Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-11-18
BEARD DEATH IN MINE
inspectors to Explore Shaft
Regardless of Consequence.
HEED CRY OF BEREAVED
"Unless We Succeed We Will Never
Come Out Alive"
CHANCES TO WIN ARE REMOTE
Explorers to Be Equipped With
Oxygen Helmets-No Trouble
Provoked by Soldiers.
CHANCES TO WIN ARE REMOTE

CHERRY. ILL.,. November 1s.-"we are
going down IN that mine today.
I'VE will conquer It or It will conquer
us. Unless we succeed we will never
come out alive"
James Taylor. Illinois mining inspector.
made this announcement today.
Mr.. Taylor. who repeatedly has risked
his life in the st. Paul mine. made hts
declaration as he. with others who are
to tempt fate today. prepared for the
final ordeal of this great disaster.
Preparations for Exploration.
Carpenters were putting the finishing
touches on the construction which will
lower q float with two men into the air
shaft. George F. Rice and other experts
were testing the temperature OF the main
shaft.
They found that It had dropped few
degrees. The temperature stood at 100
and 100.
There is no use Of hating now," said
Inspector Taylor. II will go into this
mine today"
Tom Moses. another inspector; r.. Y.
williams and James Webb. geological ex-
perts from Urbana. and several others are
ready to go.
1--WE are going to fight that mine. If
we are successful We will be able to re-
cover the bodies, IL not
Here Mr.. Taylor. an old man who has
served a lifetime beneath the earth. wav-
ed his hand In emphasis Of the fate that
might await him and his colleagues.
I'VE will 60 into the air shaft first and
then we will open the main shaft We
are encouraged to find the temperature
there a little lower"
The explorers will be equipped with
oxygen helmets and will carry axes and
other implements with which to break
through distractions.
Cry Of Bereaved Needed.
The cry Of the desperate widows and
orphans Of Cherry. "Open the shaft!
Open the shaftw will be needed IL human
lives have to be sacrificed to reclaim to
the bereaved hundreds Of their mine-en-
tombed dead.
With the dawn Of the day there had
risen over the air shaft of the st. Paul
mine q heavy structure OF wooden beams
which will support the burden OF Crap
ping tackle to be lowered into the for
bidding depths.
Women-many of them almost insane
from the grief that has consumed them
Tor five days-reached the desolate scene
before sunrise. To them the towering
scaffold had arisen as If by magic.
They are going down to get the poor
fellows today they were told.
''oh. why don't they hurry" was the
hurry before 1t is too later"
Under the direction of the mining in
spectors Of Illinois the most hazardous
efforts will be made to satisfy the de-
mand of the bereaved to remove the
bodies. Hurry" they will, Drawing the
dangers Of the deadly poisons generated
by the fire. regardless of the latent and
noxious gases. explosions and the ever
present probability Of the collapse of the
fire-charred galleries in the mine.
After the preliminary exploration into
the airshaft, last night, the inspectors
and mining experts reported an encourage
ing condition. 1t was determined not to
lose q minute to take advantage of the
low temperature at the bottom Of the
emergency shaft.
1t was decided to reinforce the air
shaft. to erect a scaffold. to which Will
to explore into the mine as far as hui
man endurance Will permit.
Williams Said to Have Seen Corpses.
Early today 1t was reported that r. Y.
Williams. who went into the shaft last
night. had seen bodies In the second
gallery not far from the shaft. This the
mining experts would not verify.
After a midnight conference of inspect
ors and officials, however, carpenters,
masons and laborers were sent for before
morning work of preparing for the uncer-
tain task Of today had begun.
It Is proposed to lower two men. armor-
ed with oxygen helmets. into the shaft.
They will enter the galleries and pene-
trate as far toward the main shaft as
they can. II bodies are encountered they
will be fastened to the graphing tackle
and raised.
Whether the effort will be In any meas
ure successful could not be forecasted by
any one engaged in the undertaking.
The exploration last night. made while
soldiers guarded the workers, revealed at
the bottom Of the air shaft that there was
less smoke and gas than there had been
at any time since the fire started last
Saturday. The temperature had also
fallen to an unusual degree.
In this shaft the thermometer registered
only % degrees. In the main shaft at the
same time the temperature registered no.
This difference in the temperature mys-
titled the mine inspectors. How to &C.
count for Il was problem. II may be
that the fire-swept walls of the galleries
have collapsed somewhere between the
air vent and the main shaft.
II this proves to be the case. there is
little hope that many dead can be recov-
cred at this time. II the explorers are
able to reach the main shaft its seal
also will be broken, and searchers for
the dead will work from both ends.
Exploration Believed impossible.
In the opinion OF mining inspectors who
came here from many states the mine