The Savannah morning news., 1904-01-27
NO HOPE FOR THE
ENTOMBED MINERS
NOT ONE WAS FOUND ALIVE.
BITTER COLD CHECKED THE
WORK OF RESCUERS.

other Long List of Dead Almost
No Living, but They Found Frag-
ments of Human acknowledgements
Work still Goes On.
PittSburg, Pa, Jan. 26.-Even the
elements seem conspiring to prevent
the work of rescue at the Harwick
mines. Almost zero weather and a
bitter 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, if any are still alive, rude
| ly interrupted, but cold and ice and
wind combined nearly cost the lives of
sixteen more good men.
At 3 o'clock this afternoon, sixteen
men went down into the shaft to do
| the work of bratticing, bolstering, tun-
neling and removing the debris that
has so far barred their progress into
the workings where the men were at
labor, when the explosion occurred.
! Their shift was supposed to be of
three hours only. Even at that it was
a hard task. Even before the bucket
reached the bottom they were drench-
ed with water, which the cold draught
through the shaft soon turned to ice.
Shortly after they were let down,
| two at a time, in the bucket, tenn
porary hoist that had been rugged up
to bring up the debris and the dead
was started down the shaft. Then
came snow and the cold, and efforts
were made to reach the living men at
the bottom of the shaft, but the wood
en- sides of the hoist, swollen by the
water, stuck to the iron guide slide,
and then came hours of maneuverlng
to reach the bottom. The men below
had no means of warmth and many
of them were standing in deep water.
Were Numb and stir.
Every effort was made to lower the
cage, and finally it was loosened and
got within twelve feet of the bottom.
The men were within easy reach of a
rope, but their fingers, >numbed and al
most frozen by the cold, were unable
to grasp the offered help.
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, they
were so benumbed by the cold. They
told of their experience in the mine be-
low. Henry Beckert was one Of the
first men out of the cage. He was car
ried to the boiler house, and after
twenty minutes of warmth, managed to
straighten himself and say:
1T was a frightful experience. The
cold and hunger-and no good we could
do. We were too cold to work. There
is apparently no one to rescue. We
had a hard time to find many of the
dead. A shred of clothing here and
another there, a jacket, pair of over
alls, 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"
Mike McQuaide, another of the res
cuers, said: I'VE have at the bottom
of the shaft pile of legs and arms
and trunks that resemble anything but
the remains of human beings. 1t is
the most grewsome sight / ever wit
messed"
when do YOU expect to reach the
place where the most of the men are?"
| he was asked.
Bodies Are I'm Fragments.
There is no such place." replied he.
They are scattered all over the mine,
some of them, poor fellows, In frag-
| ments We find them along the en-
| tries or find pieces of them. My God,
| man, you have but a faint conception
| of the awful force of this explosion. 1t
| tore men to pieces. 1t did not leave
enough of some of them to tell who
| they were"
Just before 10 o'clock the last of the
survivors was brought to the surface,
| and as this man was helped to the cage
| Mine Inspector Tom Adams turned to
| the new party-three men-ready to go
| down, and said:
Have you got your saws?"
| Eyes, SIR"
"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 water and the ice
and the dead companions below.
The Allegheny Coal Company, which
owns the mine, made a unique propo-
sition of it's own to-day. 1t has declar-
| ed its purpose of establishing a ceme-
terry, a half acre in extent, in which to
inter the bodies of the men who were
killed in the explosion.
Many Came TO Help.
Men came from mining districts all
about the neighborhood and did valiant
work toward searching for the dead.
Early in the morning the mine in
spectors began to gather to direct the
work of rescue and at o'clock to-
night there were present at the pit
mouth Mine Inspectors F. w. Cunning
ham of the Fourteenth district, in
which the mine is located; w. r.
Adams of the Third district, Henry
Laudiett of the First district, Isaac
G. Roby of the Fifth district and
James Blick of the Seventh district.
Chief Mine Inspector 3roderick had
also wired from Harrisburg that he
would be on hand IL needed.
| Cunningham was the first inspector
| over the ground and spent the greater
part of the night in the mine. Early
this morning. after snatching a few
hours sleep, he went below again and
after directing the movements OF the
volunteer force in bratticing so as TO
keep back the dangerous gas in front,
| finally announced that he was ready
J to lead searching party back into
| the mines.
The rescuers went back for many
| feet. but when they came to the sur
face they had no tidings OF living men
| still entombed. Up and down went
the bucket in the bitter cold. Men
cIambered from the icy elevator. dash