The Ogden standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1902-1910, 1909-11-22
Rats in the Burning Mine at Cherry Lend
Hope That the Missing Men Have
Escaped the Flames and Smoke.

Cherry, Ill, Nov 22-Two exploring
parties in the St Paul mine today
found indications which led them 10
believe there are a lange number of
living men in the last workings.
The searchers at 5 a. IN. were able
TO pass far into the galleries. and
their hope springs from the fact that
where they expected TO find large
number OF dead, none was found, Near
zoo men are still unaccounted for,
| dead or alive.
TidinCs of discovery We're relHH ed
rapidly to those waiting In the chill
ing rain and snow about the SHAFT
! top, and hope. which had reccded to
the lowest ebb. was revived.
a woman, wife of one of the men
| brought out alive Saturday evening,
whose brother is still one of the miss
| ling. placed her arms about one oi
| the shawl-draped women whose watch
| about the pit mouth has begun each
I day hours before the rising of the
sun and ending after midnight. Cheer
up, dear" she whispered. Didn't
tell you John would come up? There
are Scotchmen down there, They'll
take care of them. When the men
! get TO the ends they'll find them
walled in and ready 1Or another week
/ of It"
Faith in the Scotch miners and their
ability to care. not only for them
| selves. but their companions, is now
held by the mine officials as we'll as
the relatives of those still down
| there"
Rumors OF hearing voices or signals
OF miners from the east gallery spread
about the town today, but were
| promptly dscredited by mine officials.
| no indication, save the absence of the
dead from the east gallery. has point
cd to the existence OF other living
men.
Daybreak today came with steady
downpour OF rain and snow and chill
' ing winds, that banlshed the morbid
throngs from the scene.
| Close TO the dimly outlined shaft
I structure women huddled as If seek
ing consolation in community.
The unvarying garb OF coarse
shawls. wrapped closely about the
! wearers, leaving to view only peering
ewes and unkempt wisps of hair
marked the waiting women OF Cherry.
Hearse Without Mourners.
Three times the one hearse OF the
town made slow trips past the mine
| entrance, over half-fOrmed trails of
clay and mud, to the field outside OF
! the town which has become its ceme-
nj n1
the lonely journeys Twice knot of
mournerS, numbering less than a
dozen, stumbled along behind it and
about the hastily opened. but half
water-filled graves. they lnelt while
the bodies were lowered.
No church services have attended
any of the funerals in the town for
several days. the coroner's edicts pre-
venting the entry of the bodies into the
edlflces before their intermcnt.
Rescuers coming to the surface at
noon reported that live rats had been
discovered in newl0 explored por-
ton of the mine. This increased the
hope that the rats came from the re-
mote sections of the mine. where COM
parativcly pure air remained, and that
, if the rats could live there, men also
could.
Live Rats Good Sign.
The noise of the rats scurrying over
the loose dirt was at first thought TO
be men behind a wall" said one OF
The rescue gang. I'VE stopped TO
listen II sounded like scratching and
our hearts stood still for moment,
for we thought we were about to como
on another crowd of live men. We
listened long enough TO convince our
selves that il was only the rats, how
ever.
THE significance is that dread black
damp does not lie along the floor of
great part of the mine. The men
whom we are trying To reach on the
supposition that they are still alive
are practical miners, and. IL they
heard rats. they quickly got to that
part OF the mine
An official of the mine declared that
OF any more men are brought out alive
the work would have to be done with
i'm twenty-four hours. as the men must
necessarily he almost starved. Rats,
he said. would he liable to live longer
because of their ability to find crumbs
and scraps OF food scattered about
from The mems lunches
Reports that the work Of attempt
ing TO reach the miners who stlll ma9'
be alive was being retarded by con-
fict OF authority between the leaders
OF the coal company forces and those
of the state of Illinois resulted in a
serious conference last night.
Work is Delayed
The delay In bringing out the dead,
whose bodies were seen I'm the black
damp yesterday, caused rumors OF un-
due caution on the part OF the res
cuers. Last night Captain F. w, Lati-
mer of company c. Sixth regiment. 1.
y. c.. and Lieutenant G P. Garrison
brought their pointed jnterrogatIons TO
w. " Taylor, manager of the mine.
They did not declare that work was
being DELAYED by factional strife. but
did state that If reports that work
was being hampored by a conflict CT
authority were true, Governor Deneen
would be asked TO appoint supreme
authority at the mine.
Manager TAYLOR assured the militia
officers that the only conflicts that
had occurred were Of technical na-
turc and that the course adopted was
now generally believed 10 be the most