The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-02-28
SLOW PROGRESS IN
 WORK OF RECOVERY
Two Bodies Reclaimed from
 Virginia Mine Yesterday
PUMPS ARE NOW RUNNING
Bodies of Charles Burton and Thomas Wyatt, Negroes, Found Yesterday. Committee May Rescind
 It's Action.

Bessemer, February 27.-(SpeciaL) )-The bodies of two negroes, Charles Burton and Thomas Wyatt, were the only ones recovered from Virginia mines today This runs the total number reclaimed up to 1O5. The remainder of the dead miners still unfound are estimated from three to seven. The pumps have been running part of the day and every effort is being made to drain the water out hours of continuous pumping to get out all of the water.
 This morning the air pipes, on which a large number of men have been at work since Wednesday, were connected and the pumps were started. They were in operation only short time when a break down occurred. It was several hours before this was repaired and it was late this afternoon before the pumps were again started. They were running all right late tonight, and the indications are that by Wednesday at noon the mine Will be free from water.
 Unless some accident happens to the pumps, the bottom of the mine will be in condition by tomorrow for the rescu- CTS to recover the other bodies. It is also thought the inspectors will be enabled to begin the work of investigation tomor- row.
 Smell Is sickening.
 The foul order from the bottom of the mines is growing to be almost unbear- able and the men engaged in the recov= cry find it necessary to use d vast quan- tity Of disenfectants. Gallons of carbolic acid have been used and formaldehyde lamps are burned around the slope The fumes coming out of the mines is greatly increased by the eorpses of the dead mules. As the recoverers have been de- voting all their time to finding the dead men, only two dead mules have been brought from the mines
 1t about o'clock this morning
 when the bodies of the two negroes were found They were both brought to Bes- semer and later Burton's remains were sent to Pratt City where his funeral was
 held this afternoon and Wyatts body
 was carried to Soss, where he was buried
 this evening. Kennedy Brothers have
 two undertakers at the mines and the bodies are taken in charge immediately on their recovery
 been on the scene all day and is super intending the progress of the work
 To Burn Effects. b. l.. Mitchell who is in charge of the effects taken from the bodies of the
 dead has been beseiged with relatives and friends of the deceased miners, who are anxious to secure some article owned | by the men. The relatives of the dead | men seemed to prize very highly any lt- | tie article like a watch or ring which belonged to the men, and several feeling incidents transpired when the mother father brother or other kinsman of a dead man were given a knife found in tn, pockets of the dead miner.
 Tomorrow morning, according to the or ders of the coroner, MT Mitchell will burn all the unclaimed articles which were taken from the bodies of the unfor- tunate men.
 The families still left at Virginia City are spending gloomy time. The crowd of visitors going out to the mines are still large and many sympathetic men and women have gone to many of the or phan girls offering them positions of va rious kinds.
 The coroner's jury will probably begin the inquest Wednesday morning The jury was empaneled last week and the coroner has been waiting until after all | the bodies were recovered before taking
 up the investigation.
 Political Gossip
 turn was taken in city politics to- day by five of the eight members of the city democratic executive committee signing a request, asking Chairman Will. liam T. Kennedy to call a meeting ot
 the committee at an early date to con- slider placing the names of the candidates
 for city clerk and chief of police on the official ballot, to be voted for in the city primary, caller for March 20. Chairman Kennedy has not yet stated
 what action he would take regarding the
 request. The action of the members of the committee has brought out several prospective candidates for city clerk and chief of police and if the committee de- cides to place their names on the ticket some lively times politically, are sure to follow. The following is the communication sent | to Chairman Kennedy
 | To w. T. Kennedy Chairman: We, the undersigned committeeman re- l spectively request that you call meet ing of the democratic executive commit l tee at an early date to consider the ad- | visibility of allowing the offices of city | clerk and chief of police to go on the | ballot in the coming primary and to con | slider sllph other business as may cOf0e he-