The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-05-12
FIVE MORE BODIES
TAKEN FROM MINE
Total of 80 Have New Been Re
covered
THEORY ON EXPLOSION
Belief Now Expressed That Greatest
Force of Palos Explosion Was
Felt Over Mouth of
the SHIFT

Palos, May 11.-(Special. with the five
bodies recovered Tuesday night and to-
day the total number of dead taken from
Nc. 3 mine reaches 50. the dead mail
carrier making SO killed in all. There are
now supposed to be three or four more
bodies in the mine and the rescue crew
is working all night in an effort to find
them.
Those recovered last from the mine
were j. s. Pennington, j. l.. Mccain
and another white man, unknown, but
believed to be from Mulga; and two
negroes, Walter Cunningham and an un-
known. The bodies are now so decom-
rosed that Identification is little more
than guesswork. The work is so dis
agreeable on account of the offensive
odor from the dead mules and humans
that the rescue crews of ten men can en-
dure the stay in the mine but short
time.
State Mine Inspector James Hilhouse
will return to Palos tomorrow to get
data on the cause of the explosion, Sc
that he can make out his report to the
governor of the state. Mr.. Hillhouse
finished his report on the Mulga disaster
and sent ii to the state capitol today.
What the report contains will not be
known until the governor makes 1t pub
lie.
The latest theory of the explosion at
Palos is that the major part of the ex-
plosion did not occur until the gas had
reached the open air The fact that the
mine inside is very little damaged and
that there is so much evidence of the
force of the explosion about the mouth
of the mine for many feet points to
this conclusion. That this could easily
be possible is shown by the fact that
the gas found in a mine is not explosive
unless mixed with the proper proportion
of air--ten parts gas to one of air being
the highest explosive point experts claim
When it is lower there can be but little
chance of explosion and when 1t gets
below seven or higher than thirteen, it
is claimed that the. mixture will not ex-
plode at ALL The theory now Is that the
gas and air were so proportioned in the
mine, probably about eight to one, that
small explosion occurred, having
enough force to rush the gas toward the
mouth of the mine. When the gas
reached the open ali IL Wdo DulhihS iioHi
the smaller explosion in the mine, and,
as soon as enough air mixed with II to
raise the proportion, the large explosion
occurred that killed the mail carrier,
Sam Goolsby, and burned the leaves on
the trees for hundreds of feet away. With
this theory also the conclusion Is reached
that most of the men In the mine were
smcthered and killed by the after-damp
rather than by the explosion.
Billy Hillhouse, son of the mine in
spector, and who was his fathers first
assistant all during the rescue work at
Palos, said today: lts
Eyes, the explosion at Palos was a
phenomenal thing. l do not believe that
I ever saw one like it before and l have
seen many explosions. Some people think
that the explosion did small damage to
the mine because it was a slope, but a
slope is damaged just as much as a shaft
mine by an explosion. l have an idea
what caused it and how the explosion
occurred, but | dare not make 1t public
until the report is sent to the governor