The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-11-20
FORTY men ALIVE
Survivors of the st. Paul Mine
Disaster Are Found
After Having Been Imprisoned
for Seven Days.
WALL BROKEN DOWN
which They Had Built to Pro.
tect Themselves.
one When Brought Ont Could
Only Mutter Incoherentlv.

MuIGef Inc0herently.
Cherry, Ill, Nov. 20.-Fort,, 49,
round ahve in the ST. PauI n,ina g.
Soiuihg 10 report sent to the e,,Y
lace at O'Clock The men were reach.
ken down. 0u oeen oro-
ire survivors were in1na5iate,v ,,,-.-
ed to the hosting shaft and stimn,sn4.
s0n1n1stered. One of the r,an Sf+e
re1ng brought to the sunlight after
to rnuttey i,'nnbnt ienIbomonaent was only able
piack from the smoke and sIiebt1x
scorched. 1t appears that the mon et,
Ter discovering their predicament wall
Cd themselves in.
Thought 1t Was SUNDAY.
The fight against death was 1e6 ~
Joseph Crescini. Crescini was u py
Lne two men brought I'D in the casa
he reported between 80 and 40 men
allve In the south wing. In the dark-
ness ness Where they waited for seven
pense they lost track of time and
lnought today was Sunday.
Nourlshment was administered In tha
Iorm OF milk diluted with water. The
lieAe nt1sa Trip OF the cage brought seven
other survivors. They We're smiIlne and
heathy save for weakness due to Isclr
OF 1000 News of the rescue of these
men travelled with ightninglike randi
y ana the change from despair to a
nope which swept over the crows xv.s
most dramatic and impressive scene
women who have stood for days ana
L7ghts with only the hope of recover
ing the mutilated forms of husband.
Gnu sons iought with the guards.nen
10 reach the mouth of the pit The
latter restrained them, explaining thar
10 overrun the pit would only delay the
rescue. o
AS one by one the survivors became
iTI1a
barriers, the women crowded aronp'5
tnefn When one would recognize q
klnsman, the joyful meeting moved
many 10 tears But saddest of all was
the change again to black despair OF
those who saw but recognized no one
whom they sought
Whe1 Spogatta, one of the men res
cued was led to the dining car he ran
into the arms of his wife and two chill
dren- There was hysterical torrent
Oh endear1ns words. and then the moth
er-turned and kissed the feet of the
man who had brought him out. Then
she pulled her children down and they
rerforrned the same ceremony of graft
tude.
When the last man was up women
who had found none they recognized,
walked about distracted, again ami
again returning to attack the military
guard who guarded the pit.
The survivors were first discovered
by Superintendent Powell of Prace-
vile, III. When the men were reached
some were talking and joking, and ap-
parently were mentally affected by
their long Imprisonment.
Among others rescued were John
and Joseph Pigetti, George and John
Semrich and William Waite. a mine
boss, and William McC1elland. Nc
Clelland was rescued by his brother,
who carried him to the surface with
cut recognizing him.
one Of the rescued men called out
were alive In the east shaft.
At 2:3O rescuers came to the sur
face and reported that fire had tenn
porarily cut off the rescue work. A
and Immediately a score of men en-
tered the shaft. 1t was believed the
fire would be extinguished shortly.
Were All Seated.
Under the leadership of Crescinf
such food as remained in dinner pals
was assembled and the men put on
short rations. In this and subsequent
measures taken to safeguard the pris-
oners, an Englishman who had had
previous experiences of the kind.
shared leadership with the Italian.
When the explorers, led by Duncan
Mcdonald, president of the Illinois
Federation of Miners. broke into the
tomb like prison. the men were all
seated, but with the ray of light
which shot into their prison from the
jumped to their feet and feebly
cheered.
The excitement among the rescuers
far exceeded that among those
snatched from death.
Wild Rejoicing.
News of the rescue spread and
soon great crowds pressed in the
mine grounds. Cheers went up from
all sides and when one of the men
thrust his face in the cage the crowd
became almost uncomfortable. Among
the rescued was George Eddy, mine
examiner for the company. Great
credit is gwen him for his work in
saving the miners.
In one shaft blocked off from nox-
ious gases, one of the entombed men
became insane last Monday and in
attacking the barricade inflicted on
himself injuries from which he died
The scene around the shaft and the
company's offices was one of the
widest jubilation.
''Monahan is OUT Monahan is out.'
bill Heinz is alive.' These and other
names of other men rescued were
shouted from man to man. from group
to group, down the railroad tracks and
into the village. Not a storekeper in
the city remained at his post They
Joined the throng of women and chill
dren in the rush to the scene of what
to the experts is regarded as a miracu-
lous outcome of the disaster.
since MOHddy lueie HdopcSh iio -
pert either of the schools or practical
mining who believed a. man remained
alive. The condition of the bodies
brought UP showing suffocation and the
fact that there was still food in the
6inner pals seemed to indicate that
every life had been snuffed out IN one
blast of gases
Only last night one of the most ex-
perienced of the government experts
explained how the st. Paul mine differ
ed from others, where some had
escaped death. The construction of the
mine and the character of its geolog-
! ical deposits all were against hoping OK
reScueS.