Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-01-27
Delays in Removing Dead
From HarWiCk
Mine.
MANY NOT RECOGNIZED
ResCuing Party of 10
Nearly Frozen in
Shaft.

PittSburg. Jan. 21.-At s this morn
ing 22 charred and blackened Corpses
were lying at the foot of the Inflated
Harwick mine shaft ready 20 he hoist
ed to the surface. and further back in
the mine entry were IS more bodies.
Searchers had not yet reached the
north entry, where, it is expected. the
most bodies will be found.
All the bodies are burned in an aw-
fuI manner. Many are without heads
and others have faces so badly burned
and mutiIated as to preclude all possi-
bilty of their ever being recognized.
Several feet of ice at the bottom of
the shaft delayed the starting of the
bodies to the surface. but the obstruc-
tion was cleared away as fast as pos
sible.
As fast as the bodies reached the
surface they were taken To the
morgue at school house. where. af-
ter being identified. they were placed
in collins provided by the company.
Rescuers Caught.
PittSburg. IAN. 2T.-Even the ele-
mcnts seem cOnSpiring To prevent the
work OF rescue at the Harwick mine.
Almost zero weather ana bitter, Bit
ing. cruel wind late in the afternoon
swept down over the little valley where
the mine is located. and nearly added
another list of dead to the long black
table already measured Off. Not only
was the work of search for the dead
and living. if any are still alive. rude
ly interrupted. but cold and ice and
wind combined nearly cost the lives OF
sixteen more good men.
Sixteen Men Go Down.
At ; p. m. sixteen men went down
into the shaft TO do the work of brat
ticing, bolstering. tunnelling and re-
moving the debris that has 50 lar
barred their progress into the work.,
ingS where the men were at labor
when the explosion came. Their shift
was supposed to be of three hours
only. Even ut that II was hard task.
Even before the bucket reached the
bottom they were drenched with wat
er which the cold draught through the
shaft soon turned to ice Shortly aft
er they were let down, two at time,
in the bucket IL temporary hoist that
had been rugged up to bring up the
debris and the dead was started down
the shaft.
Cage Sticks in the Shaft.
Then came the snow and the wind.
Again and again efforts were made to
reach the living men at the bottom
of the shaft, but the wooden sides OF
the hoist. swollen by the water, stuck
to the iron guide slide and there were
hours of manOeuvCring to reach the
bottom. The men below had no means
of warmth, and many of them were
standing i'll deep water. Every effort
was made TO lower the cage, and final
~ ii was lOOscned and got within
twelve feet Of the bottom A timber
blown across the way by the explosion
was in the path.
Twelve Bodies Await HOisting.
The men were within easy reach of
and almost frozen by the cold and
unable to grasp the offered help. 1t
was . y. III. when the first three men
of the party who went down at 3 p.
III. were brought to the surface. Not
one of them was able to walk, SO
numb were they by the cold, and 1t
was 10 y. III. before they were all
brought up. They had brought twelve
corpses to the bottom Of the shaft.
There were many more there. but there
was also evidence that many were
blown to shreds and would never he
found. \ feN, minutes later three men
went down.