The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-05-09
Cold Weather and GrueSo|ne
Scenes Drive Spectators,
Only Workers Remain
S|xTy-FOUR BODIES HAD
BEEN TAKEN OUT OF MINE
Tired workers sleep Among the Corpsea
and Narrowing Scenes Have Lit
tie Eject ON Men In Midst
of Tragedy
! BY RALPH n. SILVER

Palos May s.-(special )--slowly and
giving up the dead. and the curtain will
soon fall on the last act of the tragedy at
No. 3.
Fffty-seven bodies were recovered be-
fore midnight and seven more were
brought up shortly afterward. making a
total of 81. The rescue crews are now
back to the fourth right entry, where the
last seven were found.
According to books of the company
there will be between 26 and 30 men found
in this entry. All these are expected to
be out by daylight, which will make a
large addition to the local number recov-
cred. Mine Inspector Hillhouse says that
he expects to have everybody out of the
mine by tomorrow noon. Those recovered
today are as follows:
White-Perry Morrow. Jim Curley, Eleck
Curl. Bert Hancock, Knox Mccain, Albert
Spuiel.
Colored-John Adams, J. L. Moore, Fe-
Tx Webb, Jim Johnson, VIII Farris, Wal
ter Johnson. Ben Foy, Scott Marshall,
Henry Foy and three unknown negroes.
Cold Wave Strikes Palos
A cold wave has struck Palos and the
rescuers suffer very much from the cold
tonight after they are relieved and come
out of the warm mine. Very few on
lockers are seen about the mine tonight
Everyone has exhausted all his, energy.
and sickened at the horrible scenes as the
dead are brought to the surface. The
spectators have all gone home None
remain but the men who are doing the
real work of rescue, and they still keep
at It as persistently and energetically as
ever.
Mr.. Hillhouse made this statement late
tonight: "The work ID now going on at
q very rapid rate. / think there is no
more dangefs from gas We have just
now gotten to where the most of the
bodies are and before morning / expect
TO take out nearly as many as we havt
recovered prior to this time. am very
much pleased with the progress we have
made<under the existing conditions
State Inspector Hillhouse and his assist
ant, Robert Neal, are two of the real
heroes Of Palos. They are receiving con-
gratulations from every one on the way
in which they have handled the rescue
and nights of rescue work there has not
been one of the rescuers killed or even
seriously hurt indicates the knowledge
and experience of these two men in the
affairs of a mine disaster. It is common
crews are now staying in three hours at
the rescue crews to meet death before all
the bodies have been recovered. The
crws ar now staying in thre hours at a
time, and this is adding more speed to
the work.
Peculiar Incidents Amid Tragedy
Amid all the sadness and tragedy of
the Palos disaster there are many
ludicrous and peculiar incidents. When
the rescue crew first entered the fourth
entry the first man they saw was a dead
negro. He was sitting up against the
wall with his hat tilted to one side of
his head, his legs crossed, his arms fold
ed and his eyes open. The appearance
of the corpse was that he was alive and
Just enjoying a little rest. The spectacle
frightened some of the negro rescuers
and they started to run as they are very
superstitious about the dead coming to
life.
start sat a train of mine cars. They
were alive with flies eating at human
blood and they smelled repuisive of de-
cayed human flesh. The flesh that had
given them the offensive odor just few
days ago loaded them time after time
with coal as they hauled it from the
mine. There are queer crooks in fate.
Once they had hauled his coal. now they
hauled his dead body. fess
In the improvised morgue at the power
house was another peculiar scene. There
sat coffins filled with the bodies of dead
men, while on top of them lay an ex-
hausted member Of the rescue party fast
asleep.
On the table where the embalming
takes place lay another man sleeping
the sleep of fatigue, unmindful of the
godies that had occupied his place and
the many more yet to do so. On the
floor side by side could be seen dead
bodies and live bodies, one wrapped in
white canvass, the other a cotton blanket.
one sleeping the sleep Of eternity, the
other the sleep Of exhaustion.
story OF Two Cousins
Kid Jones, white, told sad story to-
night of his cousin, Sam Drake, boy
only IS years old, who was killed in the
explosion. The two boys came south to
work In the mines from Cincinnati. Jones
started to work at Mulga and Drake at
Bessie mines. When, MuIga blew up
Drake thought his causin had been Killed
and went to Mulga, where he assisted iha
the rescue work until last wednesday,
when he caught train and came to.
Palos. He changed from Bessie to Palos
because he considered Palos q safer place.
He entered No. Thursday morning for
the first time, happy and elated over his
new job. He walked right into the jaws
Of death and never came out alive. This
morning his body was recovered and will
be sent to Cincinnati for internent.
One Of the rescuers said tonight body
had been found at the entrance to the
fourth heading and the trunk could not
be located at ALL The thory now ID that
ICoNyIMuDD on PAa9 ~