Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-11-16
REscuERs HAVE GIVEN UP HOPE
OF RECOVERING ALIVE THE EN-
ToM5ED MINERS IN ST. PAUL
NINE AT CHERRY.
RESCUERS FIND
NO LIFE IN SHAFT
REPEATED EFFORTS MADE Rx
VOLUNTEERS TO SAVE IMpR,s.
oNED MEN, BUT NONE LIVING
COULD BE FOUND

Cherry, Ill.,, Nov. 15.-That not ona
man OF the three hundred or moro an.
tombed in the mine will be taken opt
awe Is practically the unantmou.
opinion of those on the scene. The
rescuers made three descents th,.
morning but no sign of life was seen.
ana the rescuers declared that every
pit OF oxygen or life giving air had
peen exhausted and no life could
exist for hundreds Of feet bevond tba
sha1t entrance. A few miners cans
ana lamps were seen, tragic tokens Of
the first mad rush for safety bv tbe
miners VINO escaped, but no bodies
were found. This indicated that when
.he miners realized they were penned
nopelessly In the pit they rushed to
! Tue lurthermost end of the vein where
some air might be found that would
| keep them alive till help came.
| notwithstanding the report of tha
rescuers, State Mine Inspector Taylor
expressed the opinion that a small sin.
ply OF air still exists in the mine and
there is fighting chance for those
| Wlthln But the miners who insnected
the opening deny this possibility.
] frantlc protests OF the state com.
mission against sealing the mine last
Ilgnt We're met today by the assertion
OF experienced miners that II was tba
only way to smother the fire and af.
1ord any hope of escape to the entomb.
ed men.
Nay Recover Bodies Today.
The bodies Of the miners will prob-
ably be brought to the surface this
afternoon. Preparations have ebeen
made and searching parties provided
with oxygen helmets to guard against
the smoke, will carry stretchers on
which to bear the bodies to the shaft
at the bottom. From there they will he
holsted to the top. The coal companv
VIII provide for the burial of the vic.
TINS. President Earling today appoint.
ed committee to arrange rations far
the destitute Thousands of peonJe
came to the mine this morning. Snac.
lai trains bearing weeping relatives
summoned by telegraph, arrived at tha
station and heartrending scenes wera
enacted as they met other relatives
and were told the worst, which an.
pears to be the only possible outcome
of the disaster.
| Late last night the air shaft, the
ony opening besides the hoistina
smart, was Theoretically sealed. This
was done to smother the fire and make
| IT possible for rescuers to pierce tha
lower levels. David Ross, secretary Of
the state labor commission declared
| last night it was extremely ironrohab1a
that any one would be found LIVING
Richard Newsam, president az ths
state mining board, said 1t would ha
miracle If one man had been spared,
Explosion Rumors Denied.
RumorS that a shot was heard ha
meath the surface and that rappings on
the pipes had been used to indicate
that the entombed miners were liyina
| were this morning declared absurd,
| H. K. Reid, miner who lives sod
rect south of the mine entrance il
said to- have heard or felt shock re
! sembllng a revolver shot or an en-
ploslon. j. Fl. Buck, chief clerk of thu
| ST. Paul Coal Co., employed about the
nine for thirty years, asserted nd
! revolver shot could have been heard
| or felt upon the surface. Othar
officials declared the explosion of a
stick of dynamite would be unlikely
anyway and that it would serve If II
occurred to lessen the chances of the
mems surviving.
Though tests yesterday seemed I'd
/ indicate the fire had burned out. the
smoke continued last night to issue
from the air shaft until 1t was sealed
and as 1t found vent the smoke poured
out Of the hosting shaft this morning
as the covering was removed.
coroner's Jury at Work.
/ The coroner's inquest will be resumh
ed today and it is expected something
will be learned concerning the cause
of the explosion and who is to blame
The inquest at present will be az I'd
the death of the rescuers. A party al
nurses from Chicago, who arrived last
night, today turned into comforters oi
the families probably bereft Through
out the valley were scattered cottages
| in verious stages Of completion.