The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1909-11-18
Hundreds in St. Paul Mine
Cut Off From Escape By
Explosion and Fire.
Work of Rescue Delayed
Heroic Federal and state Officials
Make Descents in ST. Paul Shaft to
Reach Victims Of Awful Disaster
Dead Bodies Being Recovered by the
Score.

Cherry, ILL.,, Nov 15.-Fearlessly risk
ing their lives where more than $50
miners lie entombed and where a
rescue party of a dozen brave men
were roasted to death the day pre-
vious, two members of the United
States geographical survey, a mine
inspector and a young miner made
three descents into the St. Paul shaft
at Cherry, Sunday, in heroic, but vain,
efforts to reach victims of Saturdays
terrible disaster.
The failure Of daring attempts at
rescue by this quartette probably
seals the fate OF more than $50 tn
fortunates underground.
When the searchers quit their siren.
uous endeavors Sunday night the i'm
Drfsoned men in the shaft had been
cut of for a period of nearly 3G hours
Hope departed from even the most
optimistic hearts with the passing of
daylight, and Sunday night the village
OF Cherry is crushed and stunned in
the grip OF the great tragedy.
GhasJly in It's weirdness a vigil was
Kept all night al the sealed mouth Of
The shaft by score Of women whose
husbands lay 500 feet below
Late Sunday night officials OF the
coal company declared that 17S men
had been accounted for and that the
men imprisoned in the mines would
number possibly 3S5.
Pltful Plight Of Women
Seldom speaking and rarely chang.
ing the stiff squatting postures and
with fiickering light from a few mi. |
nels' lanterns casting haunting shad- !
ows around them. these women stayed !
through the long, chill night Not I'M
I'll gray dawn touched the top house at
the shaft did the huddled group OF
unfortunates dispense for their sorrow
burdened homes.
clergy,nen Gave Comfort
Weaving in and out the rough dense
crowds, the clergymen stopped here |
and there 10 pray with newly made
widows and orphans and TO comfort
them. Not once during the long day
lid the fathers and the ministers leave
she immediate vicinity OF the mine
When the Geological Survey men
lonned their helmets and prepared 10
be lowered down the air shaft. the
Clergymen blessed the venture with
fervent words Of prayer. There is not
a single family belonging to either the
Catholic or Congregational church
which has not lost one or more mem
bors in the mine fire.
When the search was resumed the
sealing Of railroad rails and sand bags
over the mouth Of the main shaft was
overcome Then, instead of entering
Ny way of the air shaft the helmet
protected brigade went down the main
sffaft Work was started at daybreak
and rushed from the beginning No
effort was made during the morning
TO enter the mine as smoke continued
no issue from the air shaft,
Official sIeepless,
A. ]. Farling, president OF the Chi.
cago. Milwaukee & st. Paul Railroad
%, who has not slept since arriving
on the scene of the disaster, received
an encouraging report after heroic ef.
forts 10 open the mine for the release
Of the entombed men or the discovery
of me muchfeared mass Of dead.
From the son of one OF the missing
men. John Reid, the railroad president
heard that a conclusion OF the earth
had been felt by farmers half a mile
south of the main shaft
1--WE heard signals from the men,"
Young Reid said excitedly.
Farmers whose land is over the
southern end Of the mine also felt sew
eral conclusions Of the earth. There
were several shocks and the men who
felt them are convinced that they were
shots fred by the imprisoned men TO
signal TO the people above that they
were still alive"
what Do Shots Mean?"
Would the shots mean that, or that
the miners had decided to end their
agony?" asked the railroad president.
81 have heard OF cases where miners
had ended their tortures in such a
manner Still It would not be posi-
bile were those men alive that they
would resort to such thing so soon"
The work OF recovering the dead
bodies has begun and scores OF dead
miners are being removed from the
mine.