The Aberdeen Democrat. (Aberdeen, South Dakota) 1???-1909, 1905-02-24
| | | \ 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


day, where terrific explosion Monday
imprisoned 100 men, 100 feet below
the surface, was the most gruesomes
and narrowing that has even been
Witnessed in this section Of Alabama
OF the miners who entered the mines
Monday SO far forty.five bodies have
been recovered. It lis believed that Of
the remaining l15 men mono is alive.
The corpses are frightfully mangleds
and disfgured and identi ification is ~
most impossible. Many of them are
10 badly bruised and twisted and dis
cOlorsd that negroes cannet be told
from white men, All day long ct the
mouth OF the mine tho 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 800 children are;
laft destitute and without means or
support by the calamity
AS the bodies Of the viotins, which
IA many cases have been gathered to-
gether piece ct 8 time. Are brought
to the surface, they are placed ii rows.
on rough improvissd plat
The work of the diggers ut the
mines has been an inSpi piratioa to the
directors and every ons; has done aii
ID his power to facilitate the work of
rescue. The excavation OF debris shasI
been the handicap from ths start The
foul gases which had collected ins the
shaft made necessary the use of
safety lamps and 1t wes found that less
than I score sof safsty lsmps were
available In the distric Union min.
srs went TO the scene from practically
every mining camp iitthir dius ofs
twenty-five miles Of Virginia City 20;
aid In the work of rescue.
One Found sarsIy 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 mans head being CAR
ned out of the mine In = dinner bas-
ket. The flesh was almost entirely
burned away from the skall. Legs,
arms and mangled trunks y were
brought out in succession. After
nightfall the entrance to the mine was
converted into 8 veritable chamber Of
horrors, the awfulness OF which was
intensified by the fiickering Of the
lamps as the feeble rays fell upon the
mangled and bleeding Fragments OF
human flesh, strewn about the en-
trance. s4g SS
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;55 =
others tainted and still others had to
be placed in the hands of the attend
Ing surgeons, being completely pros
Itrated by the terrible scenes. When
bodies are identified a tag Is placed
on each and special ambulance wa
gons convey them to Bessemer.
Mine Boss Reed is confident that
more than a hundred Of the men jn the
mine were white and believes al per-
ished. He knows the rooms ID which
each man was working and this Iii.
formation, in many cases, lis the only
means Of identificat ation, so horribly are
/ the bodies disfigured. as
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. sg Ss