Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1908-12-03
% MUT|LATEO
BODIES RECOVERED
Taken Out Of the Coal Mine
Where Explosion Occurred
on Saturday.
NUMBER OF DEAD UNKNOWN
Of1lcinIs of the Company say 1874 hut
Workmen Estimated 80 Move
Danger of II Second Explosion
Many Funerals 10 lie
Held To-day

Pittsburg. Pa. Nov. q -irwenty-nve
bodies. all but two OF them horribly
mutatcd. and several dismembered were
taken to-day from the mine of tn.
Pittsburg- Buffalo coal company at
Mariana where an explosion occurred
yesterday TINT killed many men and east
into gloom what until then had been
considered the model mining town OF the
world
O,,cals of the company. VITO said last
night that not over 1S5 had been killed.
tonight admit that 1874 men went down
the shaft to work yesterday morning.
According TO miners and others familiar
with the number OF men generally en-
! ployed in the mine the death list will
exceed the compnny's estimate by at
| least 90
AS in nearly all mine disasters there
seems no way at present OF knowing how
many men went to work Tho number
check off system again has proved de-
, fcctve and from no source can an ac-
curate statement as to the fatalities be
| secured.
1t Is possible that the exact number Of
men killed never will lie known.
Two Of the men taken from the mine
, to-day had been suffocated and their
bodies we're not even scratched. One Of
these was John Tvill. n cousin of John
! IT, Jones. president OF tho Pittsburg-
| Buffalo Coal company owners OF the
mine. who was employed rs head time
| keeper. Ivils body was found beneath
a coal digging machine and II was up
parent that the young man had crawled
| there in vain effort TO escape the dead
| ~ fumes.
| The body OF another man was found
near WIN. The unfortunate man had
! placed his face in pool OF water which
oil miners are advised to do when an
explosion occurs In desperate attempt
to fight Off suffocation.
! The coroner to-day formed a jury but
deferred holding an inquest until all Of
| the bodies have been taken from the
| rlinc.
The opinion was expressed to-day by
q number OF expert miners that the mine
! will not be cleared of victims FOR several
/ days
a small Are broke out IN the m.ne
to- day, but 1t was extlnguished by
fire bosses before any serious damage
was done.
Reports have been In circulation oil
day that second and more terrific eX-
ploson Is likely to occur at any mo-
ment. The companys officials assert
this Is not true. There Is considerable
gas in the mine. however. and there
undoubtedly is danger OF a second ex-
plosion.
Conditions about the mouth Of the
mine were dsnereeable to-day. A
drizzllng rain fell and the weather
grew cold. Many relatives Of the VIC
tins stood all day close to the ropes
iaround tho shaft. hut there were few
OF the narrowing scenes usually assoc.
lciated with mine explosion. Most OF
the relatives are English speaking
people who bear the grief In silence.
1t Is estimated that one-fourth OF the
victims are Americans.
At short intervals new men are sent
into the mine to relieve others searching
for the dead. Owing to the dangerous
gases and the mass of wreckage in the
mine the rescue work is slow. Experts
from Pennsylvania and West Virginia
are in charge of the work OF exploration
and arc being materially assisted by j
w. Paul and Clarence Hall OF the United
States governmental and testing station
at Pittsburg.
notwithstanding the isolation o.
Mariana, thousands Of persons foun(
their way there to-day. Tonight the un
dertakers are arranging for many funeral.
tomorrow. Tho bodies recovered to-da,
will be inferred before tomorrow nigh
owing to rapid decomposition. DIS
infectants are being used In larH,
, quantities around the mouth of'the mint
and In the temporary morgue and th'
, situation ia greatly rel!eved by the chang
. to colder weather. II Is feared had th
weather remained as warm as yesterda!
an epidemic of disease would have re
suited
"a BODIES RECOVERED.
David G. Jones OF the company. cam
, here tonight when he left the mine h
said "a bodies had been recovered q
which ls had been fully identified. TIL
company ne said. could account for II
men In the mine at tho time OF tn