The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-03-31
MINERS EMERGED
LIKE SKELETONS
Frenchmen Entombed in Mine
Were Near Cannibalism
When They Escaped.

Lens, France, March 31.-The story
of the thirteen survivors who yester-
day suddenly appeared, having escaped
alive from Courrieres coal mine after
twenty days of cntom bment, discloses
that they lived for many days on putrid
horse meat amid total darkness and in
the stencil from scores OF decaylng
corpses. The presence of human flesh
would speedily have forced the starving
men to resort to the last desperate
extremity if they had not been
rescued.
The survivors We're sturdy young
miners from II to, 25 years OF age, ex-
cept their leader, Henri Nemy, who is
80 years old. All show the terrible
effects of their experience, being emac'
ated, exhausted and nearly. blinded.
Their, rescue caused a temporary ner,
their relatives and graphically related
their sufferings. The doctors then en-
results Of fever and poisoning from
their diet of decayed horsefesh.
Touching Scenes.
There were touching scenes as wives
and mothers greeted those whom they
had long given up as dead. Crowds
besieged the hospitals to which the
men were taken, cheering the survivors
and imprecating the Ineffective salvage
work that followed the disaster
The rescue of these thirteen men re-
vived the hope that others are alive and
the relatives of those whose bodies have
not been recovered DANGEROUSLY de-
manded that efforts be- redoubled to
bring out any possible survivors: a 49,
There is a report that there were
five others who came almost to the bot
tom of the pit yesterday, but were
unable to continue on account of ex-
haustion.
The total number Of men missin G
after the catastrophe was l,212. The
bodies recovered numbered approx
mately 800. The others are still unac'
counted for.
To Explain Away Failure.
The engineers explain that shoulder
ing fires prevented them from exploring
remote passages Of the mine, where it
was thought that there could be no sur
vivors. The mine owners also claim
! that the strike reduced the number of
| available rescuers. 49,. -
Many engineers and scientists agree
! that all in the mine must have died long
ago. Engineer Laur, however, dis:
| sents, asserting that the salvage work
has been deplorably inefficient. and he
! believes that scores died Of exhaustion
| owing to the poor work of the. salvage
! companies. -. -.
The families of the, miners are in
| tensely indignant. They claim that
salvage operations were never under.
taken in the part Of the mine from,
escaped and disorders are expected. The
most severe repressive measures have
been taken. -
Crowds Of women denounced the di
you had given IS tools we would have
saved. our own husbands
The party which escaped today orig
inally numbered twenty men, of whom
seven disappeared during the groping.
iii the darkness.
Strike Is Renewed
The strike is being renewed thruou
the mining region. A sanguinary affra,
has occurred at Henin- lietard. !
striker was killed, three .gendarme
| We're wounded, houses. were sacked ant
! windows were broken. -: .... ~
Over 10000 strikers are parading an,
have engaged in riotous manifestation
| a thousand additional troops have ar
rived here. =: ~. - =
The parliamentary committee toda,
began it's investigation here into tn
catastrophe Of March 10 and the strik
ers made demonstrations before tn
committees headquarters.