The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-11-17
HEAT STILL INTENSE
IN INTERIOR OF MINE
Solution of Manner of Death of the
Miners viii Be Found in a Few
Days, When the Fire Is
Extingushed.

Cherry. Ill, November 16-Troops
have beeen called for 10 prevent any
untoward demonstration at the st. Paul
coal mine when the bodies of the soo
men, entombed by last Saturdays dis
aster are brought to the surface.
Sheriff Skoglund of Bureau county,
with authority from States Attorney
Eckhart telegraphed to Springfield. H.,
late today asking Governor Deneen TO
send several companies of state militia.
So far there has been no violence dis
played as a result of the disturbance.
and States Attorney Eckhart hopes bv
the presence of small guard to pre-
vent any ill-advised move on the part
OF the miners, whose feelings have been
wrought up by the loss of their com
rades.
We want the troops at once that's
all there is about it. We will take no
chances declared the states attor
ney
When the bodies will be brought 10
the surface Is doubtful. None of The
officials believe any of the SEQ en-
tombed men are alive.
i" the mine today was even
more intense than 1t was when the men
We're entrapped three days ago and no
efforts could be made to enter it.
Fire Chiefs Opinion.
Fire Chief Horan of Chicago arrived
with assistance and supply of hose
and chemical fire extinguisher. The lid,
or seal, over the mouth of the shaft was
perforated and it was intended to force
water and chemicals down throuah
pipes. thermometer plunged into
the sand scattered on the top of tie
sea- showed a temperature of 11o de-
grees, indicating that the heat in the
interior of the mine must have been
intense Chief Koran inspected the
conditions and shook his head
lts no use" he said "to lift the
I'D today The whole mine would
blaze up and there would be no chance
or rescuing even the dead bodies. The
coal would take fire. the timber sup
ports would crumble in and 1t is ter
rible to picture what would happen.
Perhaps another shaft would have 10
be dug to recover the remains of the
men.
George S. Rice of Pittsburg. chief of
the field work of the United States
geological survey, was positive that
the re-entering of the mine would have
to be postponed
Stories of distress continue to no,r
in.
Inemaking the rounds of the miners,
homes, Duncan Mcdonald. president of
district IL. United Mine Workers. de-
clared that new baby has arrived
at home which lost a father and a
son. The mother was kept Ignorant of
the disaster. Eighty-six of the homes
were visited and with the exception of
children all had suffered loss of a
father or son.
Weather Bitterly Cold.
Outdoors the nourners experienced
terrible cold. and icy wind sweeping
over the place.
Speculation was rife as to the loca-
.ioh OF the bodies in the mine. Upon
TINS will be determined the Immediate
cause of the mems death-whether it
was hre, suffocation, by smoke or the
railing In of parts of The mine
III the bodies are found near the shaft
1t was declared it will Indicate the men
perished by fire. If they are found in the
more distant galleries the opinion was
held that suffocation by smoke or Gas
was the cause. The repeated sealing up
or the mouth of the mine necessary to
stop the fire was sufficient to generate
of the mine. The location of the bodies
will indicate about when the men died.
FOR the noXious gases in the mine did not
become fatally dense until some time after
the first fire was considerably subdued.
Two hundred and fifty pine boxes. in
which are to be buried such of the bodies
as are recovered, arrived today. and wera
stored near the mine. although the fact
OF their presence was carefully kept from
the afflicted families
Funerals of eight of the miners who
were killed Saturday were held today.
None of Men alive.
The belief was expressed today by Mine
Manager Taylor that the men in the mine
were dead soon after the disaster on Sat
urday.
Taylor has repeatedly risked his life TO
get into the mine and yesterday was an
but sacrificed when he wandered 200 fsos
from the main shaft and returned Just ia
time TO see the rekindled flames eating
their way toward the cage In which was
his only means of escape.
Every man in that mine was put to
sleep on the day of the fire." said Mr.
Taylor. There is no reason in the world
why any one should try to arouse false
hopes in the minds of these poor people
THE tests in this mine showed that on
the day OF this fire the air current in the
mine had velocity of GOO feet a minute
The longest gallery in the mine is three
quarters of mile. The fire In the mine
was intense and the smoke and poisonous
gases known to the miners as white damp
were whirled to every corner of the nine
No living thing could escape it, To
argue that pockets might be found in
which the gas did not penetrate is folly
but we all have done everything in
human power to get into the mine to ailay
the anxiety of the people. This work of
exploration has been dangerous business
We don't want to lose any more lives. God
knows we already have lost too many
Yesterday / thought was gone. had
been feelng about the second vein for 80
feet from the shaft, breathing the oxy-
gen in the apparatus on my back and on
my return toward the cage discovered
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