The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-04-08
Three Bodies Recovered and All Are Believed
 Perished
RAGING FIRE DRIVES
 BACK ALL RESCUERS
Fire Is in Workings 750 Feet Below Surface-Frantic Women Crowd About the Shaft and Tear
 Their Hair

Scranton. Pa, April 7.-One of the most serious mine disasters of this section of mining country occurred to- day at the little village of Throop, a short distance from this city, when the lives of between 50 and so men and boys were snuffed out.
 Among those known to have per- ished are Joseph Evans. He was in charge of the United States mine rescue car Isaac Dawe a fire boss, and Wal ter Knight. foreman.
 Evans death was the result or defective oxygen charged armor' Charles Enzian the expert in general charge of mine rescue work for the federal government. was also overcome and is said to be in critical conqi- ton.
 Up to late. hour tonight nearly two score of bodies had been piled al the bottom of the shaft. but It was thought advisable not to bring them to the surface until the crowd had dwindled. A temporary morgue had been erected at the opening to the mine and here were congregated hund- reds of women and children, relatives of the men and boys who had been SO suddenly snatched from them The sight was pitiful Children of tender years clinging to the skirts of their moth CTS while older male members of the family sought to soften the anguish of the distracted mothers and sisters.
 None of the bodies recovered was mutilated, death doubtless having been caused by inhaling flames and gases The rescuers are pushing into the mine and 1t is thought all of the bodies will be recovered within few hours
 Scranton, Pa, April 7.-Caught like rats in trap, without moments warn ing 50 men and boys are believed to have perished today in mine fire in the Pan coast colliery at Throop, three miles from this city. Some estimates place the num- Der at 60, Three bodies have been re- covered These were found a short dis tance beyond where the flames first broke out few minutes before 10 o'clock to- day. Three men, protected by helmets end oxygen tanks, pushed past the point where the flames were first discovered, at 5 o'clock this afternoon, and stum- bled over the bodies of two men and a boy.
 At midnight 20 bodies had been taken from the mine and arranged in the tenn porary morgue in of the breaker buildings
 Dr. J. A. Holmes head of the United States bureau of mines, and w. D. Rob erts, chief of the instruction department of the bureau, arrived at midnight from Philadelphia. Dr. Holmes was overcome when told of the death of Joseph E. Evans the government foreman.
 "There are martyrs in every cause said Dr. Holmes, tours has Evans as it's first"
 pr. Holmes explained that Mr. Evans death was probably due to carbon dioxide poisoning. He said that a wearer of the helmet under gaseous conditions wno. over-exerted himself, might meet the fate that befell Mir Evans.
 The finding of these bodies indicated there practically was no hope for the other imprisoned miners. A great ma jority of the missing are foreigners, but Foreman Walter Knight and Fire Boss Alfred Dave are two Americans and 1t is believed they, perished.
 The fire started in an engine house at the opening of slope 75O feet from the surface There were 400 men in the mine when the fire started, about 60 of whom were in the workings into which the slope led. The 60 were at work at "blind" tunnel at the end of the slope.
 The fire is in the workings 750. feet be- low the surface Officials. scores of workmen, volunteer firemen and the Tlroop fire department are working 70 get to the men supposed to be in one part of the mine.
 The news of the fire spread rapidly and hundreds focked to the mouth of the shaft Frantic women tore their hair and clothing in despair Many of them had to be removed.
 Under the mining laws of Pennsylva- mia second openings in mines is required and 1t was believed that the mine work CTS would all be able to get out of one of the two exists. An investigation showed however that the fire is so To- cated as to cut off escape from both openings.
 Escape was blocked by fire, smoke and the generated gases possibly before the men and boys realized their dan ger. The other men. scattered In dlf- ferent workings, got out by various exits. -..tt.tt
 James Vickers fire boss, tried to get to the tunnel where he knew many men were at work. He could go only short distance before he was forced to turn back and it was with difficulty he dragged himself through the smoke at the point of the fire. He said no man could live five. minutes in the tunnel he had tried to traverse.
 The United States mine rescue car. stationed at Wilk esbarre, was sum-
  the Delaware. Lackawanna and Vest ern railroad hospital car and the Le- high Valley company's mine rescue force from Wilkesbarre came to the scene. The finding of three bodies led the rescuers to believe that no one was alive in the tunnel and they renewed the attack on the burning area to re- duce the awful heat.
 When this work had proved some what effective corps of the expert rescue men, with tke latest style rescue armor, pushed on into the slope and later came upon several bodies strewn along the roadway. The bodies were carried to the foot of the shaft and stacked up in piles in the narrow space, to be taken out after nightfall, so some of the horror would be hidden from distracted relatives of the victims. The colliery Is owned and operated by the Price Pancoast Coal company at the head of which is John R. Bryden, general manager of the Ontario and | Western collieries in this region. It Ne ooa If the largest and most up to-