The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1909-11-15
Experts Who Enter the Black
Hole of Death for a Distance
of 800 Feet Return With but
a Slight Ray of Hope.
PRISONERS HAVE HAD NO
FRESH AIR FOR 80 HOURS
Three Attempts Are Made to
Reach the Imprisoned Men
and Boys by Rescue Party,
and Shaft viii Be Opened,
SAD SCENES AT THE MINE

Cherry Ill, Nov. 14.-Nearly four
hundred human beings, men and
boys, it is now believed, are dead or
perishing in the st. Paul mine here,
though the experts who succeeded In
entering the smoke-filled airshaft to
the depth of 800 feet late today, re-
turned with a ray of hope for the
grief-stricken relatives of the en-
tombed men.
That the fire has been extinguished
was the conclusion of mining experts
and inspectors sent by Governor De-
neen to investigate the calamity.
For more than thirty hours the
prisoners have been cut off from
fresh air. That life could exist under
such conditions is doubted, but, be-
cause no trace Of high tempera-
ture was found in the depths of the
mine tonight. officials of the COM
pany hope the victims may have
found safety in remote reoesses of
the mine.
A. J. Earring president Of the Chicago,
Milwaukee & st. Paul Railroad company,
who has not slept since arriving, received
an encoursg ing report after heroic efforts
had been made today to open the mine
for the release of the entombed men or
for the discovery of the dead
From the son of one OF the missing
miners. young man named John Reid,
the railroad president heard that a con-
cussion of the earth had been felt by
farmers half a mile south of the main.
shaft The report was sent to Henry
Burke, an official of the mining company.
Burke rushed to President Earring in the
office Of the company.
I've heard signals from the men" he
said excitedly.
What do You nnean?' asked the rail-
road president. What sgnals?'
John Reds boy SAYS that he and
farmers whose land is over the southern
end of the mine felt several conclusions
of the earth this afternoon. There were
several shocks. and the men who felt
them are convinced they were shots fired
by the imprisoned miners and that they
were meant for an assurance that at least
some were alive.
''Oh. | hope So" said Earring. THAT
is at least encouraging.
This glimmering of light in the dark
ened homes of Cherry tonight followed
theories of experts that the entOmbed
hundreds may not have been suffocated
and that oxygen enough remains in the
mine 10 keep them alive until the shafts
may be reOpened.
Need More Apparatus.
After the third attempt to explore con-
ditions, r. Y. Williams of Urbana, H.,
of the United States geological survey.
who superintendent the work of volunteer
explorers telegraphed to Urbana for more
rescue apparatus.
This is expected to arrive early tomor-
row and a score of men have volunteered
10 accompany the experts and mining in
spectors into the air shaft opened today.
Three times Mr.. Williams, and Henry
Smith one of the volunteers, were low
cred into the mine in a bucket. Each
time they succeeded in penetrating deep
er into the shaft. Each time they said
the temperature was bearable.
To open the sealed main shaft and exit
OF the mine was impossible today, vet
state inspectors have told Mine Superin-
tendent Steele that they felt certain def
mite results could be obtained tomorrow
When explorations were abandoned to-
night it was announced that men fitted
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