The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1909-11-18
NARROWING SCENES
ENACTED AT CHERRY
Little Hope is Offered Sufferers
From Disaster.
Catastrophe In IIlineis % Intensiflsa.
by Problem Of the Flames.
Soldiers Are stiIi on
Guard .t the
Scene.

Sucfry, ILL.,, NOV. Ils--~fof the ufEU
time since Sunday two daring men to-
night took their lives In their hands
and descended the ventilating shaft Of
the Inflated St. Paul Mine in tho
blocked and fiery galleries OF which
more than 500 men and boys lie dead.
The exploit was successfully carried
through by Thomas Morris and r. X.
Williams. both Of the United States Ge-
illogical Survey. They were nearly ex-
hausted when hauled to the top. but
quickly revived under the administers
Ing OF stimuiants.
From what they discovered, Ii IL
thought the fire has moved back from
the main shaft and that It may be pos
sible to enter soon.
Williams. the much lighter man. de-
scended to the second gallery. where
the IRE started. The shaft was come
parativeiy cool There was consider
able steam but much less smoke than
on Sunday.
The buckets in which the descent waa
made were small. and closer scrutiny
Of the gallery was impossible. The
buckets were large enough only ID
stand on and the effort of holding Ihs
rope carrying their oxygen apparatus
on their backs at the same cane. wore
out both men.
Were all in.T were Morris flrst
lie cap like that OF a diver. appeared
above the pit.
The two men were lowered after Sew
eral hours of preparation. The mouth
of the shaft. iii-iit and muddy. was
surrounded for hours BY crowd Of
aremen. newspaper men. miners and
onaciais who waited patiently IN spite
OF the biting cold.
Responds 20 Cry.
First, test was made for black
damp. which was discovered by means
of safety lamp. lowered at the end Of
line Its flame was extinguished at
100 feet. There were those who arr
gued against the risk OF any more
lives. but the opportunities OF surviv-
ing miners that last desperate chance
be taken TO seek some way OF reaching
the imprisoned bodies prevailed.
A numerous faction contended all day
that the mine should be sealed for
months. IL necessary. for weeks In any
event. until further exploration could
be made with safety. This faction In
cluded majority OF the experts from
all over the country.
But the cry OF the men who have
lost their comrades, and of the women
who dig their nails in.o the earth, CALI
Ing for their loved ones, was too strong.
ana Morris and Williams determined
upon the attempt. The buckets wers
carefully lowered and re-hoisted before
the two experts started.
j.. w. Paul. Of Pittsburg OF the
government mine rescue service stood
at the mouth OF the shaft. The crowd
spoke In whispers. but Paul urged
them to greater quiet, that not sig
nal might be missed. With the masixa
over their heads and their bodies half
into the pit. suspended by a single
rope. the scene In the flicking light
was gruesomely suggestive of the
galiows.
A. few feet down and Williams sig
nailed with the automobile horn which
he carried for a stop. instantaneous
ly Paul cried whoa" and in the
engine house the hosting machine
was silenced. Half a dozen times this
formauia was carried out.
l Crowd stood stilI.
The crowd by this time was as
silent as II at a funeral and when.
after what seemed an interminable
wait, the signal to hoist was given
So 10 at~a
first glimpse of the daring explorers.
Before we can do anything ef-
fectively," reported Morris. I'VE must
have a bucket SO big that we can
sit on its rim. or we must have
float. With the present arrange
ments we have all we can do TO take
care OF ourselves"
Morris and Williams. agt4r a few
minutes rest. delivered their report
to the experts. who had waited their
return in the company offices.
The scene In the pit was weird.
said Williams.
"An aobut us the steam seemed to
whirl and toss. There was very little
smoke and much less heat than tur-
ing the descent I made last Sunday
II was filed with anxiety when 1
gave two squeezes on the automobile
horn as the signal to lower Slowly
we went down, the dense steam wrap-
ping over the walls of the shaft in
an uncertain haze. For the flrst
ninety feet down noticed the tim
Der supports were considerably scorch-
ed. but lower down this was less no.
ticeable. AS 7 slowly descended 1
gave the signal frequently to stop.
hoping when l reached that depth to
look into the galleries. But the
steam was too dense. 1 did not see
any bodies. When reached the low.
err level ct 310 feet my hands and
feel began TO be so numb l seemed 10
have lost the sense of feeling. 1 gave
the signal to ascend. Before I rot
to the top l felt rather queer ana
shouted up. am pretty near an in.'
but the fresh air soon revived me-
That boys under age are among the
dead in the st. Paul mine was proved
to his own satisfaction today TO Ed
gar T. Davies. State Factory Inspec-
tor.
In one case. the child victims mother