Rocky Ford enterprise., 1909-11-19
ILLINOIS COAL NINE EXPLOSION
MAY COST HUNDREDS
OF LIVES.
POSSIBLY SIGNALING
FIRE BELIEVED TO BE ExTIN-
GUlSHED AND REScUERS
MADLY AT WORK.

Cherry. Il--About four hundred
men were entombed alive and are per.
haps all dead or may die as the re-
suit OF an explosion in the st. Paul
Coal Company mine here Saturday.
The mine has a day shift of 4S4
men. OF these a few left the mine at
noon. Twenty-Five are known to have
escaped after the fire broke out.
The fire causing the explosion,
which may prove one OF the greatest
tragedies in the list of mine horrors,
had an origin almost trivial. A pile
OF hay. allowed to shoulder too long.
finally ignited the timbers of the mine
and before the workers realized their
danger the mine was filled with
smoke. gases and flames and all exit
was impossible.
Great heroism was shown by OFF,
cials of the mine and residents Of
Cherry.
1t was believed Sunday night that
some of the 400 miners SO cntombed
are alive and signaling for help.
That the fire has been extinguished
was the conclusion OF mining experts
and inspectors sent here by Governor
Dineen to investigate the calamity.
For more than thirty hours the pri.
soners have been cut off from fresh
air. That life could exist under such
conditions is doubted. but because no
trace of high temperature was
found in the depths Of the mine Sun.
day night officials OF the company
hope that the victims may have found
safety in remote recesses OF the mine.
A. J. Earling. president Of the Chi.
cago. Milwaukee & st. Paul Railroad
Company, who has not slept since ar
irving on the scene OF the catastrophe.
received an encouraging report after
heroic efforts had been made Sunday
to open the mine for the release OF the
entombed miners or for the discovery
OF the dead.
From the son OF one OF the missing
miners. a young man named John
Reid. the railroad president heard
that a conclusion OF the earth had
been felt by the farmers half a mile
from the main shaft. The report was
sent to Henry Burke. an official OF
the mining company. Burke rushed
to President Earling in the office Of
the company
I've heard signals from the men,"
he said excitedly.
what do you mean?" asked the
railroad president. What signals?'
John Reids boy says that he and
farmers whose land is over the south.
ern end OF the mine felt several con-
cussions OF the earth this afternoon.
There were several shocks, and the
men who felt them are convinced that
they were shots fired by the impris-
oned miners, and that they were
meant for an assurance that at least
some of them were alive"
"Oh, I hope so," said Earling. THAT
Is at least encouraging"
This glimmer OF light to the dark.
ened homes in Cherry Sunday night
followed other encouraging. though
doubtful. theories Of experts that the
entombed hundreds may not have
been suffocated. and that oxygen
enough remains in the mines to keep
them alive until the shafts may be
reopened.
After the third attempt to explore
the conditions r. Y. Williams OF ur.
bana, Illinois. of the United States
Geological Survey, who superintended
| the work OF volunteer explorers. tele.
graphed to Urbana for more rescue
apparatus.
This is expected to arrive early
Monday and a score of men have vol
unteered to accompany the experts
and mining inspectors into the air
shaft which was opened last Sunday.
Three times Williams and Henry
Smith. one Of the volunteers. were
lowered into the mine in a bucket
Each time they succeeded in pene'
trating deeper into the shaft. Each
time they were assured that the tenn
perature was bearable.