The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1909-11-16
FIRE ADDS TO
MINING HORROR
Flames Raging Throughout
Great Tomb.
AGAIN RE1ARDs RESCUE WORK
All Hope For Victims Now
Abandoned.
When Air II Pumped Into Mine, Blase
Bursts Forth--Numbers Of Miss
ing Now Placed At Three
Hundred and Tea

Cherry. ILL.,, Nov. 15.-That the 800
or more miners who were entombed in
the st. Paul coal mine by last Satur-
days disaster are dead. and that bodies
which lie buried beneath the thousands
of tons of earth may never be recov-
cred. was the opinion expressed to-
night when rescue work, carried on
night and day for forty eight hours.
was temporarily suspended.
Fires In the mine, which broke out
with renewed fierceness early In the
day. made further descents by rescu-
ers impossible. Fans employed in an
attempt to carry fresh air down to the
entombed men served only to eniives
some sparks, which sprang into a fame.
Soon the heat and smoke became so
dense that It was necessary again to
seal up the mouth of the hoistfng shaft
and tonight the men down there. what
ever their condition. are locked in as
effectively as In a dungeon.
Whether the bodies will be taken out
tomorrow. or not for several days, viii
depend upon the condition Of the inter-
nal fires. 1t is possible that steam and
chemicals producing a carbonic acid gas
Will be passed through pipes to the bot
tom OF the mine tomorrow. These will
have a tendency to choke out the
flames.
Collins are Ordered.
1t was learned that 500 collins have
been ordered. half OF them TO arrive to-
morrow and half the following day.
Meantime the several scores of nurses
who have been rushed here look for
ward to no prospect Of heroic work in
reviying injured ana half suffocated
men. 1t Is confidently believed there
will be no one brought out of the mine
alive.
Hope swung frequently in the ball
ance today. Before the IRE broke out
again, rescuers descended -four times.
Then the rumor circulated quickly
through the crowds that the men be-
low ground had been reached and that
the reason they were not brought up
immediately was that they. were ex-
hausted BY LACK Of food ana smoke.
They're alive: they're aIivsf' cried
hopeful mothers and wives. They'll
be brought up pretty soon =
But the truth was far different. The
rescuers did on one occasion go down
800 feet to the bottom of the hosting
shaft. Then cropping their way with
electric lamps and kept alive by oxy-
gen stored In their helmets. they
penetrated $50 feet into the bottom
gallery. But none OF the miners. eth
or dead or alive. were found.
Hey, are you there2" cried the res
cuers cheerily, but nothing was heard
In response.
Crowds Leave with Hope.
1t was conjectured the miners had
crawled for safety into the reeesses.
remote from the fire, but to these parts
the rescuers were unable to go with
out reascending. Before they could re-
ascend the fire had broken out. Grad
ually the crowd about the mouth of
the shaft began to thin out as hope
seemed to Wane.
The morning dawned hopefully. At
an early hour the main shaft. which
had been sealed since Saturday. was
opened and a determined effort begun
by the experts and volunteers to re-
lease the living miners or drag the
bodies from the wreckage.
Before o'clock the crowd assembled
around the roped enclosure surround
ing the mine buildings, and the work
men broke the seal Of the shaft. There
was little smoke in evidence. and this
give hope to the investigators that the
fire had been smothered and that they
would at least be enabled to enter the
mine.
A. r. Newsam, President of the
State Mining Board. conferred with
Mine Examiner James Taylor, r.. Y.
Williams and others who appeared In
their oxygen outfits and helmets ready
to descend.
Just before the signal was given the
authorities swore In an extra force of
deputy sheriffs. They believed that
within a few hours would begin the
rescue OF the dead. They felt the grue-
some sight would arouse the feelings
of the surviving relatives and that
great difficulty would be encountered
in preventing disorder.
Are the signals understood?" asked
Newsam OF his assistants, who nodded
assent. The automobile horns carried
by the explorers. which was to give
the signals, were tested.
Cages are Lowered.
Let her CO." shouted Newsam, and
the cage was lowered. Down In the
pit It went. until the bottom was
reached. In a moment signals from
the horns called for an ascent
Several thousand people leaned for
ward eagerly as the experts emerged
from the shaft. A conference with the
officials followed and a report was
spread that bodies had been found
This latter was denied by the invests
gators.
A few minutes later the cage was
lowered again. This time the horns
footed signals frequently to the men
above. The cage was raised and low
cred alternately until eventually the
bottom OF the shaft was reached.
The prolonged anxiety was intense.
No signal came. 1t was apparent that
something important had been discov-
cred. Fifteen minutes passed and the
exploration continued. Then the blast
of the horn signalling the ascent echoed
through the shaft. Slowly the cage
was raised.
This time the explorers reported that
they had been walking In one Of the
veins OF the mine for a hundred and
fifty feet from the base OF the shaft
and that they had found no living man
or dead body. The atmosphere in this
vein was considerably better than had
been expected and with the aid Of their
electric lanterns the searchers could
see plainly.
In other veins leading from the shaft
much smoke was encountered and moth
Ing could be seen. A consultation OF
officials followed and 1t was determined
to start the ventiiating fan at the op-
posite side of the mine.
big Fan starts WhirlIng.
What win be the result?' was the
question In the minds OF nearly every
man on the ground as the big fan
was started whiriing.. Some believed
that II might arouse a sIumbering fire.
Others felt assured that the fire has