The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1904-01-27
Wet Clothing Of the Rsscuers
Freezes and the BeRumbed
Limbs Refuse TO Act
MINE CONTAINS MASS
OF MANGLED REMAINS
Heroic Men Who Enter the Shaft to
Bring Out the Dead Have Narrow
Escapes With Their
Own Lives.

Pittsburg, Pa, January 26.-Even the
elements seem conspiring to prevent the
work of rescue at the Hsrdwick mine
Almost zero weather and bitter, biting,
cruel wind late in the afternoon swept
down over the little valley where the
mine is located, and nearly added an
other list Of dead to the long black table
already measured off,
Not only was the work Of search for the
dead and living, IL any are still alive,
rudely interrupted, but cold, ice and wind
nearly cost the lives of sixteen more
men who went down into the shaft to do
the work of bratticng, bolstering, tun-
nelling and removing the debris that has
SO far barred their progress into the
workings where the men were at labor
when the explosion came.
Their shift was supposed to be of three
hours only. Even at that, II was a hard
task Even before the bucket reached
the bottom, they were drenched with
water, which the cold draught through
the shaft soon turned TO ice
Bucket Froze to Shaft.
SnOTtly alter thty Wtlt ASh NN"ff' 49,
at a time in the bucket, a temporary hoist
that had been rugged up to bring up the
debris and the dead, was started down
the shaft. Then came the snow and cold,
and 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
I. .,f
maneuyering to rzach the bottom.
The men below had no means of
warmth and many of them were standing
in deep water. Every effort was made to
lower the cage and finally 1t was loosened
and got within twelve feet of the bottom.
A timber blown across the way by the
explosion was in the path. The men were
within easy reach of a rope, but their
fingers benumbed and almost frozen by
the ice, were unable to grasp the offer
ed help.
Was Unable to Walk.
1t was o'clock when the first three
men of the party who went down at
o'clock were brought to the surface. Not
one of them was able to walk, and then
they told of the experience in the mine
below
ilcllIy DtChtEL was Of6 OL lHt iTSL UleH
out of the cage.
1T was a frightful experience" he
said I'VE were too cold to work. There
is apparently no one to rescue. We had
hard time to find many of the dead. A
shred of clothing here another there a
jacket, or overalls. but few bodies. When
we left the bottom Of the shaft, there
were twelve bodies lying there ready to
be brought up. There are many others
there, and the bodies Of many will never
be found.
viii Not Be Responsible.
''The south main drift in which we
worked. gives little chance for many men
who will be recognizable.
I'm the north main drift, the way has
been cleared for some distance, but we
could not tell what was found there"
Just before 10 o'clock the last of the res
cuers were brought to the surface and as
the last man was helped to the cage. Mine
Inspector Tom Adams turned to the new
rescuing PARTY. three men, ready to go
down and salo:
"See that the timber that holds the
cage from reaching the bottom Is out
of the way before you come up"
The signal was given and they went
down again into the mine.
The Allegheny Coal company, who owns
the mine, made a proposition OF Its own
today. 1t has declared its purpose of es-
tablshing cemetery, a half acre in ex-
tent In which to inter the bodies of the
men who were killed in the explosion.
Explored for Long Distance.
r. w. Cunningham, inspector of mines
for the Fourteenth district, Pennsylvania,
made this statement as he came from the
mine this morning:
II explosed the mine for a quarter Of
a mile. I am positive that all Of those
who entered for work yesterday, not one
will be taken out alive. Scattered about
are dead bodies of the miners dead mules,
wrecked cars and tons of fallen coal and
slate 1t is a terrible scene. The force
of the explosion was terrific. 1t will take
days to clear away the wreckage. Until
this is accomplished we will not know
how many met death"
The explosion seems to have been a dou-
BILE one, making one long, continuous
rumble, and the second blast was heard
rolling back under the hills toward the
south end of the mine which contains by
far the largest part of the workings. The
mine is at the head of what is known as
Shoops Run.
Boc.c3 Torn to Pieces.
At $3.50 o'clock this afternoon Mike Nc
Quad one of the leaders OF the rescuers
came up from the shaft and said:
1--WE have at the bottom of the shaft
a pile Of legs and arms and trunks that
resembles anything but the remains OF
human beings. 1t is the most gruesome
sight / ever witnessed. The awful force
of this explosion tore men to pieces. 1t
did not leave enough of some of them to
tell who they were"
The highest officials of the Harwlck
mine and nearly every miner who is alive
in the little mining village are at loss
to give the cause for the terrible disaster.
It is the opinion Of the majority. how
ever that the explosion was caused by
some foreign miner striking match to
light his pipe, which set on the heavy
charge OF gas that was always present in
the mine.