Mexico Missouri message., 1909-11-18


started back on the second trip.
Down to the death pit a 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, 1t is said, but gave the
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.
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 and
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.
II did not come.
Realizing that something had hap
pened the ensineer quickly threw on
the power and brought the cage back
to the top of the shat. 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 breathed his last
five minutes after the cage came to
the surface
The elevator, it is believed, reached
the second vein when the fire was
beginning to take hold of the shaft
timbers, and the men were either
burned or suffocated to 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. The
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 Tansacked 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 16 or H. who "howk" coal in
the darkness for the support of
mothers who were made widows by
similar catastrophes in other mines.
The women wrung their hands and
tears coursed down their cheeks as
they pleaded with the rescuers to
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 his efforts.
Fire Starts in Hay.
Charles Mcdonald, one of the men
who was rescued, told a narrowing
story Of the fire in the depths below
and OF the rush to the elevator shaft.
1t was shortly after l o'clock" he
said, when load Of hay came down
TO the second vein, where l was work
ing. There were probably $50 men
in the vein. The hay was for the
mules, and they have been sending
the stuff down that way for some
time. Nobody paid any attention TO
it.
An Of a sudden there was a yell
from one Of the men, and saw
smoke coming from the hay. Quick
as possible l started for the hay with
a number Of other men. Before we
got there it was all on fire and there
was no chance Of putting it out
Then there was rush for the ele-
vator shaft. Everybody was scared
almost to death, and men ran over
each other in getting TO where the
cage stops.
Il fought my way to the opening
and fought back the men who were
trying to crowd me out. We waited,
and # 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 single man got out
alive, from all that Is known or that
can be drawn from those who made
their escape from the fire tomb. The
flames crept swiftly to the timbers
Of the shaft, and then to the coal
veins. The fire did not reach the
4 IL IL.