Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1907-12-07
Eiqhty-FiVe Bodies OF Victims OF
Explosion Brought to the
Surface.
RESCUERs ARE HARD At WORK
Destruction Terrihc-Many Heart
Rcnding Sccncs-Ilush Orders
For Hundreds OF Collins.

MonanEah W. Va. Dec with un-
abated energy. five resculnE parties,
working from every possible point 20
enter and explore mines Nos. and
OF the Fairmont Coal company, sub
sidiary OF the Consolidation Coal COM
pany of Baltimore. where a terrific eN-
plosion Of blackdamp occurred yes
terday. are this morning putting forth
every effort 20 reach the 10 men whom
they have every reason 10 believe are
stil in the mine. dead or alive, al
though there is scarcely a hope enter
tained that single one " the 800
or more men who went into the mine
yesterday morning has survived the
terrific explosion and the poisonous
gas with which the mines filled imme-
diately after the death dealing crash
Eighty-nve bodies have so FAR been
brought 20 the surface, and the dozen
undertakers from this and surrounding
towns who were on duty an night by
daylight had these bodies washed and
made as presentable as possible in an
improvised morgue. into which one Of
the NINE buildings has been converted
A HEART-RENDING MARCH.
with the dawn of the day there be-
gan a heartrending march mp and
down the aisles along which these bod
les have beeu laid. by sobbing wives
and mothers and sweethearts, orphan
ed children and strong men each seek
ing a near relative or beloved friend.
There are between 5000 aud 5000 n
habitants in the mining town Of Mo-
nongah and fl is doubtful n in this
entire population there are a score of
persons who have not either q near rel
atfve or a close friend numbered among
the victims OF the disaster.
The people OF the town are Etunned
by the catastrophe They had long re-
garded these mines as practically iIu'
mune from the dangers 50 common 20
the coal mining industry The plant OF
the company was provided with every
device for the protection OF lie and
the C4uiumeut was considered the most
modern and complete outfit used IN the
production Of bituminous coal
Last night hundreds OF men stood
about the entrance Of the two mines.
They said nothing. but when APP
preached pnd asked question, they
would give wav TO their emotions and
often give way 10 tears. During the
night few women We're to be seen, but
all day yesterday the women were the
chief actors I'm most pathetic and heart
rending scenes. They crowded the sides
OF the hills overlooking the Inflated
mines and cried aloud. As the day
advanced, they became almost crazed
through grief and suspense.
one woman pulled out her hair, hand
fulls at a time. another tore all the
skin from both Of her checks with her
finger nails Some lay down on the
frozen ground and cried themselves TO
sleep. In this condition many were
carried 70 their homes nearby without
awakening
The rescuing parties penetrated mine
No. 6 about $500 feet before they came
upon the first Of the dead. majority
OF the corpses VIII, 10 is believed be
found about a mile further back.
HARD To GET BODIES
II is hardly possible that all the
hodios will be recovered FOR several
DAYS. The 400 men we're working IN
a territory one mile square. II will
be days before thorough search OF an
81 this area can be made As the
searching parties advance they must
clear away the debris The explosion
,vreckel over 800 mine cars and these
choke the entrance ON all sides. A
peculiar and remarkable feature IL that
Notwithstanding the force OF the eN-
plosion very little ~ the mine roof was
wrecked. BY those who witnessed II
the explosion was likened 20 the dis
rIorpe Of cannon. Every movable
object shot with terrific force through
the mine Al the entrance ~ mine No.
s "a concrete power house was com
pletcly demolished. A piece Of con-
crete Weighing fully 1000 pounds was
blown clear across the West Fork river
! landing on he side o. a bin. In "A
radius 81 half a mile not another piece
q on concrete can be found Great holes
were torn in the hin ON either side OF
the entrance OF No. s. Mine cars were
crushed as though made of paper, and
me huge steel tipple was blown apart
on an sides electric light wires were
thrown 10 the ground and many per-
sons ID arrowly escaped death from
these In the rush Tor the mine, foi-
lowing the explosion,
THE Fairmoutand Clarksourg Traction
company's cars pass within 10 yards or
iho mine entrance ana large car
I crowded with passengers miraculously
escaped being blown into the West FORK
river. An the passengers were stunned
bv the tetrinc conclusion. The mine