, 1908-03-30
HANNA D[ATHL|5T
REACHES F|fTYMN[

and stones and hard material were
thrown for great distances, many
panes of glass III the engine house a
hundred yards from the mouth of the
slope being broken. There was a
binding cloud of smoke after the ex.
p%losion, and hen terror settled down
upon the hearts of those outside the
mine. For a moment there was hard
ly a whisper and then began the wild
rush for the mine. Wives and child
rem fastened to the scene, and when
it was found that not more han a score
of men were in the mine, there was
GREATNESS haste to find the names Of
these. Some of those who knew they
had escaped the loss of loved ones
their less fortunate sisters, and while
woman cared for woman in the hour
of awful sadness and heart-sickness,
the men set to work to organize res
cuing parties.
Both Entrances Blocked.
1t was seen that both the east and
west entrances to the long slope were
blocked, n the efforts were directed
toward opening the east entrance, the
emtombed men believed to be nearest
that opening. 1t was some hours be-
fore the plans of the rescuers We're
fully matured in the best efforts at
rescue, and hen they went to work
with a will. Young Briggs, the son OF
the superintendent, in the absence Of
his father Int other officers of the
mine took matters in his hand, and
between 3 and A o'clock he was joined
by David M. Elias Of Rock Springs,
the state mine inspector for district
No. /, comprising the southern por-
ton of the state. Mr.. Elias had been
in this city and was a passenger on
train No. 3, IN its way to Hanna at
the time of the first explosion. He
took charge upon his arrival and his
efforts were added to those of Mr..
Briggs.
Forty Volunteers.
He called for five volunteers, the
number usually selected on such &C.
casions, and instead OF the five there
were forty. These hurled themselves
impetuously into the chasm and they
succeeded in reaching the bodies of
some of their entombed brethren. The
party did not consist entirely of miners
and employees OF that mine, but in
Guided a signal man from the Union
Paciic's force at Hanna and miners
who had come but a day or two before
and would have joined the forces reg
ularly this morning, when, had the
fire been kept in check, the work
would have been taken up as usual.
Gable Under Tons of Debris.
1t was nearly 6 o'clock in the after
noon before systematic work was we'll
under way. The huge cable that runs
through the slope and is used to draw
the loaded cars to the surface and
the empty cars back to the entries,
was fast under hundreds of tons Of
earth and rock. An effort was made
to move it with the huge engines, but
they were po~werless. If it had been
movable, the miners argued, it would
show thai the fall Of earth Ind stone
was not great and that the party in
the mine could eventually be reached.
Not an inch. however, did it crawl
from the depths of the mine, showing
conclusively that it was fast under
the great mass of debris following the
explosion.
Three Bodies Brought Out.
The rescuing party about 10 o'clock
reached the Briggs party near the
tenth entry. The bodies of three were
brought to the surface and the rescu-
1920 there vas a second explosion,
many contending hat it was much
worse than the first, and all hope of
r%escuing the Briggs party was aban-
doned in the certainty that the new
explosion had added to the misery and
still further blocked the way to res
cue. 1t was another awful moment.
Those who had lost loved ones in the
first explosion were Joined by those
who must suffer by the second, and
soon the cries of grief were added to
many fold. Forty-one men had gone
to their death in fighting to save the
lives of eighteen of their comrades
and forty-one other households were
filed with gloom. No, not forty-one
households, for many households lose
more than one member. This is true
of a colored oma whose husband
and brother were together in the mine
when the explosion occurred, and an
other woman lost husband and son.
Rescuers Are Doomed.
The second explosion caught the
rescuing party in the act of bringing
the bodies of the fire-fghters to the
surface and the work was stopped in
an instant. There was a rush to the
mine opening, but employees Of the
company were prompt to bar the way,
for a third explosion was looked for,
and this feeling had not abated one
! whit during the first half of the night.
Indications were that gas was. again
accommodating. with a possibility that
air would reach the flames and coni-
municate them with the gas.
Fear Another Explosion.
Indeed, one very disquieting circum-
stance was noted at 6 o'clock last ev-