The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-10-12
Not One Ray Of Hope for Any
Victim of the Starkyille
Mine Explosion.
ELEVEN BODIES FOUND
AND TWO RECOVERED
Will Probably Be Work of
Weeks to Reach Other
Corpses in Mine.

STARKFILLE. Colo, Oct. 1l-Elevcn
bodies of victims of Saturday night IS
explosion IN the great Colorado Fuel
and Iron company s mine here arc lying
tonight in The Starkville morgue. Nine
have been identified All the men were
pick men working in entry j, and it is
believed all were killed by force of the
explosion and not sufocated later, The
cornpany's guard line, impossible to all
but relief crews and officials, is drawn
well outside the mine entrance. and
comparatively little of the actual prog
ress of the work is known The bodies
brought out tonight were carried for
mile or more over almost impaSsa bic
obstructions. Because Of the difficulty
In purifying the atmosphere it was said
TO be unlikely that any of tho forty
four men still thought to be in the m inc
will be reached tonight. \ change
of shifts was ordered at midnight
All day large force has been en-
gagged In leyeling trail over the deb
rIs and pulling looscncd rocks from the
root TO clear passagcway over which
volunteers can carry the recovered VIC
Tins TO the waiting death cars Another
rescue party. led by J. p. Thomas and
Dave Griffith, has taken up the task
of completing the trail and removing
the bodies
Many More to Reach.
With this done, the rescuers will push
their way into the l. entries IN the old
workings where forty-four missing are
believed to be entombed Late this
afternoon the day shift bratticed off
the } entries and changed the direction
of the portable fan which is now fore
ing air into the old workings,
1t is freely admitted that all hope
, has been abandoned of finding life
within the underground labyrinth.
Tho appearance of the bodies indi-
Gates that the men were instantly killed
by the terrific force OF the explosion.
Several were badly burned, but none
was disfigured beyond identification.
The bodieSof the FIRST two victims
were brought out of the mine at l0;30
this morning, The appearance of the
bodies bore out the conjecture that the
men in il bad, been killed By the
force of the explosion and had not sue
cumbed to the after damp. The victims
were taken TO the temporary morgue, a
mile and half from the mine portal.
The men We're identified as Jan
klimek and Wit Nyzio. They were
Poles.
The finding of the bodies caused aetiv-
ity among the rescue parties. although
practically no hope remains OF finding
any OF the fifty-two entombed miners
. alive.
The bodies were found where the pick
men were working at tho time OF the eX-
plosion, No more bodies were found in
this room and the rescuers Immediately
set TO work to clear room 81 OF the
deadly after damp.
Will Be Long Task.
RpDnrtS rrrriyCS frn,r Ny;IIIu, N, Morro,
superintendent Of the Piedmont mine. who
was leading the rescue party of thirty
I five men, said he did not believe any
! more bodies would be found soon for the
reason that the rest of the victims were
company men. and were scattered
! through the various workings engaged In
repair work and similar pursuits.
/ The work of rescue WAS tedious and
delayed by the presence of deadly after
damp which had accumulated in great
/ quantities In the chambers Off entry J-7.
Slopes were necessary 10 give tho air
from the portable fan u chance 10 dissi-
pate the after damp.
Where possible the rooms filled with the
deadly gas were bratticcd and isolated
I from the entry that the bad air was
/ held inside This, OF course, was done
only where rooms were known 10 be
without bodies.
After receiving a rcport direct from the
! rescue leaders arriving at the mine,
Genera! Manager Wietzel declared that
the 8 o'clock Shift should devote its en-
Z
/ the mlno TO the portal
! 1t was stated by President Melbourne
/ that considerable time would be required
| 20 get the bodies out; IrosreSs would
necessarily be impcdcd by the fallen roofs,
Coroner Guilfoil Immediately began pre-
/ paratlons TO receive the bodies at the
/ temporary morgue In the machine shop,
! located almost d milo in the mine.
Washing tubs. burlap for wrapping the
! bodies and rude benches were placed
and all was In readiness within an hour.
Rigid Investigation.
/ After the bodies reach the mouth Of the
/ minc IL has been arranged TO load them
! upon motor cars for transportation to the
morguo. The track over which the motor
cars run Is In plain view OF the town.
/ The townspcople either In Ignorance OF
| the discovery of bodies or indifferent TO IT,.
remained away from the mine during the
| early morning hours. Perhaps II was due
! to tbc strict enforcement or orders 10 per-
nit Iro one at the mouth OF the mine.
| Guards Intercepted all not connected with
the mine and turned them back Mt Il point
a quarter OF mile from the entrance.
! Coroner Guilfoil placed In the hands CT
| d. O Lane, town marshal batch OF
summons for mine supcrlntendonts, pit
bosses. and men who Booked after the
sprlniling of the mine. TO appear before
! the jury which VIII lnNcSpSatc lIie Sause
! of the disaster
II wnnt all who were responsible for
tho safety OF the mine 10 tell what they
| know OF this affDir." he said,
| The date OF tho hearing has not heHn
set hut will probably be after all the dead
arc removed from tho mine.
| Austrian and Italian consnl5 and at
| tornovs reached Starkvillc this morning
! to secure data regarding tie subjects for
| their governments.
] The Associated Press dispatch from
/ Washington saying that special car car.
I rylng government mining experts and
! miners trained IN rescue work left seat
tie today for Starkvilc was tho first IN
ttornatlo President Wclborn had received
that The federal government intended 10
Continued ON Pago Two.