The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-05-07
BY RALPH r.. SILVER


Palos. May Especially )-vzThe rescue
work in the i'll fated Palos mine No.
continues unabated, but the men work
under the greatest difficulties. At mid
night Is bodies had been brought to
the surface. 1t is impossible to de-
termine the number of victims in the
mine. The company's books show 92
men to have entered but as many of
them had helpers no estimate can be
made of the men below. One con-
tractor employed many as is help
ers so that the list of dead may run
far beyond the 100 mark.
Flynn Makes Statement
Mine inspector of the Tennessee
Coal, Iron and Railroad company, Ed
Flynn, said late tonight that the air
was now going virtually to the bot
tom of the mine. Work is being
started on the fourth entry, where
there are II men, and as soon as
three more brattices can be built the
rescue work will reach the bottom
he said. I'VE are following the air
down the slope and working on the
left entries as we go down. The right
entries will be explored as the rescue
crews work back toward the mouth Of
the mine. The rescue work is progress-
ing fine at present and If these con-
ditions keep up I think that all of
The bodies will be recovered by Sat
urday night"
State Inspector. James Hillhouse is
row in charge of the work. He was
ot ~ iOb Nv n ia
assistant, Neal, who will have charge
Of the work until tomorrow noon, whom
they will change again. A new ard
fresh crew of rescuers enters the mine
every two hours and the other comes
out. In this way the men are kept
fresh In the mine and the greateS
possible speed is obtained State In
spector Hillhouse has received a wire
from State Inspector Shiflett of Ten
nessee, stating that IL any aid was
needed he would come at once.
The principal hindrance now to the
rescue work is said to be the construc-
tion of new brattices where the old
ones were blown out by the explo-
sion.
Explosion In No. Entry
The officials now claim that accord
ing to the condition of the men found
in No. entry this Is where the ex-
plosion occurred. The men taken from
this heading were badly charred and
mangled.
The condition of the dead as they
are brought from the mine is deceiv-
ing. The blood from their noses and
mouths and the black damp on their
faces give them the appearance of
being charred and mangled. When the
bodies are cleaned and prepared for
burial by the undertakers. however.
they look very we'll.
Two white bodies we're recovered at
o'clock today. They were Martin
Burriel and Ebert Connolly Three
men. Will Bankhead. negro engineer
IN the mine. and two other unknown
bodies were found in the fourth entry
at 1870 o'clock. One was trapper
and the other driver. The rescue
work will continue all night and con-
tinually from now on until the bodies
are all recovered. This makes 15
bodies recovered up to date. 10 white
and black.
Work Progresses Slowly
The rescue work at No. Is progressing
very slowly on account of cave-ins that
shut the dead bodies of the miners off
from the rescuers. There is no way to es-
innate the extent of these Instructions,
but 1t Is now claimed by officials that the
rescue work will last for three or four
days. Several men were slightly over
come by the damp yesterday. but none
seriously. and 1t Is supposed that the
pumps have drawn all of the afterdamp
out of the mine.
The first car entered the mine this
morning at 4:15 o'clock and returned at
Sos o'clock with eight bodies, seven white
men and one negro. The second trip was
detained on account of work which had to
+, be done inside the mine and did not enter
until 8 o'clock.
They came out at O'Clock with six
bodies, two white and four negroes
Mrs. Brny's Sorrow
Among the first to be recovered was
Bob Bray. Bray has a wife and two
children. Mrs. Bray was at the mine this
morning before daylight crying and al
most going into Mysteries. When the first
cars came across the bridge and were I'M
loaded into the improvlsed morgue Mrr.
Bray learned that her husband was one of
the rescued dead. She got down on her
|. knees and prayed that she be allowed to
\ zee her husband. Fearing that she would
Vl1aint at the sight of the mangled and