The Thibodaux sentinel. (Thibodaux, La.) 1905-1912, 1909-11-20
1850 LOST IN BURNING PIT
All Hopes of Rescue Aban-
doned by Friends.
DECLARES ESCAPE Is IMPOSSIBLE
HerOism Such as Is Rarely Exhibited
Shown BY Mine Officials and
Town Residents, Only to
Lose Their Own Lives.

| Cherry, Ill.-Officials of the St
Paul Coal Company mine, where an
explosion occurred Monday say that
| $50 men are dead in the mine.
i Twelve bodies have been taken out.
Six of these were heroes, not employ
/ ed in the mine, who gave their lives
in futile effort to save the impr.s-
oned workers.
Mine Superintendent Jas. Steele,
| declared five hours after the explo-
sion that it was almost impossible
that any of the miners could es-
cape.
The mine has a day shift of more
than 500 men. Of these fifty left the
mine at noon. twenty-five are
| known to have escaped after the fire
| broke out. The others are believed
| to be dead
The entrance to the mine has been
sealed up in hope of checking the
flames. The building above the pit
entrance was blown up to permit this.
Despite the frantic efforts of the
officials and the scores of volunteers,
it seemed assured that only bodies
of the dead would be taken out
The fire causing the explosion
which may prove one of the greatest
tragedies in the list of mine horrors
Id an origin almost trivial A pile
of hay allowed to shoulder too long,
finally. ignited the timbers of the
hot ,l,
their danger, the mine was filled with
smoke gases and flames and all exit
impossible.
Heroism such as is rarely exhibited
was shown by officials of the mine
and residents Of the town of Cherry
Those men who were outside the
mine when the fire originated, con-
tributed five to the list of - known
dead. Alexander Nerberg, pit man,
gave his life unhesitatingly in vain
effort to save those of his comrades
who risked their lives with him.
Standing at the bottom of the shaft
he carried the bodies of the four men
into the cage, the only way of escape.
AS he carried the last man up, he
fell unconscious across the body. He
was dead as was all his companions
when the cage was lifted to the top
At the entrance Of the shaft scene
was enacted such as is seen only at
a disaster of this kind. Hundreds of
screaming women, weeping children
and frantic but helpless men crowded
around the place. A few survivors
were surrounded by groups of the wo-
men and their answers to the loudly |
shrieked inquiries only aided to the
terror of the women. Almost to a |
man they declared that there was no
hope for those left behind. Almost |
200 of the men imprisoned, they de-
clared, were in the third vein, the
only entrance to which was from the
second vein, almost 500 feet from the
main shaft of the pit.
The only men to escape were those
near the main shaft when the fire
started. They declared that a care
less miner had thrown torch on
bundle of hay used for the mule
stalls. No attention was given to the
hay for a few minutes.
Then two miners threw the burning
mass On cart and started toward
the main shaft about $50 feet away
Before it was reached, a small ex-
plosion occurred and in a few mo-
nents the entrance to the vein from
he shaft was filled with smoke and
lanes. Those nearest the cages hur-
led to them and were hoisted to the
surface. After about four trips the
cages ceased moving and no more
miners came from the shaft What
disaster occurred in the minutes fol-
.ha # is unknnWn