New-York tribune., 1909-11-15
THREE DESCENTS BY
EXPERTS.
Atmosphere Very Bad, but
Temperature Vas Beardbie,
and Miners May Be Ab0e.

shaft IS expected 70 heSln AT F" N'i'NN w
she rnorning. Three descents were MADE
today. but without practical results.
The mine inspectors VIII call for more
volunteers from the miners who are ac-
ousinted with the plan of the mine.
Oxygen apparatus for = sufficient crew
20 make a successful exploration into
The main shaft has been ordered and is
exrectes 70 reach here early in the day.
T9ve men viii be ready 70 go into the
shaft as soon as the seal has been
broken. provided conditions are safe
The list % thu missing miners was
compiled TO-DAY. end II reached the to-
tsl of 3sS. including the dead whose
rhsrre6 bodies We're taken from the
burning cages on Saturday. II vas said
- he probable that this list might be
increased.
one hundred snd seventy men Who
entered the mine on Saturday morning
have been accounted for. The company
hsd scores % tracers az work to-day
rounding up the employees. and al night
fsn the company officers said that
reasonably complete roster OF the men
Rad been obtained.
Among the missing ere many Ameri-
Gems who have lived for years IN the
u-ining fields Of Illinois. However, most
- those enton,hed are foreign born.
>-ssrlv al the miners had their homes
ir cherry or in the surrounding towns.
snd most ~ the men had families.
EXPLORERS DESCEND.
Thousands of persons came hockng 70
cherry today Scores q wives whose
husbands are believed 20 have oeen
hurled alive. and hundreds ~ children
u-7o nav BE- fatherless. rosTned mourn
fully about the mine.
rHcers early IN the dav svors IN oepu-
ties % handle rhe crowd. Scores q
trains from Strestor. Mendoza Laod-
sr-irr Valley. Lasaue. Ottawa and other
whining towns we're run into Cherry.
zach train vas packed With men and
women attracted by curiosity or ~
craving tor family news
T7,s work cf the expert rescuers Pro
r.esed slowly They FIST drilled hole
through the concrete ar the top Of the
second level and made preparations 20
lower = Y Williams. of the Jnited
states Geological Survey. and his volun-
ieer explorers into the mine.
These proceedings reok place within =
circular wall of hurnanitv- stout ropes
srd policemen kept the excited and al
NOS. hysteriosl throng away from the
men a. Tork.
with oxygen bsgs ~ their shoulders
and stseI ana glass hoods over their
@oces and heads. NJ Williams. James z
v-ebb. Of the University a Illinois.
James Hand, % Spring valley, III.
Henr- Smith ~ Peru. and James Tay-
lor. mine inspector. of Peoria III, stood
ready - undertake the rerilous advent
u-e
a score Of men acted as surface assist
sr-s Inspector Tavlcr drilled the eN-
riorers IN q system Of signals. Cowley.
. engineer. ran the hoist thai controlled
the iron bucket IN which Williams and
smith first descended alone They were
the hrst men 70 enter the 81 Paul mine
trce the tragedy of yssterday
No SIGN OF FLAMES
Ths rhronC stood almost motionless.
srpsctarr -et fearful After the bucket
had descended sixty feet the men sig
walled 70 be raised, and the helmeted
explorers soon resppesred a. the surface.
The bucket is not hung right said
Williams TT strikes ana bounds in the
shefr n must be rebalanced." This
work required an hour Williams and
Smith explained that the shaft vas filled
with smoke and that their powerful cleo
tric lanterns would not penetrate the
gloom When repairs had been made
the explorers descended again. Slowly
they went down three hundred feet n
seemed many minutes - the anxious
crowd before the signal for ascent came.
N7hen the men resppeared, Williams
ssid
We struck an obstruction ~ three
hundred feet We found We might ger
~ n. but n was problematical whether
Ne could pass II n coming up
After a rest just ~ the excursion
trains. loaded even 10 the top Of the 10
oon1orives. began to depart. Williams
enc Smith this time accompanied by In
tpector Taylor. descended at dusk for the
third tine. They acre gone for ten
minutes
We got 10 the base of the second
vein ssid Inspector Taylor on reaching
she surface. "snd though Te could see
lif'e We found no excessive tempera-
turs. n Was apparent that the ire had
not penetrated deeply into The mine. We
could see no sign of flames. The tenn
persture was besra bic. but fhe stmos-
phers intolerable
MEN MAY BE ALIVE.
II the temperature throughout me
second vein Is no more excessive thah
there. then in the deeper and farther re-
cerses ~ the mine il rs probable mat
There may be oNygen enough 10 keep the
men alive We saw no trace or men,
either dead OF alive. Tomorrow j
think. Ne can proceed further into the
mine with safety"
Thst the FIRE is eXfinguisheo is the re
rori ~ mining experts sent by Governor
Deneen 30 investigate the calamity ana
its cause For more than thirty-siN
hours the prisoners had been cut on from
fresh air before the shsft was entered
tonight. and undoubtedly have been
subjected 20 smoke and gases
hELIEVE THEY WERL sl@NALs-
Prom John Reid. son Of one oi 'he
missing miners, Mr. Earring learned mat
la bgpn felt