The Aberdeen Democrat. (Aberdeen, South Dakota) 1???-1909, 1905-02-24
BIRMINGHAM HORROR
Explosion in Alabama Mine on
Monday Killed One Hundred
and Sixty Men
Bodies Taken Out in Fragments
Too charred to Distinguish
White From Negro

Birmingham, Ala, Feb. 22.-The
scene at Virginia mines during the
day, where terrific explosion Monday
imprisoned 100 men, 100 feet below
the surface, was the most gruesome
and narrowing that has even been
Witnessed in this section Of Alabama.
Of the miners who entered tho mines
Monday so far forty-ave bodies have
been recovered. 1t Is believed that Of
the remaining LIZ men mono rs alive.
The corpses are frightfully mangled
and disfgured and Identification is al
most impossible. Many Of them are
SO badly bruised and twisted and dis
colored that negroes eannet be told
from white men. All day long at the
mouth of the mine the wailing and
moaning of the women and children,
whose unfortunate relatives were in
the mines, has been the most heart
rending feature of the disaster One
hundred families and 500 children are
left destitute and without means Of
support by the calamity.
AS the bodies Of the victims, which
In many cases have been gathered to-
gether piece at time. are brought
to the surface, they are placed In rows
on a rough improvised platform.
The work Of the diggers at the
mines has been an inspiration to the.
directors and every one has done all
In his power to facilitate the work Of
rescue. The excavation OF debris has
been the handicap from the start The
foul gases which had collected IN the
shaft made necessary the use Of
safety lamps and It was found that less
than = score of safety lamps were
available in the district. Union min:
srs went to the scene from pr1rtiokiIy
every mining camp within a radius Of
twenty-five miles of Virginia City to
aid in the work of rescue.
One Found Barely Alive.
OF the many bodies recovered one
was found which was barely alive.
Scant hope is held out for his recovery.
One of the most gruesome sights
witnessed was a mans head being car
ried out Of the mine in 4 dinner bas-
ket The flesh was almost entirely
burned away from the skull. Legs,
arms and mangled trunks were
brought out in succession After
| nightfall the entrance to the mine was
converted into veritable chamber of
horrors, the awfulness of which was
intensified by the Pickering Of the
lamps as the feeble rays fell upon the
mangled and bleeding fragments of
human flesh, strewn about the en-
| trance.
| Many stout hearted men who had
been assisting in the work of rescue
| were forced to give up the task and
numerous persons tainted upon seeing
the CHASTITY array of bodies.
Several women became hysterical;
others tainted and still others had to
be placed in the hands of the attend
ing surgeons, being completely pros
| trated by the terrible scenes. When
| bodies are identified tag Is placed
on each and special ambulance wa
gons convey them to Bessemer.
Mine Boss Reed is confident that
more than hundred of the men in the
mine were white and believes all per-
| 1shed. He knows the rooms in which
each man was working and this in
formation, in many cases, is the only
means of identification, so horribly are
the bodies disfgured.
The mines are practically isolated
from the outside world, and press dis
patches are carried by courier to the
nearest telegraph station, eight miles
! distant