Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-11-26
FOR AIR As
BLACK DAMP CAME
Caught by the Explosion in Cher
ry Mine, the Miners Rugged Up
Fans in Effort to Keep
Back Sure Death.

CHERRY, ILL.,, Nov. 24-Bodies of at
least $50 miners were found i'm the west
level of the st. Paul mine today.
The bodies were found 500 feet from
the main shaft, on an elevated surface
where they had retreated before the ad-
vancing water and fatal black damp.
They had not been able to escape the lat
ter. and had died after a struggle that
may have continued for two days.
Messages scrawled on wood and the
natural slate cropping from the walls,
placed the number of dead at 16O or 16S.
one message read:
I'VE are all here to die together"
This is accepted by mine officials as in
dicating that many men whose escape
from the second vein had been cut off
by fire had descended to the lowest level
and that less than a dozen bodies will be
found in other sections of the mine.
WILL TAKE BODIES OUT.
To take out the bodies today, a skif
has been brought from the Illinois river,
seven miles away. and will be lowered
soc feet to the vein in which the bodies
were found 1t will be rowed across the
four feet of water in the vein to the spot
where the bodies lie and they will be
transported to the main shaft for re-
moval to the surface.
The exploring party of four led by
Anton Lodycieni, were in the gallery
for more than an hour before the bodies
were found. They had waded in water,
waist deep, through the circular tunnel
making their way toward the elevation Of
the shaft or ridge" where they had ex-
pected to find the men living or dead.
The signals given by the rescuers and the
usual very Anybody alive in here?" were
not answered.
BODIES PILED HIGH.
when he climbed up on the ridge"
said Lodiycieni, I'VE almost stepped upon
the bodies piled up on top of each other
in heaps. Some had their heads resting on
folded arms as sleeping. Others were lying
across each other and some were sitting
as if resting against the wall.
Nailed to the wall were two fans
made of timbering tied about pick han
dies and under them were the biggest
heaps of bodies.
zone poor fellow had his hand up hold
ing the fan. l think he died as he was
turning it. Another had a basket held
in his hand. He was fiat on his back and
must have died as he climbed up on the
ridge. The bucket was half filed with
black water. that he must have gone
some distance to get
The black damp surely killed them long
before the water reached them. We had
then and though the air was fairly good,
we knew it was time for us to get out.
I'VE ARE HERE TOGETHER-1GS
1--WE did not stop to move any of the
bodies or try to identify them, although
we probably could have IL we had had
more time. Tom Mulligan, one of the
party. picked up a piece of natural slate
Oh which was written:
1--WE are here together, 16S.'
THAT must have meant the number of
men. and think that was about the right
number. He put the slate in his pocket
without trying to make out the name on
it, but as we climbed to the shaft to the
second level, il fell out of his pocket.
ION a wooden box, used to hold tools,
/ saw written with lead pencil: We are
here to die together. Some figures were
scratched.under it and 1 read ii as 100. but
| am not sure, as the writing was waver-
ing as if it had been written by some
one who was mighty weak
ANGRY PROTESTS.
No evidence that the men had attempted
TO barrioade themselves from the black
dGmp was seen. Many of the former
after they discovered that the men would
have been safe from the deadly gas had
not the ventilating fan of the mine been
stopped shortly after the discovery Of
fire.
They assert that the men had retreat
ed to the ridge where under ordinary
conditions the noxious gas would not
have reached them and believing them
selves in no danger merely had fortified
themselves against hunger, thirst and
the supposedly lesser danger of gas that
naturally would be generated after a
few days of Imprisonment.
The fans fashioned them thew as
sert, would have dispelled this gas which
would have formed in small quantities
and have given the men enough fresh air
To sustain them for weeks. With the re-
versal of the fan, they assert, the deadly
Cas forming in the second gallery and
creeping out of the escape shaft was
hurled back into the lower level and the
men strangled before they had opportu-
nifty to seek pockets or erect projections
against it.
The announced intention of mine off,
cials TO pump out the water in the lower
level before the arrival of the skiff was
baked by the refusal of machinists 20
aid them. The connections of the pump
have been disconnected near the second
level Machinists who were called upon
declined to risk their lives in repairing
the machinery.
Robert Shaw, Of the party which found
the DOuleS, IOlu Oh TSduAlB piece Oh
slate bearing the following:
Thirty more came in. Twenty four more.
Fourteen more. One hundred and twenty
here now"
The number exceeded $50 when the tally
ended.
81 think some of the men had barri-
caded themselves in pockets in the gal
lery, but were driven to the ridge by the
rising water" said Shaw. IF they had
not got out Of the pockets they would
have drowned i'm them"
Shaw also told Of an attempt of the
men TO build a barricade at the west
end of the ridge to hold back the black
damp.
The wall was only a few feet high, the
builders apparently having abandoned the
lattempt or being overcome nv voc hofore
it had afforded them any protection.