Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-11-20
DEsoLATE SCENE AT SURFACE
WHEN GRIEF STRICKEN WIVES
AND MOTHERS ARE CALLED TO
IDENTIFY THE DEAD.
ENTOMBED MEN DID
NOT BURN TODEATH
CONDITION OF BODIES SHOW
THAT DEATH WAS CAUSED BY
suFFocATloN; FLAMES TURN
WATER INTO BOILING RIVERS.

Cherry, ILL.,, Nov. 19.-The second
and saddest act of the mine tragedy,
the recovery and attempted Identified
tion of the dead, began today Besides
the bodies recovered, fifty or seventy
five others, beyond reach for the time
being because of the fire, were seen by
the fire fighter in the smouldering fire
beyond. Grief stricken men, women
and children formed a great circle
about the bodies brought up, but many
turned away, unable to endure the
sobs and cries Of those who mourned,
seeking their dead. Only two bodies
so far have been identified, those OF
Dickie Buckles, a stable boy and
Louis Gibbs.
Hard to Identity Bodies. :.
Three bodies, the first to be
recovered through the main
shaft, were brought to. the surface at
O'Clock this morning Piles of others
were in sight but passage to them is
being hampered by the fire. Four
other bodies were brought up OF the
next trip Of the cage, one of them a
boy. The ambulance guarded by militia
men was followed by crowds to the
town hall which had been turned into
a temporary morgue. Here scores OF
women sought to identify the dead as
their own, but the condition due to the
fire made this difficult.
There was much confusion in the
Identification Of bodies, in some in
stances two or three persons claiming
the same body. The Identification of
the first two is now in doubt.
The condition Of the bodies recover
ed shows clearly that they died from
suffocation and that they had been
dead many days.
Did Not Die Of Fire.
Water was poured into the mine dur
ing the fire without quenching it. The
flames turned the water on the floors
of the veins where lay the dead into
boiling rivers and in it were cooked
the unfortunate dead. That they did
not die by fire is evident. The cloth
ing was not even scorched.
First Body Identified.
After almost a week of ceaseless en-
deayor the first of more than 256 bod
les was rescued from the burning St.
Paul mines here yesterday afternoon
and identified as that Of Ole Erie
borg, 35 years of age, and the vic
time of the terrible mine disaster had
evidently been scalded to death.
All night long the firemen from
Chicago and Ladd fought the flames
In the tunnels. THE smoke was so
dense that the men remained in the
mine for short periods only They
worked in relays of five and played
constant streams of water on the
blaze. The work was impeded by the
lack Of water pressure, although the
fire engines pumped water from the
tanks, which are on side track near
by. This could not be accounted for
ny the firemen.
Fire Out as Far as Mule Stable.
Firemen coming from the mine
shortly before midnight reported that
the flames had been extinguished up
to the mule stable in the second vein
and that the indications were that
the last vestige Of fire would be out
today.
It was said that the mule stable,
where the fire originated, was a mass
Of ruins and the bodies of several
animals could be distinguished in the
debris. An effort may be made to
bring out the bodies in few hours.
The inspectors who found the body
OF F'rieborg declared that he was "
ing on his face and had evidently
crawled a considerable distance to
reach the air shaft, where he had
hoped to preserve his life.
"He must have exerted every ounce
Of strength he possessed to reach the
air shaft" said Inspector Paul. "The
position of the body Indicated that he
had put forth supreme effort to
reach air. His trousers were worn
threadbare about the knees and his
hands had been blistered, showing
that he had crawled some distance"
Through mass of new evidence un-
earthed by Chevalier Saballa Italian
Consul in Chicago. friends of the mine
victims hope to prove conclusively
that the st. Paul disaster was the di-
rect result of criminal negligence.