
.:ttcd but 10 attempt was made 10 bf1nG
/ c-ri out Of the vast chamber of death
until every effort was made that 10 Nv
ing soul should be overlooked. That being
90 the removal OF the dead was be-
and they were placed in wagons TO
b. taken TO the morgue. Eishty-seVen
dead bodies were recovered from lie mine
l1.tween daylight and nightfall. Still
party of officials and miners batued on
rrrce miles inside the mines. Occasion
ally word would come to the surface by
rcme mysterious means that another
srt,;p of remains had been exposed to the
vision of the Searchers.
mere remain dangerous headings IN
tee l[iondike section of the mine Yet 10
b. explored. No one knows how many
more dead Will be found there. Tie ninc
offic: ais refrai;. from guesswork on the
subject A feeling prevails that 1s0 IS
low estimate of the casualty list
DAY OF HORRORS.
Johnsto1n spent the day h0rror-struCk,
From dawn to dusk flying ambulances
coursed the streets bearing gruesomS
burdens from mine to morgue, from
1noreue to homes Great throngs surscd
about the pit mouth. the improvsed NOR
sue at the armory and last the stricken
homes of the dead. Bulletin boards
were eagerly scanned for news from the
scene of the disaster. Exaggerated ru-
rnors of all kinds prevailed. One re-
port gained circulation that disaster had
overtaken the rescuing party which en-
tered the mines shortly after o'clock.
This proved one of the entertaining yarns
that had its origin among the crowd at
the pit mouth Returning rescuers sub
stantiated the details of the report by
officials.
It is difficult 10 picture with any de-
gree approximating its full worth the
work of rescue and the attending scenes
and incidents of the day al the center of
Interest How brave men went into
the laws of death in its most horrible
form: encountered their fellows trans
formed into raving maniacs by hours of
waiting In the pitch darkness OF the
earth's hnterinr: lifted them moaning
from their beds of fallen rock. and then
bending and crawling on all tours, car
1ied them a quarter of a mile under
ground TO where cars could be reacheu &c
take them outside.
MANIAC LAUGHTER.
Along in the early part of the after
noon cheering words came from me IN
nermnst recesses Of the mine that life
vet fingered in some of the bodies found.
lhe rescuers made first for .ne left head
ing which they had been una BILE TO
for the scene of mine interior was the
heading that stretched out before them
rnlls Of rock almost choked the heading
but through and over this 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 by the maniac laughter which
startled by the maniac laughter which
emanated from a blackened form that
rushed at them out of the darkness. Inc
man grasped firmly pick handle and
tried in his frenzy to beat down his res
Cuers. He was overpowered and dragged
back TO the main heading to the cars
Thirteen other living men were found
IN this chamber, and they We're quickly
taken 10 the surface. where waiting am
balances stood. Eight men were lifted
over the sides of the cars and half car
lied. wended their way to the ambu-
Inces. They We're all Poles. One big
etranpinS fellow among them collapsed
as he reached the ambulance, and doc
TORS spent several minutes reviving him.
SIX HALF-DEAD VICTIMS
AS the men We're driven h,lrriedly to
the Cambria Hospital. the train of coal
mine. In another half hour they came.
out again. this time with six living but
almost dead miners. One man in his
paroxysms had locked his Jaws so that
iorce had TO be employed TO pry them
open for the insertion of life instillins
fluids These six men were taken In
rn unconscious condition TO the Cambria
Hospital. One man brought out with
this crowd died just as he reached day
Continued on Second Page)