Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1909-11-16
WEEPING WIVES
AND CHILDREN
Followed Funeral Professions
of Rescuers Who
Perish
ALL HOPE IS ABANDONED
Smoke Has By This Time Drift
ed Into Remotest Part of
Coal Mine.

Cherry, H., Nov. 1G-It now seems
certain that the coal in the st. Paul
: mine is afire and the main shaft of the
mine, sealed yesterday, will not be re-
opened today. A supply of water has
been brought here from LaSalle, also a
supply cf fire extinguishers and chemi
Gals intended to produce carbonic acid
/ gas. 1t is proposed to bore holes
I through the covering of the shaft and
force the gas to the bottom in the eff
{ fort to put out the fires,
With the smoke drifting into the re-
4 motest galleries OF the mine for three
days, the men must certainly have
been suffocated long since. Despite
this belief, expressed by state and gov
ernmet officials, that there is no possi-
3 bility of any of the men ever being
brought to the surface alive, scores Of
grief-stricken wives stood around the
closed shaft all morning, imploring the
officials for some glimmer of hope,
But none could be given them.
Today was the bi-monthly pay day
at the mine The pay for the men
! who fail to appear will eventually be
given to the families or relatives. The
funerals of eight of the twelve res
cners who perished on Saturday was
held today and the surviving miners
and families of the dead filed through
the rain-soaked streets in mournful
! procession behind the hearses.
Centralizinq Relief Work.
E. Bicknell of Washington. secre
tary of the National Red Cross has ar
rived and the organization of relief
work on a centranized plan will be
taken up Immediately. 1t is stated
that unless a substantial sum of money
is collected, great suffering will ensue
this winter among the thousand or.
phanS and two hundred Or more wild.
ows left alone destitute by the acci
dent. The report that troops had been
ordered to protect the mine is pro
nouncGd absurd.
Pitif.!I Ecenes.
/, Cherry, ILL.,, Nov. 16.-Just before
dary last night the officials of the min
! ers' union began taking an official roll
call of the widows and orphans. The
work was difficult because of the hys-
, terical condition Of the women, The
women, some of whom had as many as
three of four small children tugging
at their skirts, roamed over the fields
crying out piteously the names of
brothers Or husbands Many when
questioned for data for the roll call
were so incoherent in their replies as
to be unable to tell who they were or
for whom they were searching.
Albert, Albert" cried one, beating
her breast and walking away.
The charity work is is charge Of
Duncan Mcdonald, of Springfield,
president of the district No. u, Uni.
ted Mineworkers. Edwi Perv. secre.
tary treasurer of the United Mine,
workers of America; E. P Bicknell,
of Washington, D. c., director Of TIE
National Red Cross and Professor
Graham Taylor, of the state mining
investigation committee.
Up to late hour last night no defn-
ite list of the number of widows and
orphans was obtained Roughly esti-
mated Mr.. Mcdonald said there would
be 1000 orphans and 200 widows.
Practically all are destitute. For each
death the state miners union will pay
$3.50. In addition this same organiza-
tion viii contribute for distribution
$4,000 and the national union will
give a like amount. Whatever other
help there is probably will come from
public funds, it was said.
/ Almost two-thirds of the men leave
widows" said Mr. Mcdonald. Each
of these widows has from three to
five children. | saw one woman here
who has nine children all under
twelve years old She has not enough
ahead to pay for a weeks provisions.
in a month from now the distress
of these families will be pitiable.
Whatever the public has to give
should be offered now. so we can plan
ahead to take care of these poor peo-
pie for the winter"
The demeanor of the stricken
women has varied from stoical to hys-
terical. At times in the afternoon
when it was expected that some of the
bodies would be taken out and when
the suspense had reached its climax,
the women mourned audibly, or with
set features, grimly stood against
the hempen barrier, hoping against
hope, fearing the worst.
j The one school Of the town has not
1 held session since Friday and proba-
/; bly, will not hold one until the end of
the week.
I Since Saturday night not a saloon
I