The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1909-11-20
-Four Bodies Recovered Yester.
day After the Fire Fighters
Had Risked Their Lives in
an Effort to Subdue Flames.
SIX DAYS SINCE THE
AWFUL CATASTROPHE
Wives Whose Husbands Are
Down Remain at Home
in Despair Fully Convinced
That All Missing Are Dead.
ONE MAN STILL HOPEFUL

Cherry, H., Nov. 19.-Science and
desperation have greatly checked the
fire that snuffed out 800 lives last
Saturday in the st. Paul coal mine.
Men braved today the fire-swept tun-
nels to bring the dead to the surface.
Charity has poured aid into homes
of suffering survivors. But all of
this could not subdue the grief of
Cherry's inhabitants when the sight
of the dead, lifted from the tomb.
blasted their hopes that the men
might be rescued alive.
1t has been Just six days since fire
started in a bale of hay and swept the
bread winners of this community to
their doom, and in ali that time Of
anxiety only five bodies have been re-
covered, four today and one last night.
Tomorrow it is expected that many
more bodies viii be recovered. More
were found today, and explorers work
ing deep into the second gallery were
forced to flee, as they were about 10
bring them out, when falling earth and
rock endangered the rescuers
Tonight miners were put to work in
the galleries replacing burned timbers
and clearing distractions which i'm
pede access into the coal veins for more
than ESQ feet from the main shaft Be-
yohd this point fires stiil burn and ie
VIII be some time before they can be
eXtinguished.
Inspectors Satisfied.
Illinois inspectors who have had
charge of the attempt to subdue the
fire and to effect an entrance into the
= al s~at.
progress Of the work II was more
successful than they had anticipsfed
All except three inspectors. ~ ~
their a0zETel-s Esfii istE
The entering Of the mine and tie
fighting Of the fire to a confrolfabie
point, said Inspector James A. Tav-
Tor before his departure. is gratifying
TO Us 50 soon as the galleries can
be cleared and reinforced many more
of the dead viii be brought out IL
was unsafe TO venture near the bodies
discovered late today.
Realization that their husbands are
dead drove many women to their
homes, where agents OF charity were
able for the first time to talk with
them satisfactorily.
Cherry was the Mecca for thousands
of visitors attracted by the opening of
the mine. The military guard around
the mine preserved perfect order.
Fire Fighting Dangerous.
Obstacles that threatened lives Of
fire fighters attended the work Of re-
covering bodies. At one time men
working in the second level were al
most cut off from escape By a sudden
caTein of rock and earth They had
placed two bodies on a stTetcher and
were ready to carry them to the cage
when a shower of debris came down
To the danger of heavy rocks falling
was added that Of cracking timbers
which fell in from all sides
The men were then ESQ feet from,
the hosting shaft. Further in thev
could see great heap Of bodies Of
men, boys and mules indiscriminateN
mixed.
Leaving behind them the two bodies
which they had struggled hard to
reacn, the fire fighters rushed to the
hosting shaft, where they were re-
ViVed. They were quickly brought to
the top.
The clearing away of debris delayed
the exploration work almost all after
noon.
Bare Possibility.
rs it possible that, after being buriel
for six days, some of the miners NAV
still be found alivee" was a question
revived today as the officials reached
remote galleries One old miner. who
lost son, declared he was sfill hope
full.
Those entOmbed in the mines have
kept themselves alive as long as thirty
days" he said. Il believe some Of these
men were wise enough to get into one
Of the galleries and barricade them
selves there. They would have easily
been able to wall themselves up with
coal and earth, and thus shut out the
gas and fire In this way they could
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