Manchester Democrat., 1909-11-24
MEN
BROUGHT TO SUR
FACE ALIVE
MANY RATS FOUND ALIVE
Exploring Parties Are Working Hard
to Remove Debris, Behind Which
Miners Are Believed
to Exist.


had been brought up alive from the
Cherry mine, and restored to their
families.
Cherry, ILL.,, Nov. 23.-Twenty more
bodies were found in the east entry of
the st. Paul mine and. according to
the physicians who examined, them
after they had reached the surface,
the men had died but three hours be-
fore their inanimate forms were dis.
covered. %
When this fact became known there
was low moan from the stricken
women who had crowded as close as
possible in their efforts to discover if
any of their relatives were among the
dead.
II understand that workers believe
the pounding heard was made by these
men in a last desperate effort to reach
their rfscuers, whom they could hear
working" said Mr.. Davies. 1T seems
a pity that they could not have been
reached in time to, save their lives"
Working Hard to Save Others.
Two exploring parties in the ST.
Paul mine found indications that
there are a large number of living
men still in the last workings.
Beyond 90 taken out alive Satur-
day no. others have been saved.
The searchers were able to pass far
4 into THE galleries and their hope
springs from the fact that where they
expected to find large number of
dead none was found. Nearly 200 men
are still unaccounted for, dead or
! alive. lsMany|of them may be fam
ishing awaiting rescue.
Many Rats Found Alive.
i. Rescuers coming to the surface re-
ported that live rats had been discov-
cred in newly-explored portion of
the mine. This Increased the hope
that the rats came from remote sec
tions of the cavern, where compara-
lively pure air remained, and that if
the rats could live. there, men also
i could.
1.-THE noise of the rats scurrying
over the loose dirt at first was thought
to be men behind wall,' said one
of the rescue gang 'We stopped to
listen. 1t sounded like scratching
and-our hearts stood still for a mo
: ment, for we thought we were abou'
: to come upon another crowd of live
E men,. We listened long enough tt
: convince ourselves that it was on'y
!, rats, however.
"The significance of this is thai
:. dread black damp does rot lie alons
the floor of a great part of the mine
The men whom we are trying to reacl
$. on the supposition that they are still
/ alive are practical miners, and if the.
Z heard rats they quickly got to tina
l. part of the mine."
An official Of the mine declared tina
If any more men are brought out aliv,
the work would have to be done with
in "a hours, as the men must neces
Q sarily be, almost starved, Rats. h,
J said, would be able to live longer be
Il cause of their ability to find crumb
it and scraps of food scattered abou
!. from the mems lunches.
= Andrew Willhite and two othe,
members of the 9escue crew declare
: they heard voices counting up to II
IAlo was ldhCl DIS d SlE,Udl lud
5 II men were concealed close at hant
O and still living.
e After SO hours of superhuman et
e fort 81 men of the No. 8 shift ~re
j moved the last of the distractions a
: what has been called death curve
) between the main and air shafts, ii
II the east passage. 1t was at thi
l. point that all the experts agreed tha
= the smoke was thickest. and the fir
vi fiercest and that scores of charre,
D. bodies would be found. To the amaze
. ment of all, not single body wa
found.
. :As soon as, this information wa
le conveyed to the surface general ere
'r dence was given to the theory tha
e more than half the men remainin;
Z: underground are living and more vo
o unteers were at once called for to in
crease the size of the day shifts in q,
effcrt to do faster work.