The Montgomery tribune. (Montgomery City, Mo.) 1892-1910, 1909-11-26
MINERS RESCUED
FROM LIVING TOMB
Black Damp in Cherry Charnel Pit Pre-
vents Rescuers from Continuing the
Search-200 Still in Galleries

Ten dead were brought to the sur
face Sunday, and thirty-seven o
dead were located in the second level,
but were not brought up on account
of black damp.
James Lewiston, Of Peru, one OF the
members Of the rescuing party, de-
clared at midnight he had heard a
human voice on the other side of the
cave-in. He said he had heard the
voice plainly, although II sounded as
though. i was far away. 1A~.."-
Immediately called the attention Of
the other workmen to the place from
which the voice came, but they could
hear nothing,
~ would swear that l heard some
one calling through the cave-in," said
he. ut sounded like they were far
away, or were so weak they could not
shout loudly. Those people are alive,
and the sooner we get to them the
better, because I do not think they
can last much longer"
What had promised to be Cherry's
real day of thanksgiving, ended In a
night Of hope deferred, or despair.
At the end of the day no living man
or boy had been added to the list OF
the twenty rescued Saturday.
Church Bells Toll for the Dead.
All day long the tolling Of church
bells resounded In Cherry and Spring
Valley. Eighteen bodies were in
TERED in a field south OF the town.
At the mine a dozen coffined VIC
tins remained awaiting removal,
while a score of caskets were piled
near by for the bodies which are to
come.
From the yet untitled graves In
which the Roman Catholic dead were
placed, the pastor hurried to the mine
entrance, where, with a second priest,
he waited to administer the last rites
for the living should his services be
needed.
The black damp in the east gallery
was the obstacle that proved insur-
mountable to the men.
Through it the bodies Of thirty
seven dead men could be seen. Prep
arations for the taking GU t Of the
bodies visible to the explorers was
preparing when the morbid crowd
around the mine had thinned.
Rescuers Work In Relays.
In the mine level the work of the
rescuers wen on increasingly. Re
lays of eager miners replaced these
whose strength failed.
The gamut from deepest despair to
an hysteria of hope was run when
twenty miners, almost to the hour,
we're brought to the surface tive Sat
urday.
At midnight a fire started in the
mine, cutting off the rescue work.
Fire apparatus had to be lowered and
a stream of water again turned into
the mine. 1t was feared the living
would be killed, but the fire was soon
under control.
The heat was intense. R. E. Max
we'll, a mining engineer in the rescue
party, was overcome and had to be
hurried to the top. During the night
the bodies of forty dead have been
taken from the east entry.
The story of their sufferings and the
heroism of their resourceful leaders IL
one Of the most thrilling in all the
black history of mining disasters.
Forty Dead Brought Up.
Dawn broke with the bearers Of
stretchers moving from the pit mouth
to the tent which served IS a morgue
with bodies swollen and scorched al
most beyond human semblance. Forty
of them had been brought up and
most of them identified, when the
marvellous report shot through the
PROSTATE community: They've found
them aliye-they've found them alive
In a moment the morgue was de
serted, scarcely to be revisited, while
the crowd, fairly insane with thu
great hope which had sprung like
miraculous fame from the ashes O
despair, rushed to the pit. All though
vas of the men who were alive .
From the top of the hosting shat
to the sleeping cars drawn upon thu
side tracks, was a distance Of abou
$50 feet. Between the crowd, he'll
back by the militia, formed a gang
way. 1t was along this line that tn
women, looking for lost ones, gaze
into the faces Of the survivors as the
passed through.
Hoist her up" came from tn
depths. Hoist her up" repeate'
the engineer overhead.
Soldiers Hold Crowds Back.
Then the men and women presse,
forward against the line Of soldier
and ropes, determined to get as nea
as possible to peer into the faces
the survivors as they marched by.
The machinery stopped. The Gag
was up and a dozen torches she'd
dingy light on its passengers. Trer
stood the ~rescuers, wearing shin
rubber coats and white caps Betwee
tween them, wrapped in militia blaI
kets, they held the rescued mel
camo atandtn0 ofhorc cavvtad IN arm,