The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-02-02
FORTY BODIES DISCOVERED
Lnrgc Force Engaged in Rescue Work
nj Colorado Mine.

Primero, Col. February l.-To-nigh
In Primero whore Yesterday the live:
of seventy-nine miners We're snuffet
out by an explosion in the main slops
of the Colorado Fuel and Iron Com
panys mine, the bodies of forty VIC
TINS lie in the temporary morgue IN
stalled in the machine shop.
large force of men Is still en-
Gagged in restoring ventilation through
out the nine and hundreds Of people
are lingering about the mouth OF the
shaft waiting the recovery of more
bodies.
Some OF the officials Of the company
have turned their attention 10 rciiel
work Coroner Guilfoil has ilnpanelcd
a Jury to investigate the catastrophe
and relatives and friends of the iden-
titled dead have turned their attention
to preparations for their burial.
The disaster is believed to have
been caused by an explosion of fire
crimping of a cap for fuse or the
lighting of a match surreptitiously
carried into the workings.
Immediately following the report oil
the explosion. column OF dust ano
smoke poured out the main entrance
Large pieces of timber We're throw!
from the entrance more than 100 feet
and with such terrific force that q
string of cars in the mine mouth was
blown from the track.
The huge ventilating fans within al
hour were put in operation and rescue
nartics were forcing their way into
The gas. filled workings. The rcscuers
followed the main ventilatins shaft
for several hundred yards. gaining en-
trance ts the main slope through a
cross cut.
Ii was not until the relief party
reached entry \ on the main slope
that they found the first evidences
OF the destruction wrought by the eN-
plosion. Here probably dozen bodies
were encountered, hut the rescuers
pushed on in the hope of finding signs
= ~ life. a little further on, near the
mouth of entry q S, the party in charge
OF +, A. Manly. local mine Inspector
came across Leonardo Nirgen the only
survivor, shortly after o'clock thi'
morning.
AS if waking from deep sleep Nir
gen opencd his eyes and said: please
may I go homo now?
yirsen was hurried to the tempo.
,-ary hospital. To-day he had sufti-
GENTLY recovered to Join the ranks OF
watchers around the mine entrance
Up to this evening those still miss
Ing were given up as lost. Rescue
work was pushed, with frequent re-
lefs, until tonight the advance guard
lad pushed within 400 yards Of the
face of the main slope.
To-day orders were issued through
officials Of the Colorado Supply Com
pany, a subsidiary Of tho colorado Fue!
and iron COMPANY 10 issue provisions
to families OF the victims until a per-
nlanent system of relief could be OBJ
tanned. =;
Work of .,.idcu;thcation proceeded
slowly. the only means being to check
the missing numbers carried by each
miner with the company's roster.
A check of bodies recovered reveals
shat forty-seven have been removed
leaving thirty-two still in the work
ings.
A large force OF men is at work dig
Ging- graves in the cemeteries of Trim
:dad, and tomorrow the bodies recov-
cred will be buried. The bodies OF nine
Japanese miners Will be buried in the
Catholic Cemetery.
Three drays have been transformed
Into temporary hearses for use to-mor-
row to convey the bodies from the
Train TO the cemeteries. seventy cof-
fins were brought to Primero to-day
and tonight. and this supply will be
further increased tomorrow.