The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1909-11-18
Unutterable Woe and Desola-
ton Of Women and Children
Who Lost Husbands, Faith,
ers and Brothers in Horror.
BODIES MUST REMAIN
BELOW FOR SOME TIME
Experts Fail to Devise Salts
factory Methods of ReSCu-
ing Victims. and Survivors
Threaten to Cause Trouble.
SPEECHES BY AGITAT0RS

Cherry, H., Nov. 17,-After claim
ing them for four days, the st. Paul
mine, in which are entombed the
bodies Of 800 or more miners as re-
suit of Saturdays disaster, today re-
fused to yield up its dead.
Utter failure to devise any salts
factory method of recovering the
bodies attended the work of rescuers.
Tonight the interior of the mine
was burning almost as fiereely as
ever, the lifting of the seal over the
mouth of the hosting shaft indicat-
ing by frequent puffs of smoke the
fury of smothered flames.
While the two companies of state
troops sent here to prevent possible dis
order remained idle in their cars, ex-
eept for guard duty about the mine and
sleeping cars at night. an important
conference, lasting five hours, was held
Federal, state and local mining experts
were present The meeting was called
in response to a feeling that efforts
should be made TO penetrate the mine
and bring up the bodies at all hazards.
At its conclusion It was found that no
immediate descent could be made into
the gas and heat-filled cave-in without
risk of killing the rescuers.
The conference was attended by Pres
jdent Earring of the Chicago, Milwau-
kee & st. Paul railroad; George s. Rice
of Pittsburg. of the United States geo
the government mine rescue work, and
many mine inspectors
Many Plans Considered.
Various schemes were proposed.
Among them was one to open up an air
shaft, distant from the hOisting shaft,
which hitherto has been worked, and,
by means of a gigantic fan produce a
false air current that would carry the
gas and heat away from the shaft down
which il was intended to send the res
ouers
Some of those who opposed this de-
clared the entire project for rescue
would have to be indefinitely postponed.
They asserted that the internal fires
we're intense. that it would be useless
TO risk more lives. and that, in fact, the
mine would have to be sealed up for
weeks, and possibly for months before
the mine could be cooled off.
Scores of women continue to linger
about the ground. So great has been
the mental strain the last four days, it
is feared many women are on the verge
of insanity. One woman, who declared
she had dreams and visions of her hus-
band and brother still living in the
mine, piteOusly implored officials to
open the shaft, and then fell in a sense
less heap.
Determined to show the people that
everything possible was being done,
authorities threw open the mine COM
pany's grounds and allowed crowds to
gather near the shaft
Details of what was being done were
announced. As Mining Engineer Rice
lowered a thermometer through a bore
into the lid of the shaft to test the de-
gree Of heat, another man announced
through a megaphone;j
"One hundred and fourteen degrees |
near the top"
Mr.. Rice lowered the thermometer |
the 300-feet depth OF the shaft, and |
moment later the voice rang out |
through the megaphone:
"one hundred and seven degrees at
the bottom"
Why" cried a chorus of voices.
that's good, they can go down I'm that |
We can stand ia degrees in the sun. |
surely they'll go down in that"
But this burst of confidence was soon /
destroyed.
1t was explained that. owing to the /
gas in the mire. oxygen helmets would |
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