The Ogden standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1902-1910, 1909-11-24

tncTTy, III, nov. -f.-Onc nOndTed
and slXty-eight bodies were found
oarlv today in the bower vein of the
ST I'aul mine. The rescuing party
found fans which the imprisoned men
had made from tool boxes and mes
spGes which had been written on
pieces of slate
There remain twenty-one miners
maccounted for.
The bodies found this morning
were in 4 tangled mass. completely
blocking the staircase leading from
the third TO the second vein and
also were scattered along the vein
where they had dropped before reach
ing the stairway,
..dck damp was the cause OF death.
all means Of escape having been
bl oked by debris falling and cover
Ing the top of the staircase. The
nen had died as they tried TO push
through the distractions. or In walt
ing vainly for Tescuers. Death cvi-
dently did not come 10 many for
hours. If not days. TWO rude wood
On yentllating fans. fashioned after
The Same manner as those found two
DAYS AGO. were affixed to the shaft
wall anu SNdlT way uE Intu lliu
turned these by hand In their fran
tic struggle for air and the hopeless
effort 10 brush back the black damp,
The hands OF one miner were found
femly gripping about the fan
Inc exploring party of four, led
by Anton Loiycieni. was In the gal
lery for more than an hour before
the bodies were found. They bad
wsded In water. waist deep. through
the circular tunnel. making their way
toward the elevation OF the shaft or
ridge" where they had expected to
Hnj the men, living OF dead. The
signals given by the rescuers and
the usual cry. Anybody alive In
here" were not answered.
When We cl'--bed up the ridge"
eaId Loiycieni almost stepped on
the bodies, piled in heaps. Some had
their heads resting on folded arms
as If sleeping. Others were lying
across each other and some were
sitting. as If resting. against the wall
Nailed to the wall were two fans,
made OF timbcrng tied about pick
handles and under them were the
biggest heaps OF bodies.
hlt pun ltllOh NO manu- w
holding the fan. | think he died as
he was turning IL. Another held a
bucket. He was flat on his back and
must have died AS he climbed up on
the ridge The bucket was half-tilled
with black water.
Tho black damp killed them long
before the water reached them We
had been in the shaft moro than an
hour then and, though the air was
fairly good. we knew II was time for
us 70 get out.
I'VE didn't stop to examine any
oi the bodies or try To identify them.
Tom Mulligan, one OF our party, pick
ed n niece of natural slate on which
was written;
We are here together. 16S,' which
must have meant the number of men
and think it was about the right
numbcr
sOn wooden box, used 10 hold
tools. ! saw written with lead pen
Cil We arc here TO die together,
Some figures were scratched under
I. and ! read 1t as 100, but I'm not
sure"
No evidence that the men had at
tempted to barricade themselves
from the black damp was seen. Many
of the former workers in the mine
protested angrily after they discoY
cred that the men would have been
sefe from tho deadly gas had not
the ventilating fan of the mine been
reversed shortly after the discovery
OF fire
The announced intention OF the
out tho
I'm tho lower level was baked by the
refusal Of the machiniSts u aid them
The pump has been disconnected near
the second level and machiniSts dc
clined 10 risk their lives in repairing
the machinery.
Robert Shaw. a third member of the
exploring party finding the bodies
told OF reading a piece OF slate Oh
which one Of the victims apparently
had checked of tho totals OF th'
groups who clambercd upon the ridge
In their last stand for life. The writ
Ing. as remembered by him, was:
80 more In. "a more. II more
l2O here now"
The figures. hastily computed by
Shaw. Indicated that the number eX
cceded $50 when the tally ended.
Il think some OF the men had bar
rIcaded themselves in pockets In th'
gallery. but were driven TO the ridge
by the rising water" said Shaw. 1
they had not got out Of the pocket
they would bayo been drowned II
them"
shaw also told OF an attempt OF tn
men To build barTicade at the ives
end OF the ridge 10 hold back TN
black damp The wall was only lev
feet high. however. the builders ap
parently having abandoned the at
Tempt or having been overcome D.
SnB.