The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1909-11-18

the surface they were hoisted. Tho
miners recovered as soon as they
reached the air and the rescue party
started back on the second trip.
Down to the death pit second
time went the volunteers on the
elevator. The cage was filled WITH
smoke and the heat was so terrible
that the rescuers wrapped their coats
about their heads. Several of the
party tainted, It is said. but gave tho
return signal. When the cage reached
the Inflated vein several more uncon-
scious forms were bundled In and
once again the elevator returned to
the top.
Despite the pleadings of the mine
officials and the crowd that huddled
around the mouth of the shaft, the
rescue party decided to make another
trip to the second vein. They said
that many miners were lying uncon-
scious near the pit bottom and they
believed that by a quick trip many
more lives could be saved The wife
Of one OF the members of the rescue
party chung to her husband and
begged him not to go down in the
mine again.
Rescuers Burned to Death.
you'll all die" she screamed. hold.
ing to her husbands coat Il know
you'll never come out alive"
The woman's prediction was true.
The big cage containing the men who
were to sacrifice their lives was
quickly lowered down the shaft aud
stopped at the entrance OF the sec
ond vein For three minutes the en-
gineer operating the elevator at the
surface waited for the signal to hoist.
it did not come.
Realizing that something had hap
pened the engineer quickly threw on
the power aud brought the cage back
to the top Of the shaft The door
was opened, and on the floor were
the scOrched and SCARED bodies OF
the victims. Every man was dead ex-
cept one. and he brea,hed his last
five minutes after the cage came to
the surface.
The elevator, 1t is believed. reached
the second vein when the Are was
beginning to take hold OF the shaft
timbers, and the men were either
burned or suffocated tc death.
Dr. L. D. Howe, the regular mine
physician, attempted to save the life
Of the only man who was alive when
the cage reached the surface, Tho
man was badly burned, however, and
he died without regaining conscious
ness.
Many Victims Were Boys.
The news spread rapidly by tele-
phone and telegraph over the entire
mining district The drug stores Of
Spring Valley were ransaCkcd for sur.
gical dressings and medical supplies,
which were hurried to the burning
mine by automobiles for the use of
the doctors In the unlikely chance
that there would be occasion to use
them.
But the pathos of the picture was
IN the crowd of wives and mothers
Of Cherry Many of the miners are
boys of lG or H. who "hOwk" coal in
the darkness for the support OF
mothers who were made widows by
similar Catastrophcs in other mines.
The women wrung their hands and
tears cOurscd down their cheeks as
they pleaded with the rescuers 10
send down the cage at least one more
time on the chance. The engineer
took every chance to save lives by
the cage, but only thicker smoke fol-
lowed mis- efforts.
Fire Starts In Hay,
Charles McDonald. one of the men
who was rescued. told narrowing
story OF the fire in the depths below
and Of the rush TO the elevator shaft.
at was shortly after o'clock" he
said when load of hay came down
TO the second vein, where | was work.
ing. There were probably $50 men
in the vein. The hay was for the
mules. and they have been sending
the stun down that way for some
time. Nobody paid any attention to
1t.
"All OF sudden there was yell
from one OF the men. and saw
smoke coming from the hay. Quick
as possible / started for the hay with
number of other men. Before we
got there It was all on fire and there
was no chance OF putting 1t out.
Then there was a rush for the ele.
yator shaft. Everybody was scared
almost to death, and men ran over
each other in getting to where the
cage stops.
u fought my way to the opening
and fought back the men who were
trying to crowd me out We waited,
and It began TO get hotter Then the
elevator came down and got me, and
don't remember anything else.
Flames Spread Rapidly.
Il don't think a single man got out
alive. from all that il known or that
can be drawn from those who made
their escape from the fire tomb. The
flames crept swiftly TO the timbers