The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1909-11-24
DEAD ONLY 48 HOURS
Said Coroner Of the 38 Bodies
Found In Second Level.

More Than 100 Of the Miners Expect
ed to Be Found Alive In the Third
Vein-Fresh Air Has Been Freely
Circulating Through This Level.
One Of the Miners Found In the
Second Level Was at First Thought
to Be Alive.
Cherry Ill., Nov. 23.-Thlrty.eight
miners dead bodies lying face down
ward were discovered late yesterday in
he last end of the second level of the
ST. Paul mine, who the coroner stated,
after examination, had been dead less
than 4S hours. Fire was raging in the
vicinity They had evidently died
from the poisonous gases in the col
liery, after desperate fight for life.
The rescuersAp the third vein late
made desperate attempts to rescue
more than 100 entombed miners be-
lieyed to be alive in one of its further
most pockets.
One of the miners discovered in the
second level east end was thought to
be alive and his body was hurried to
the hospital, where the physician de-
clared he had been dead several hours.
Rescuers Tried to Reach Last Level.
Until hast night no attempt has been
made to enter the third vein of the
mine. The discovery of the bodies
in the second level, together with an
emphatic protest from the United Mine
Workers Of Illinois against the unwar-
ranted delay, caused the mining in
spectors TO rush party of rescuers in
to the lowest level. According to the
mine officials estimates there are more
than $50 miners yet unaccounted for.
More than 100 of the miners are eX-
pected to be found alive in the lower
vein. While it is known that water
has stood several feet deep in the third
vein since the disaster, it is said there
Is an overcast where hundreds of en-
tombed miners could live high and
Try. Fresh air has been freely circu-
lating through this vein. The experts
admitted the likelihood of saving more
of the imprisoned miners.
Captains Latimer and Hall, in COM
mand OF the troops at the collieries,
wired Governor Deneen regarding the
feasibility of placing the town under
martial law, explaining that under
martial law the rescue work would be
greatly facilitated. The governor de-
cided not to issue such an order at
present. There has been much dis
sension over the way in which the
rescue party work has been conduct
ed, and experienced miners are cen
suring the state inspectors in charge.
100 Many Bosses"
Il hope they will hurry the work
and rescue those miners If they are
still alive, but there have been too
many bosses. That is the trouble"
Thus spoke Captain Latimer of the
state troops, discussing the PROPOSE
tion of taking control of the situation
from the sheriff.
The fact that these newly found
bodies in the cast end Of the second
vein are those of men who died re-
Gently has been kept very quiet for
fear of infiaming public opinion at a
time when there is much Indignation
among miners.
Henry Smith, the first of the res
cuers who found the men, returned to
the surface and told a graphic story
of how some of them were found kneel-
ing as if in prayer, while others were
lying face downward.
Further on in the same tunnel the
rescuers could see where the men
must have dug away an immense fall
of earth with their bare hands. No
tools were discovered near the fall,
but the marks of fingers were there
to show how desperate fight against
death the men had made. Marks in
the hard floor of the tunnel told how
the men had dragged themselves after
days of hard digging through the rock
and earth.