Omaha daily bee., 1909-11-22
My TWENTY MEN SAVED
black Damp and Crowd of Sightseers
Delays Removal.
HOPE DEFERRED OR DESPAIR
Mine inspector NcYvsGm Relieves
More Men VIII be Found Alive,
Hut others are Less
Optimistic.


. CHERRE ILL.,. Nov. 2l-Twenty saved
ninety-two known dead and lss missing
was The record Of the st. Paul mine to-
night
what had promised to be Cherry's real
day of thanks ended in a night 3of hope
deferred, or despair
At the end of the day no living man or
boy had been added to the list OF the
twenty rescued yesterday.
An day long the tolling Of church bells
resounded in Cherry and Spring Valley
Eighteen bodies were inferred today In a
field south OF the town. AT the mine
dozen cofflned victims remained awaiting
removal, with a score of caskets plled
nearby for the bodies which are to come.
Services for the dead were held outside
the churches into which Coroner Malm
deemed it advisable that the bodies be
taken.
From the yet untitled graves in which the
Roman Catholic dead were placed the
pastor hurried to the mine entrance, where
with a second priest he waited to admin
lister the last rites for the living, should
his services be needed.
Mayor Connolly telegraphed President
Taft at Washington last night that twenty
men had been rescued and that $50 were
believed to be alive. Each hour that passes
now is looked upon by the watchers as
making the chance OF escape less.
'.The men they brought up could not
have lived more than few hours longer"
said one despairing woman III they
don't come up today they'll come up
dead"
The rescuers worked as IL this was their
belief
More Bodies in sight.
Tho fire in the second level was forced
back and early In the afternoon the work
ers could pass 1t. The black damp in the
east gallery was the obstacle that proved
insurlnountnbTe 20 the men.
Through it the bodies Of thirty-seven
men could be seen, Preparations for the
taking out of thirty-seven bodies visible
to the explorers were rushed when the
morbid throng about the mine had thinned
That the bodies might have been taken
up earlier was admitted by those In
charge of the work. but they thought Of
the scenes that would have followed,
crowd numbering thousands, frankly seek
ing sensation, pressed against the rope bar
ricado until dusk.
In the mine evel the work Of the res
cuers went on increasingly. Relays OF
eager miners succeeded those whose
strength failed. Those who staggered from
the pitmouth were surrounded instantly
and a babel Of questions hurled at them
I'VE can see the bodies. There are piles
of them. They are dead boys all dead"
was the reply of the first and those who
followed gave no more cheering answers
But they could be living back there
49, .
came a voice from the group about one.
mo chance" began the miner, then
paused as he saw the trembling hands of
the old man who had pressed to his side
why, sure, didn't the other come out?"
was the quick reply Don't you worry
He'll be up soon"
Black Damp Covers Dead.
The pressure of the crowd was not the
only thing which led the rescuers to delay
bringing bodies to the surface. Black
damp was present where the dead lay in a
group, just as they had fallen when their
lives were snuffed out "Klondike," who
had worked among the dead in many mine
disasters, Bob Murray, who also holds
black damp in considerable contempt, and
others are said to have volunteered to re-
move the bodies to clear the passage for a
further search for any who may remain
alive in the further reached of the galleries.
Conservative counsel prevailed and the
hosting of the bodies was delayed until
the noxious gases had been sucked out ~
the big ventilatng fans.
Among those who, after yesterdays re-
turn to then living OF men long thought
dead, chung throughout the day to the be-
lief that additional reseues Of living men
were probable is Richard Newsam presi-
dent Of the Illinois Board OF Mine Inspee-
tors.
"Scotchmen are the most resourceful
miners in the world" said he, land there
are twenty-five OF them down there dead or
alive. / can see no reason why they should
not have found some refuge just as did
those who came up yesterday. But eight
days have passed and we must hurry II
they are not to perish Of thirst and starva-
ton Everything possible TO hurry on the
work of exploration Is being done"