Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-01-27
BRINGING UP THE DEAD
Awful Scenes at HarWick
Mine Disaster.
RELATIVES KEPT AWAY
WORK OF IDENTIFICATION WILL
BE DIFFICULT.
Many of the Bodies Muti1ated Beyond
Recognition by the Force
Of Explosion.
RELATIVES KEPT AWAY

Va AS>RASSASSAs
PITTSBURG, Pa. January 27.-The Har-
wick mine is giving up its victims as fast
as the engineer can raise and lower the
cage in response to the signals from the
men who are working at the bottom Of the
shaft. The burned and mangled bodies OF
the men who went to work on Monday
morning are being brought up to the sur
face and taken to the temporary morgue,
where they are being prepared for burial
AS fast as they are taken off the cage
they are placed on stretchers made OF cots,
blankets are drawn over their faces and
they are placed two at time on bob
sleds which stand in line waiting for
their grewsome loads. The sleds are man
ned by two or three attendants. and slowly
the sad burdens are hauled up the snowy
road to the school house on the HILL Into
this they are reverently carried and laid on
the floor.
Bodies Lying in Heaps.
Already there is heap of them there, a
literal heap, for the coroner's assistants
realize that soon there will be little room.
even in this large building, for the many
dead, and so are having them laid closely
together and even piled one on the other.
Every body so far brought out Is bruised
and cut and crushed into shapelessness,
and not one so far but has the arms raised
and the hands spread out over the face,
showing that the doomed men foresaW
their fate and tried with their last con-
scious efforts to ward it off. The fact that
the legs and arms are broken and disJoint-
ed indicates that the force of the explo-
sion must have been terrific.
1t is presumed that 1t caught the men
and hurled them like straws before gaze,
%I,A To- nd W
the mine and crushing them one upon the
other at the ends Of headings and cham-
bers. Scarcely one of the bodies mas any
clothing on 1t, and all are more or less
great difficulty In identifying them on this
account, and about the only way 1t can be
dcne will be by the weigh checks found on
most of them. These are small circular
brass checks bearing number, which eacn
man draws upon going into the mine. A
man known as the checkman hands these
out and keeps record of the number given
each miner. The coroner's deputies are
haIrriedly hunting for the checkman now
and soon as he is found and can give his
list the work of Identification will begin.
Relatives Not Permitted at Morgue.
No relatives were permitted in the tenn
porary morgue. for the sights there are too
grewsome, and besides 1t is absolutely nee
essary that there be no interruption to the
work of the undertakers and embalmers,
for before night they will have more than
they can do. If perfect discipline Is not
now preserved there will result inextricable
confusion and the full identification OF all
the dead will be impossible. There will be
trouble for some of the bodies are without
clothing and consequently the checks are
lost. Moreover. the faces are burned and
crushed beyond the possibility of recog-
milton. 1t will be next to impossible to
identify by clothing. as is often done in
other accidents. where the features OF the
dead are not recognizable because the
clothing of miners is very much alike, con-
sisting of coarse undershrtS, rough wooden
trousers and coats and gum boots or bro
ganS of poor quality.
In the school house where the bodies
are being brought great sheet of paper
has been tackled on the wall on which the
names will be posted as soon as identified.
When all the bodies are brought up that
are now at the foot of the shaft. and
when they have been prepared for view.
the families and friends will be allowed
to file through and assist in completing
the work of Identification. The streets
of the village were deserted today the
women and children having been made to
understand that they better remain indoors
until the authorities are ready for them TO
come to the morgue.
The work of bratticing and clearing away
the walls so that 1t will be safe for rescue
parties to go into any part of the mine,
has been carried forward with such speed
that it is expected by nightfall any part
of the workings will be SAFE and that a
greater part of the bodies will be found.
The difficulty which now confronts the
officials of the Harwick mine is that of
getting enough men to prosecute the
search for the bodies now that the mine
is in such condition that this can be done
without the dangers and delays that were
encountered yesterday. The little band, of
men who have been at work since noon
yesterday, with only short intervals be-
tween the descents which they made in
the shaft. were still on duty today. but,
forward the work of getting out bodies.
Some were so played out that they could
not stand another shift and were compelled
to go to their homes.
The mine officials have sent out another
appeal for more men, and they want expert
enced miners who will know what to do
when the party gets to the distant portions
OF the workings.
Men Reluctant to Go Into Mine
The fact that all hope of finding any of
the men in the mine alive, 1t is said. ac-
counts in some degree for the reluctance of
the miners to go down at this time. The
company is making every effort to get men
on the ground so that there will be no
cessation in the work. The pipe which was
ordered yesterday to replace that destroyed
by the explosion was received today, and
the pumps will be working in a short time.
Another Rescuer Perishes.
Another rescuer has met death in the
mine. David Lysle. volunteer miner from
Leechburg, Pa. went down the shaft last
night with Thomas Farrell and VIM. Davis
When his companions came up today they
reported that LySle had been overcome by
gas and had died before any assistance
could be rendered him. His body was found
this afternoon.
PETT1S ATTEMPTED SUICIDE,
Former Washington Man in Trouble In