The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1904-01-27
RESCUERS AT WORK
Bodies Of Harwick Victims
Still Lie Deep In the Mine.
FIGHTING ice, WATER AyDCHOKE DAMP
Brave Men Come From Pit Covered
With Ice and Report No TidinEs
of Living Men-MRny Lie Dead.
GrewsOme sight.

PITTS2URG. Jan. 27.--Even the ele-
ments seem conspirlng to prevent the
work of rescue at the Harwick mine
| Almost zero weather and a bitter, bit
ing, cruel wind swept down over the
little valley where the mine is located
and nearly added another list of dead
TO the long black table already meas
ured off. Not only was the work OF
search for the dead and living, If any
are still alive, rudely interrupted, but
cold and ice and wind combined nearly
cost the lives of sixteen more good men.
Sixteen men went down into the
| shaft to do the work of bratticing, boil
STEERING, tunneling and removing the de-
! bris that has so far barred their prog
ress into the workings where the men
were at work when the explosion came.
| Their shift was supposed to be Of three
hours only. Even at that 1t was hard
task. Even before the bucket reached
the bottom they were drenched with
water, which the cold draft through
| the shaft soon turned to ice.
Shortly after they were let down, two
at 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 the cold and the water which
makes it almost impossible for the
brave workers to go forward in the
work Of rescue. 1t is not possible to say
when the bodies will be raised
Driving snow and sleet aided by o
biting wind did all in their power To
hamper the movements of those who
came to this little village to aid in the
work of saving the living, If any there
were, and recovering the bodies Of the
dead at the Harwlck mine
Men came from mining districts all
about the neighborhood and did valiant
work toward searching for the dead.
Early in the morning the mine inspect
ors began to gather to direct the work
Of rescue, and at o'clock there were
present at the pit mouth Mine Inspect
or f. w. Cunningham of the Four
tenth district, in which the mine is To-
Gated w. II. Adams Of the Third dis
trict, Henry Lauditt of the First dis
trict, Isaac G. ROby of the Fifth dis.
trict and James Blick of the Seventh
district Chief Mine Inspector Broder-
lex had also wired from Harrisburg
that he would be on hand II needed.
Cunningham was the first inspector
over the ground and spent the greater
part of the night In the mine 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 dan
gerous gas in front finally announced
that he was ready TO lead searching
party back into the mine.
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 clam
bered from the icy elevator, dashed to
the nearby engine room and when
warmed went back to the bucket and
down the shaft
Then began the rigging OF the plat
form cage Six hours work on wood
en- platform to take the debris and the
dead from the abyss. Some of the dead
Will new be brought out of the mine.
there is little doubt That the mine OH
Gals and inspectors anticipate this was
evident in the presence nj the mine of
Coroner McGeary of Allegheny county.
While the chattering, shivering group
of workers and newspaper men were
gathered about the ropes and the red
faces of the four Pittsburg policemen
on duty ut the ropes spoke elOquently
of the cold, one bright incident occur
red that took away for moment the
grewsOme aspect of the task.
tom Adams has come"
Adams is the oldest mine inspector in
the state and for years until one year
ago the stricken mine was i'm his dis.
trict
The old men all knew him. Tall and
straight he stood in the office of the
mine, and man after man came up to
him, grnsped his hand and said.
"Mr. Adams. are you going downy"
1t was the same question always, and
lne same grave answer came back 10
each:
lust as soon as | can change my
clothes"
ut was only a little group and the
were hardly over before
the veteran had stepped behind Il desk
and donned a'suit of blue ovelallS and
blouse. Then there was run for it in
the wind to the engine house across
the tracks for suit of oilskins. Out
even In the cold there was stop here
and there AK one whom the inspector
knew, black and grimy. stopped and
= lspcd his hand and then the same
old question came:
"iir, Adams. are you going down.
Ana here and there was another nj.
most whispered statement: