The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1909-12-03
LEAVE | 80 BODIES
TO BURN IN MINE.
Shaft Sealed Because Flames
Have Eaten Into Coal.
FEAR OF EXPLOSION OF GAS

Had Been Located on Ledge In the
Lower Vein of the Death Trap at
cherry-closing of the Shaft Sane
toned by the State inspectors.
On account of flames which have
burned into the coal deeply the s.
Paul mine at Cherry, ILL.,, was sealed
up shortly after midnight when it DC
came APPARENT that all efforts to eX
tinguish the fire in the main shaft were
useless.
The big death trap in all probability
will remain sealed for several weeks.
If the. fire continues, it is said, the 18C
bodies in the tunnels will be cremated,
The rescuers were unable to bring to
the surface the bodies located on a
ledge in the lower vein.
The sealing of the mine was done
under orders from the state inspectors
The danger CT the fire working
through the coal deposits in the second
vein and up the face Of the main shaft
increased hourly. 1t was discovered
that the fire has eaten it's way through
the coal to depth of several feet from
the face of the main shaft and tunnels
This hidden combustion, the extent or
intensity Of which cannot be estimated
may also ignite a large pocket of inn
prisoned gases on the second level.
Revised figures compiled by Auditor
Frank Buck of the st. Paul Coal COM
pany show:
Number of men in mine when fire
started, according to cagers' check
list of loads taken down, )-4S4.
Number of men estimated to have
gone down late and not accounted for
by cagers-43.
Total men in mine when fire started
-527.
Escaped and rescued Saturday, Nov.
1874.
Rescued alive Saturday, Nov. 800.
Dead bodies-101.
Rescuing party burned in cage--10
Bodies in sight in third vein-68.
Unaccounted for-204.
Estimated total death list as result
of fire-393.
Hundreds of grief stricken women
dren clinging in fear to their dresses
gathered in groups about the shaft of
the mine, sobbing and moaning. Their
sacred dead are lost forever. The
realization of the horrible end of the
great disaster has aroused a frantic
grief. Women fell on their knees,
dragging their children with them and
sobbing out their cries of despair.
Many still believe that the sealing of
the shaft has doomed to death men
who are fighting for their lives in the
bowels of the earth. Mine experts
scout the idea and state that such is
an impossibility
The nineteen saloons in Cherry have
been flung wide open. The mine of
ficials requested this and Mayor Con
nelly permitted it to test the temper
of the mining population regarding the
closing of the mine. The shaft, sealed
by steel cross beams and concrete
layer and covered by sand, was closely
guarded by troops.
Robert Deans, the assistant eager Of
the mine, who witnessed the starting
of the fire which snuffed out the lives
of hundreds of his fellow workers, has
left Cherry under mysterious circum-
stances and is the third man to disap-
pear since the day of the catastrophe
His relatives and members of the
union said that Deans was kidnapped
and forced to leave this county under
threats Of violence and blame of being
held responsible for the fire.
Mrs. John Love, sister of Deans,
at whose home he lived and whose hus-
band was killed in the third vein, re-
ceived letter from Deans. The letter
bore a Chicago postmark and in il
Deans told his sister that he was going
to leave Chicago at once but did not
know where he was going
"The true story of how the mine
caught on fire was told me by Bob"
says Mrs. Love. ''He said that for
three weeks previous to the fire the
electric light wires had been useless
and that large torches were hung in
the mine in their places.
Alexander Rosenjack was the
eager in charge and Bob worked under
him. He took his torch from his hat
and hung it on peg. The oil from
the lamp fell on the car, containing
five bales of hay, and set it on fire.
''Rosenjack was taken away from
Cherry directly afterward John Crow
ley the mine engineer, has also left
the village"
Statements made by members of the
new Illinois mining commission re-
Gently appointed by the governor, in
dictate that they will not stop short
of settling any responsibility for the
disaster.
ct is probable that we will go to the
scene of the disaster and hear testi-
mony there" Richard Newsam, who is
chairman of the commission, admitted.
II, myself, was at the mine just after
the disaster. and all the responsibility