The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-11-29

Pittsburg. Pa. Nov. 2S.-The last ray
Of hope for the rescue Of any of the l25
or more miners who were entombed by
an explosion at the Mariana mines OF
the Pittsburg- Buffalo Coal company
shortly before noon today, was dispelled
at $50 o'clock tonight when the hrst
rescuing party reached the workings
and found the dead bodies scattered
about the floor of the mine.
Few, if any, of the bodies are mutt
lated, and the men were undoubtedly
smothered by the deadly vapors which
followed the explosion. The bodies have
not vet been counted, but il is known
that there are at least 125. and the num-
Der may be larger All but two of the
bodies in the mine, it is said, are those
Of foreigners.
Bodies Still in Mine.
No effort has yet been made to re-
move them. Instead, the rescuers and
the mining experts are making a COM
pIete exploration of all the workings to
see If these are now safe. This work
IS expected 10 occupy several hours
The workings in which tOdays catas-
trOphe happened are known as the Ra-
chel and Agnes mines. in reality a dou-
bic mine with underground connections.
construction work was practically fin
ished and Deputy State Mine Inspector
Henry Loutitt. few minutes before the
explosion. had completed two days
Inspection, which had revealed no cause
for apprehension. He and General Man
ager Kerr of the company came to the
surface few minutes before IL o'clock.
Mine Foreman Henry Thompson and
two miners entered the cage, and start
\ ed toward the bottom Of the 500-foot
Nshaft
Terrific Explosion.
Suddenly there was an ominous rum
bling, then a trembling of the ground
around the mouth Of the shaft as from
. an earthquake, and an instant later
there was terrific report and the cage
was hurled up the shaft and through
the roof of the shafthouse, the mine
foreman and the two men still in it.
Their bodies We're tossed through the
Top Of the building and far beyond it.
Thompson was dead when picked UP,
and the others MORALLY injured
So great was the force of the explo-
sion that shattered portions OF the
woodwork about the mouth of the shaft
were blown into Ten-mile creek. 1000
feet away. Besides the three men in
the cage. portions of at least two other
bodies were blown from the shaft house
and were found in field nearby.
Deadly Gas and Smoke.
Immediately following the explosion
dense column of smoke issued from
the shaft. and it was feared a fierce fire
was raging at the bottom of the mine
short time afterward the smoke al
most ceased, but those on the surface
were unable to tell whether the fire had
been smotheTed or the shafts so filled
with falling debris that the smoke could
not escape.
Rescue work was Immediately start
ed, Inspector LOutitt. assuming charge.
nut II was impossible to gain entrance
10 the mine for a long time
The opening Of the shaft was the only
solution, and for this task there were
volunteers in numbers sufficient to work
snort relays Of as many men as could
md room for operations.
Special Relief Trains.
As soon as the news Of the explosion
reached the officers of the cOmpanv spe-
clal trains were started from this citv
ana Monongahela with relief parties.
me tram from this city carried the
e''eI oHlcers of the company and min
NPOiO - AIoHl Nne united states lab
oretory and testing station recently es-
laolshed here. who took with them the
latest appliances and devices for relief
"oiA' including oxygen helmets. by
means OF which rescuers go through or
"otA IN the most poisonous gases
known to mining. Superintendent A. c.
hesson, FIRE Boss William Kennedy and
VINE Boss Joseph J. Kennedy went
down the shaft in a bucket during the
afternoon. but were able to get only
WITHIN forty feet of the bottom. Later
several experienced miners descended
me steps inside the shaft and succeeded
N reaching the bottom. Here they
FOUND further progress barred. The lat
teral heading from the bottom of the
smart into the mine proper was choked
WIN debris. and they gave it as their
OPINION that it would take many hours
10 clear this away.