The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-12-10

every miner of the more than SIX score who walked into the Cross Mountain mine at Briceville this morning met death in dust explosion which took place within one hour after they bad started work, is foregone conclusion at midnight tonight.
 Although rescuers have been at work for hours and although every known piece of apparatus in the mine rescue stations has been put to use, there Is Titled oubt that every man Is dead.
 The force of the explosion was ter rife and hope that any one could survive such a shock has been aban- doned. Between 126 and 156 men check ed in this morning. The company has been unable to determine the exact number
 At midnight the mouth of the mine is still thronged with friends of the er.tombed men, who closely question every rescue worker as he comes to the mouth to get a breath of fresh air. Several women still remain in the party of watchers and their grief is heart rending.
 Officials of the Knoxville Iron com ,pany, owners of the mine, have about abandoned hope of finding any one alive and tonight wired Knoxville for ship ment of car load of collins.
 Food Famine
 To add to the gravity of the situ- alton there is. food famine in the stricken little town owing to the great ilfux of people Supplies will be rushed to the scene in the morning.
 -s4, 1F mourning as the fact has dawned upon women and children that there IS scarcely the slightest ray of hope that n single miner lives. In scores of mes the pitiful walls of women and .shildren are heard by the passersby. / while at the mouth of the mine fully 50 women some with babies and others with children pulling at their skirts still battled bravely to keep up spirits and hope against hope.
 At 10 o'clock it had been definitely determined that the number of men a work in the i'll fated mine was between -26 and 156 Little hope is entertained that the entombed men can be reached before Sunday morning and few there are who entertain the slightest hopes that there is a living man among the Gntire number.
 The bodies of the two miners re- covered Lee Popston and Pearlie Ro-
 
 plosion must have been terrific. Pop ston, whose body was found ths aft ernoon near the ventilating fan of the ar shaft, was mangled almost beyond recognition, even his shoes and clothing having been blown off. Rolens body, recovered tonight at 9 o'clock. is ill little better condition.
 Install New Fan
 new fan was being installed at the
 .+..s., force fresh air into the shaft. while suction was being placed in a passage- way of the Beachey mine, on the opposite side of the mountain, which connects with the Cross Mountain mine and by this means 1t is hoped to draw out the gases and permit the entrance of the rescuers.
 Members of nearly half the families in the little mining town of 1900 souls are included among those entombed and there is weeping in nearly all of the homes.
 Nearly 2OOo persons are gathered around the mouth of the mine, frantically await ing news. The light from the torches used by the workers and from the fires which have been built to furnish light and heat, light up the darkened countc- naces of men. women and children. The sobs and cries of the women and the men, as well. are heart rendering.
 The rescue work is under the direction of Superintendent P. F. Lynch of tine mine, President T. l. Stephenson, Of the operating company and two crews of the mine rescue service of the federal gov ernrnent One of the latter is under di- rection of Edward $. Sutton, foreman miner in charge of the Knoxville rescue station, and the other under William Burke, engineer in charge of mine rescue ear No l. which reached Briceville ;.t afp1.. |. News of the explosion spread almost in stantly to the other mines of the Coal Creek district and the men soon found their cars waiting to bear them to the entrance as all operations for the day were suspended. The miners started nt once Tor the scene of the disaster ar1l soon several hundred of them had gath cred around the entrance to the mine. Rut even before they arrived. the wives. duashters, mothers fathers, sisters and friends of the men who had gone intn the III fated mine less than an hour be- fore had congregated.
 Grief Pitifil
 The cries of grief were pitlfuI and tl,ev remained inconsoable. Many of the wives remained from early in the morning linttl late at night not even leaving their places to obtain food, until the worst was learn- ed Many women gathered as close around the entrance of the mine as the restraining ropes would permit and wiring eng their hands and sobbing as though theirihearts would break. they begged to be allowed to enter the shaft and search for tleir hsubands and sons. Kind hands prevented this, and ravaiiing attempts were made to sooth them.
 In the rescue room. fathers and hroth- IN CTS of men who were cntombed wofked Afevcrishly, refusing to leave their posts ' even though urged by others, and al- fst
 lCoNTINUED ON FACE ss