The Sentinel=record., 1909-11-16
AGGREGATED THAT ABOUT 300 MINERS ARE HELD IN A LlV- ING DEATH IN THE
 MINES.
Mines are caving In and the Rescu- ing Parties Are Preparing to Force Carbon Dixoide Gas and Steam Into the
 Mines.

Cherry, H., Nov. 15.-That the 300 ol more miners who were entombed in the St. Paul mine by last Satur- dayis disaster are dead, and that the bodies which lie buried beneath the thousands of tons of earth may never be recovered was the opinion express cd tonight, when the rescue work, car ried on night and day for fortyeight hours, was temporarily suspended.
 Fires in the mine, which broke out with renewed .fierceness early in the day, made further descents by rescu- CTS impossible Fans. employed in an attempt to carry fresh air down to the imprisoned men. served only to enliy- en some sparks, which sprang into flames.
 Soon the heat and smoke became so dense that 1t was necessary again to seal mp the mouth of the hoisting sfaaft and tnnight the men down there, whatsoever their condition, are locked in as effectively as in a dungeon.
 Whether the bodies will be taken ont tomorrow or not for several days will depend upon the condition of tho internal fire. It is possible that steam and chemicals producing a carbonic Bcid gas will be passed through the pipes of the bottom of the mine to morrow These will have "a tendency fp choke out the flames.
 It was learned that 300 collins have bean oldesed, half of them to arrive tomorrow and half the following day. Meantime the several score of nurses, who have been rushed here. look for ward to no. prospect of work in reviv. ing Injured and half suffocaded men. II is confidently believed there will be iie one brought out of the mine alive.
 Hope swung frequently in the bal ance today. Before the fire broke out again rescuers descended four times. Then the rumor circulated quickly through the crowd that the men below ground had been reached and that the reason they were not brought up i'm medlatelv was that they were ex. hausted by lack of food and smoke
 They are alive: they are alive!" cried hopeful mothers and wives. "They'H be brought up pretty soonlp
 But the truth was far different. The rescuers did on one occasion go down 800 feet to the bottom of the hoisting shaft.
 Then, groping their way with cleo trio lamps and kept alive by oxygen stored in their helmets. they penetrat- ed 15O feet into the bottom gallery, But none of the miners, either dead or alive were found
 "Aae you there. cried the rescuers, eheefily, but nothing was heard in response.
 It was ccnjectured the miners had crawled for safety into the remote Pag-ts fu1m the fite, but tc these parts the rescners were unable to go with ont reaIsrendng Before they could descend the fire had broken out. Gradually the crowd about the mouth of the shaft began to thin as hope seemed to wane.
 The morning dawned hopefully. At an early hour the main shaft. which had beeu sealed since Saturday, was opened and determined effort begun hy the experts and volunteers to re lease the living miners or drag the bcdies fnm the wreckagu.
 Before o'clock the crowd assem- bled around the roped enclosure SUE. rounding the buildings and the work men broke the seal of the shaft Lit ale smoke was in evidence and this gave hope flo the investigators that the fire had been smothered anal that trey would at least be enabled to en- ter the mine,
 A. R Newsam, president of the state mining board. conferred with Miner Examiner l. R. Taylor. R. Y. Wifliarns anu others who appeared in their oxygen outfits and helmets ready 10 descend
 lust before the sienal was given. tNe authorities rwore fn an extra force of deputy sheriffs. They believed that within a few hv,urs wol'ld beein she roecne of inc dead They felt tho gi'uesome sight would arouse the feel