Arizona republican., 1911-04-08
|AM ANTHRACITE HORROR
Rescuer With Defective Helmet Joined the Dead. Bodies of Victims Scatter ed Along Tunnel Where They Fell Seeking Air.

Scranton, April 7.-WithOut a mo- ment's warning fifty men and boys are believed to have perished today in a mine fire in the Pacific Coast colliery at Throop, three miles from here. Some estimate the number at sixty. Three bodies have been re- covered.
 John Evans. head of the United States mine rescue car died at o'clock tonight, a defective rescue helmet causing him to suffOcate.
 Thre men protected by helmets with oxygen tanks pushed past the point where the flames were first discovered at o'clock this afternoon and stumbled over the bodies of two men and a boy, who had evidently fallen while grOping their way to safety.
 majority of the missing men and boys are foreigners. A United States mine recue car stationed at Wilkes barre was summoned early in the afternoon and later the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western railroad brought the rescue force of the Lehigh Valleys mine and the rescue force from Wilkesbarre.
 The finding of the three bodies led the rescuers to believe that no one was alive in the tunnel and they re- newed their attack upon the burri1g. area to reduce the heat When the work was effective a corps of expert men pushed into the stope and later came upon several bodies strewn along the roadway, where the Ihen had fallen in a fight to get to the end of the stOpe The bodies were car ried to the foot of the shaft to be taken out after nightfall, to spare the distracted wives, children and other relatives of the victims who throng- ed the mouth of the shaft.
 The Throop borough officials. a deputy patrolman and a squad of state cOnstabulary summoned from Rockville. took care of the crowds.
 There was no violence. although it was feared there might be some dis orderly demonstration on the part of the friends of the victims.
 Charles Enzian, a noted expert. in general charge of mine rescue work for the federal government, was also overcome and is said to be in crit ical condition Evans took off his helmet, WHICH lO NOIhs anu was carried to the open air as quick ly as possible. but he had inhaled so much gas from the burning coal that he died in a few hours. Enzians experience was similar to that of Evans.
 A temporary morgue was erected at the opening of the mine. and here hundreds of women, chil- dren and relatives of the men anc boys so suddenly snatched from them.
 At midnight tonight twenty bodies had been taken from the mine and arranged in the temporary mOrgue. Among them were those of John R. Perry. common councilman from the First ward of Scranton: Walter Knight. inside foreman; Isaac Dawes. fire boss; Joseph McWaters, James Wallace. Henry Lucas. Michael Gall. Joseph NJ Evans, John May and Harry Rothwell. The other bodies are those of foreigners. A crowd of about 5000 is gathered near the mine.
 The hysterical screams of the wOm- en and children were apalling, and when the first body appeared under the light of the torches at the mouth of the shaft many had to be re- from doing themselves harm while others tainted. It was said at the Nmine that all the bodies will be out by daylight.