Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1911-12-11
Eight Mangled Bodies TAKEN.
From tennessee Mine, When
Black Damp Puts Stop to the
Work of ReScuerS,
HEARTBR0KEN FAMILIES
HOPE AGAINST HOPE
They Are Only Ones in Stricken
Camp Who Believe That Any
Living Thing Survived Ter
rifle Explosion,

lBy Morning journal Special Leased Wire I
Brlceville. Tenn, Dec. lO.-Some
where IN the depths Of the cross
Mountain coal mine, probably toe
men lie dead tonight while their sor-
row. stricken families keep vigil at the
mouth of their tomb, hoping against
hope that their loved ones may be
alive when rescuers reach them.
Eight mangled bodies were brought
forth by nightfall, when search was
abandoned for the day. outside OF
the immediate families of the entomh-
ed men no one in this little mountain
village believes that any living thing
in the mine has survived the terrific
explosion of coal dust that wrecked
the workings saturday morning.
For more than thirty-sx hours
every surviving miner in this region
has tolled with no thought of food,
sleep or pay, to remove the debris
ana force fresh air into the innermost
recesses of the mine. Tonight they
practically had penetrated to the main
entry head, nearly three miles under
ground. Tomorrow they expect TO be
ready to work the cross s-entrles, in
which the great mass of bodies un.
doubtedly We're east by the blast.
Black damp late today developed
and stopped progress for a time but
soon the silent force pushed daunt-
lessly on. some of them until they
were carried out overcome by the
noxious gases.
Thousands of the morbidly curious
flOeked into BriteVille today and
al. n. d,
mine. They saw nothing but the pitt
aide srief utSthe stricken families.
There is hardly family In the en-
tire Coal Creek valley that has not
felt the touch of death.
The problem Of caring for wild.
'ows ana orphans is great, requiring
immediate solution. Certainly Brlce-
vile viii be unable to care for it's liv-
ing with most of her wage earners
numbered among the dead.
Tonight food is scarce but plentl
ful supplies are promised for tomor-
row from Knoxville so far there has
been little physical suffering among
the families of those who lost their
lives.
1t has been Impossible to get any
authentic figures on the exact num-
ber In the mine when the explosion
occurred. Mine officials have given
out no statement. 1t Is also Inn
possible so far to get any check on
the men who went 10 work yester-
day morning. That It is more than a
hundred is certain. and that they are
all dead seems almost as certain.
That the black damp will be
driven from the workings tonight is
believed. Tomorrow with the crew
Of one rescue car on the ground, an
other hurrying here, and representa-
tives Of the Red Cross on hand, IL Is
expected that rescue work 50 far
badly retarded, will go forward rapid
ly.
The work of rescue moved slowly
today and tonight, partly because
the entombed men were believed TO
be two miles from the opening, anu
partly because OF black damp.
Electrical devices for moving cars
In the workings were shattered by
the explosion, and the debris cleared
away in the tunnels is being hauled
by mule cars to the surface. Mine
experts tonight said 1t would be days
before each lateral had been pene-
trated, and said that when all bodies
A pail of silent sorrow lowered
about the mouth of the mine as thou
sands congregated, some standing for
hours and others moving momentari-
w from one point of vantage to an
other.
The single disturbance OF this scene
of silent sorrow, was when Rev. EN-
ericth, pastor of the Methodist Epis,
at
exhorted those within hearing OF his
voice to accept the disaster of Satur-
dav morning as a warning to prepare
to meet death.
Briceylle, Tenn, Dec, 10. - The
bodies of seven men recovered tonight
sitting upright I'm a train of nine cars
in cross entry No. a. two miles from
the mouth OF the mine, brought the
list of known dead from the eXplo-
sion of, Saturday morning up to six
teen. Eight OF The bodies aro still
i'm the mine. the other eight having
been brought forth and identified by
relatives.
The seven men were on their way
to work In the motor driven cars when
the death blast overcame them.
Among them were father and son,
sitting side by side.
The rescue work was continued to-
night by two crews of twelve men
each worked in two hour shifts before
midnight.
The great fan has been rugged up at
the entrance and forced much of the
ter-damp ont Of the mine entry and
the workers we're able to proceed
more speedily and with greater re-
suits.