The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-02-25
Pipes Art Being Laid in Mine to Gary Away Accumu-
 Iating Water
VIRGINIA WAS CITY OF
 FUNERALS YESTERDAY
Inspectors, Examination Will Now Be Delayed Until Water Can Be Pumped From Mine-Few
 Bodies Uncovered.

Bessemer, February 4-(Special)-An even 100 bodies have been recovered from Virginia mines, which was so terribly and frightfully wrecked by the great ex- plosion last Monday afternoon. It is known definitely that there are three more bodies in the mines, and It Is pos sible that the number may reach seven, as a careful canvass of the camp has disclosed the fact that many men have been unaccounted for. The work Of re- claiming will be delayed a day or two on account of the high water.
 The special train which has been bring ing the bodies as they were recovered from the mines to Bessemer has been discontinued and Lester Kennedy and Mason Coburn, members of the Kennedy Bros undertaking establishment, will carry their instruments to the mine and embalm the other bodies as they are
 brought out of the mine.
 The relief fund which Is being raised by Bessemer has up to date gone over s4G01 and the indications are that 1t will reach 5000. Tie relief committee has been In Virginia City all day distributing the
 funds. Tomorrow the miners at Sloss
 mines will give all of their wages to re-
 leve the widows and orphans of the un-
 fortunate miners.
 Pipes Laid in Mines.
 Pipes are being laid in the mines and
 the pumps will be running in the next day or two, when the water will be pumped out and then the work of recov- ering can be resumed.
 The mine inspectors who have been ordered to investigate the explosion will not be able to proceed with their work until the water is gotton out of the mines. It will be impossible for them to inves- tigate the cause of the disaster until con- ditions are so they can enter all portions of the mine.
 The coroners inquest will not be held until next Wednesday, and will probably be held in the circuit ceslt rooms in fhis city, as this Is the most convenient point to all the witnesses and coroners Jury. The results of the inspectors investiga- ton and their report to the Governor will 1t Is thought, have some influence in shaping the decision of the coroner's s jury.
 Both the inspectors and the coroners
 jury are making preparations for careful and painstaking investigation of the explosion and no doubt they will be able to trace the exact cause of the dis aster.
 One of the saddest incidents of the day was the fourteen funerals which were conducted this afternoon at Valley Creek church, the little edifice near Vir- ginja mines in which most of the vic- tims were accustomed to worship dur ing their life time. Never before had this little unpretentious house of wor- ship been called upon to witness such pathetic scenes.
 Many Simultaneous Funerals. At 8 o'clock this afternoon all the fun erals were in progress at the same time
 In one part of the grave yard the Odd Fellows were holding services over the
 remains of two departed brothers. In another portion of the cemetery e1Bht corpse were being laid away, two in each grave. In the little church, which was filled to overfiowing, the preacher or the congregation that has been somewhat de- plted by the recent disaster, were pay ing their last sad tribute to the dead mem bers Every man. woman and child came | from miles around to do homage to their | kindsmen friends and neighbors | The fair spring weather entrusted with | the past few weeks of unpleasant weath- | CT, but even this did not change the sad | and solemn air that has seemed to per- | wade the mountains and hills around Vir- | ginia mine since the momens that over | one hundred miners, in the prime of life, | so to speak, were entom in the lil- | fated mine, and killed by the death-deal- 1 ing gas which followed the unfortunate | windy shot.
 With the discontinuance of the special l train which has been bearing the dead l from the mine, the morgue, temporarily
 established by Kennedy Brothers has ] been abolished and tomorrow the last hody will be removed.
 Clothing May Be Burned. l The coroner has turned over all the ] clothing and effects which were taken l from the bodies of the dead to 10. l..
 Mitchell, who will turn them over to the friends and relatives of the deceased. The | clothing of the miners has been neatly ! bundled and tagged and MT. Mitchell | will sent 1t to the relavices of the | dead men on their request. Unless the clothing and effects are called for by Tuesday the coroner has instructed MT. Mitchell to have them
 made into bond heap and burned. The special train w..-ch came in from Virginia mines this morning brought in
 the last eight bodies which were recov- cred from the mines last night. The names of the men received were
 New Bodies Found. l Lee Hardeman.
 B. c. Hardeman.
 Melvin Brown.
 Joseph Scott.
 J. D. Wells.
 Harry Hughes.
 Jacob Benners. colored. It will probably be two or three days
 before the remaining bodiej are re- covered The work of laying the pipes for the purpose of pumping the water out of the mine will be necessarily de- | layed by the condition of the slope, and other portions of the mine. All the bodies which have been brought to this city have been claimed by rela- | tives or friends with the exception of John Gallagher and Harry Hughes. white and Tom Grisby, colored. The body of Grisby was the second one re- | covered from the mines, but was not | icentifed until yesterday on account of the tags being mixed. The body will be | held until orders are received by some of Grisby's relatives.
 1 Gallagher and Hughes will be buried in ! the morning .n Cedar Hill cemetery by
 the undertalxers who have charge of the