The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-12-11
Total of Al Bodies Is Fsund
 By Rsscuing Parties
s4O,OOO RAISED FOR RELIEF
All the Dead Have Been Quickly Buried, as the Bodies Are Decom- posine-Many Miners Had
 Money With Them.

Monongah, W. Va, December 10.-The
 scene of Americas s greatest mine catas-
 trophe is now nearly free of the idlers
 who have surged about the pit entrances
 of mines Nos. 6 and of the Fairmont
 Coal company since the awful explosion
 of last Friday morning. This crowd had
 been dwindling ever since rain started
 last night until tonight there only remain
 the forces employed in rescue work the
 newspaper workers and the insensible
 relatives of victims. When darkness fell
 H bodies had been brought to the sur
 face while many more were located, vita
 every prospect of the rapid work of re-
 covery of the past 24 hours continuing
 through the night
 The bringing out of the bodies, o1s-
 tance of mile or more through the
 underground workings, is tedious on ac
 count of meagre facilities. The rescu'
 party in mine No. s today began explot.
 Ing the right side of mine No. B. In
 rooms along this side of the mine ma
 jority of the dead, it is said, will be found.
 The dead so far recovered have all been buried, Thirteen were inferred un- identified. score or more of funerals
 were held today. owing to the indictment
 weather 1t was impossible to bury bodies
 in the regular potter's field, and when this became known the Fairmont Coal company turned over an acre or ground
 just behind the Polish church of Monon-
 gah and this is being used as another potter's field.
 foreigners body recovered today had a money belt strapped about the waist. There was $50 in the belt, and 1t is thought that thousands of dollars Will l be found upon the bodies of the dead. Examinations up to this time are not | sufficient to locate the immediate cause of the accident, according to statement issued by President Wilson tonight. The relief work is progressing in excellent shape. The amount raised Is close to s4O oO0 One of the contributors today was
 inc grand lodge of Elks, which gave
 $10D.
 Work Is Easier.
 1t is believed that the preliminary worR
 of the rescuers had at last been coh-
 pleted after many interruptions ana com
 plications and that conditions are now
 favorable for the expeditions gathering to
 gether and bringing into the open the
 maimed and blackened corpses to secure
 which brave fellow-workmen to the hu-
 her of hundreds have been risking thef
 lives for nearly 96 hours, Lieutenant Governor McDermott or
 West Virginia, who came here as the per
 sonal representative of Governor Dawson, completed his investigation last night anu left for his home In MorgantoWh' Iheio
 he will prepare his report and mall It 10
 the execuptive Before leaving ne saia
 he had found nothing to justify telegraph ing q report
 Rishop F. J. Donahue of the Wheeling diocese of the Roman Catholic church mas been here assisting local clergymen Tn caring for their parishoners and also A ssisted in a number of funerals. He visited many Of the homes of miners and found so many children made orphans by the disaster that he immediately took uu the work of providing homes for them He will arrange to have as many as can be accommodated sent to the orphanages maintained by the church at Huntington and Wheeling.
 A large number of funerals were held yesterday.
 Relief Work Started. The relief work Is well under way ana soon will be systematized. There is now plenty of food but there is urgent need of clothing in many families. Cash funds are being raised in many places and ln- stallfnents have already been forwarded from some points. The coal companies of the district have contributed $0,OO0 cash and the money has been placed in bank at the disposal of the committee as soon as 1t is authorized to act. The bodies taken out last night, like those recovered earlier, were for the most part in bad condition, being maimed and hlackened and besides many of them were far advanced in decomposition. Many of the rescuers have been stricken with Ill., ness and 1t was found necessary to bring number of recruits here from the Geroges Creek district. Chief State Mine Inspector J. W. Paul is quoted as saying he believed the explosion was started by an electric spark from runaway cars In the main entry. A string of these cars were piled up in the entry at the bottom of the slope.
 Pumps Have Arrived. Large pumps arrived at the mines today from Pittsburg and were installed to re-
 move water that had gotten into the mine from the river. The fires which at first threatened and for time did stop the work of rescue. have been controlled by cutting off the supply of air in the burn ing portions of the mines. However. all danger of further explosions Is not past and no attempt will be made to reopen these sections of the mine until 1t Is deh- nitely ascertained that the fire has been | extinguished.
 Few visitors were at the scene of the | disaster today but relatives and friends | of the dead still surround the pit en- | frances. many standing shoe deep in mud. | having been there all night waiting for | the bodies of their loved ones to be | brought out of the mine depths. | It was said today by Lee Malone, the | general manager of the Fsirmont Coal | company, that as soon az all bodies are | out the mines will be closed for at least 1 two days. Many Of the officials and | miners have slept so little since the ex- l. plosion that they are in danger of col | lapse.
 1 Two-Cent Fare Is Limit.