The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-01-14
RECOVERING BODIES
FORTY-sEyEN DEAD MINERS ARE
 Rls0UGHT TO SURFACE.
Rescue Crevss Are Working Day And .NiEht Being Relieved Every Few Heurs With Fresh Forces
 or Men. N

Bluefelds, W. va., Jan. 13.--A total of forty seven bodies have been taken from the ili-fated mine at Lick Branch.
 Three rescue crews of forty men each, led by Inspectors Grady. Eichol- son and Warner, are at work. The men in these crews report the most ghast- ly sights within the torn and Ire swept corridors and workings of the mine, where bodies are found mangied and mutilated beyond recognition.
 It is difacuit, they declare. to dis tinguish between white and black. be- cause they arc so frightfuily burned . Some bodies taken from the mines re- semble charred masses of flesh more than human beings.
 From some bodies. the legs are gone from others the arms. One was head less. .ti.i
 The following is a list of the known dead: Everett Phillips, George Pe- ters, A. R. Miller. Joseph Jones Charles Phillips. David. surratt, Riley Surratt, Ed Collins. James Ayers. Rob- ert Wyeth, Dan Arlington, Henry Bowies, all white. ColOred. Luther Bouldin, John Hunter, J. H. Cobbsi George Ensey, Frank Harston, Henry Lee, Ernest Terry. Elk Clark Brown Lee, Anthony Johnson. Lemuei Dean' and A man known as Tattoo. e.. Nine unidentified and two. others brought out have not yet been placed in the niofgue.
 Experienced men are authority for tha stateInept that tn is the first case on record where two, explosions took place in the same mine In such short space of time. and are unable to ex- plain its cause. .- ,
 Some of them point to the fact that the mercury fen nineteen degrees within several hours on the morning of the catastrophe and hold that such rapid changes in the weather have considerable influence on the condi- tiou.. which produce mine disasters.
 Rescue crews worked all day and aI night, being relieved every few hours with fresh forces 0e men who have volunteered from all over the coal feid. It was learned early to- day that the, company had ordered eighty caslkets and robes. "
 A car load of necessities wal shIpped from here to the scene oi the disaster today. James W. Paul. of Pfttsburg, Pa.. representing the Uni ted States Geosetical Survey, is ex- pected here today with a number ol assistants. West Virginia mine in- spectOrs are arriving at the mine with every train. One of the most remarkable features of the accident il the miraculous escape of Cieve Bow CTS. a mine foreman, who crawled on his hands and knees from the mine while ire. smoke and deadly gases belched over him. Bowers is, the on- ly man who reached the surface alive
 The dead bodies. as fast as brought out of the mine. were laid in the inprovised morgue where the task of identification Is being carried on. The check board kept at the mouth of the mine, which ordinarily enabled ofl- cials to form an opinion as to how many men were on duty in the col. fiery, was blown down Oy tha expIo' sion and the bits of numbered metal mixed and scattered so that it is very hard to find out who was at work This flinders Identification. The mine supply houses in this city were busy all night making shipments by car lots of material used in such emer- gencies.
 There is Q remarkable lack of ex. citement, no weeping women or fran tic old men and children, scenes such as usually accompany such catastro- phes. The inhabitants of the little village in which the miners live and which saw fifty funerals less than two weeks ago. had become somewha at inured to the sight of death in the mines.
 From all the neighboring coilieraes, men have volunteered their services In the work of rescue. the number be. Ing so large that all cannot be used.
 Train For Dead Bodies.
 Roanoke, Va. Jan.. 1S-The Norfolk and Western Railroad expects tomor. row to run a special train to convey dead bodies from Lick Branch tc Roanoke. The bodies of the mine ytc. tims will be forwarded from Roanoke to their proper destinations.