The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-02-22
GRAY WILL INvEsrrGArE.
State Mine Inspector to Look Into
 Disaster.

State Mine Inspector to Look Into
 Disaster.
 Birmingham, Feb. 21.--(Special. )- When darkness closed this evening over the frantic band of watchers gath cred around the mouth of the mine at Virginia City, where, last afternoon late more than 100 men were entombed by a fearful explosion, thirty-three charred and blackened bodies had been brought to the surface and stretched out upon an improvised platform for inspection and Identification.
 Gathered around that crude platform were scores of wailing women and weeping children, who, as each con- signment of corpses as brought out of the mine, looked anxiously into the pale faces, and when a loved one was found, cry of anguish rent the air.
 Late this afternoon a ray of hope that some of the entombed men may not be dead, was given the rescuers when 1t was found that one of the vic- tims brought to the surface was alive. He was John Pendley, a well-known miner. When the party reached the surface and deposited six bodies on the improyised platform, 1t was found that Pendley was breathing. A physician was hastily summoned and every effort made to revive him, but without suc- cess, and he died in few minutes. The body of John Copley, a we'll known miner, was still warm and the doctor declared he had not been dead five minutes. These developments en- | cOuraged the rescuers greatly, and they | returned to their work with renewed vigor with the hope that some of the 16O men who had been trapped like rats 1,S00 feet underground would be found alive. The following is a list of the bodies recovered:
 White-James and Pat Meekin, John Brown, Joseph Nelson. Jack Vance, Rhoda Raffels, William Green. R. J. Tidmore, c. M. Pendley, Olin Poole, Sam Sloggett, Bert Sloggett. Will Meeks, John Copley, John Pendley, w. A. Meeks, J. H. Dsnner, Mack Turner.
 Colored-J. A. Startling, P Toles, Ike Hooks, General Hooks, Tom Grigsby and Sylvester Mccarthy.
 Nine bodies had not been identified at last accounts, making total of thirty-three recovered up to o'clock tonight.
 Investigation Will Follow.
 Coroner Paris and Chief State Mine Inspector Gray are at the scene of the disaster for the purpose of making a thorough investigation.
 That the eplosion was caused by a "dry shot Is not denied. The day shift in going of duty had overcharged one of the shots, and when the night shift exploded 1t the particles of gas and dust in the mine took fire, the fire spreading from room to room in the mine, with the result that a fearful explosion followed. The corpses so far received show that all the men who were working nearest the entrance were killed by the force of the explo- sion. as the other bodies were charred and blackened and in some cases mangIed.
 Those in the farthest rooms escaped deaths from the effects of the explosion. only to die from suffocation, though it Is hoped that few of them nearest the air course have good air with which to keep alive.
 The rescuers have worked heroically to reach the entombed miners The l work of digging the debris began at dark last night but it was nearly noon today before a single body was found The first body discovered was that of John Brown, a driver, who was killed by the explosion while on his way out of the mine. The rescuers hve en- countered great difficulties in reach ing the Interior of the mine Scores | Of men have been overcome by After Damp" and have been hauled to the surface only to have their places taken Dy fresh men. willing if needs be to risk their lives in an effort to save their fellow men imprisoned in the mine far below
 Not person at Virginia City slept last night Hundreds stood about the | mouth of the mine where great bon fires were built to afford them warmth, and waited and watched as the res cuers steadily worked their way down the slope, The Birmingham Commer- ciaI Club this afternoon inaugurated move to raise a large relief fund TOT the families of the victims of the | disaster.