The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-12-11
Only Eight Bodies Recover ed From the Briceville
 Mine Thus Far
CAUSE OF DISASTER IS NOT YET DETERMINED
Though Believed It Was Due to a "Dust" Explosion-The Relief Work Has Been Effec-
 lively Organized

Briceville, Tenn, December 10.-Some- where in the depths of the Cross Noun tain coal mine probably 100 men lie dead tonight while their sorrow-s strick- en families keep vigil at the mouth Of their tomb hoping against hope that their loved ones may be alive when rescuers reach them.
 Eight torn and mangled bodies had been brought forth at nightfall when search was abandoned for the day. out side of the immediate families of the entombed men no one in this little mountain village believes that any liv- ing thing in the mine survived the terrific explosion of coal dust that wrecked the workings.
 For more than s6 hours every sur viving miner in this region had toiled with no thought of food, sleep or pay, to remove the debris and force fresh air into the innermost recesses of the mine. They practically have penetrated to the main entry head, nearly three miles in. Tomorrow they expect to be ready to work the cross entries in which the other bodies have undoubt- edly been cast by the force of the blast.
 Black Damp Develops
 Black damp developed late today and retarded progress but the silent force pushed dauntlessly on, some of them till they were carried out overcome by the noxious gases.
 Thousands of the morbidly curious fiocked into the village today and crowded about the main entry of the mine. They saw nothing because there was nothing to see but the grief to the stricken families.
 Seven of the bodies recovered have been identified. Among them was that of Will Farmer assistant foreman of the mine. The top of his head had been tlown off. He is survived by widow and two children.
 There is hardly family in the en- tire coal creek valley that has not felt the icy touch of death. The problem Of ecaring for the widows and orphans will be a graveso requiring. imne- diate solution. Certainly Bricevi1le will be unable to care for her living with most of her. wage earners numbered among the dead.
 In spite of heroic efforts to reach the victims of the i'll fated mine of the Knox vile Iron company, only eight dead bodies have been recovered and removed up to 5;30 this evening. Prospects were that 1t would be far into the night be- fore much greater progress was made in reaching the victims, and, indeed many days may elapse until the mine is cleared of it's debris which is seriously and ef fectively impeding the progress of the seekers of the dead.
 Seven Bodies Identified
 Seven of those removed were identified today as being: Lee Polston, Eugene Ault Taylor Ault, Roland Early. w. A. Farm CT, bank boss in the mine; Harmon Sharp and James Foust.
 to aft .tac fIn, fn 1n A Wood, youth of IS years, but his iden- tity was not positively established. The body will be kept as long as possible in the hope of complete Identification. Demands upon the little Bricevile grave yard cccasioped by this terrible holocaust have necessitated steps being taken for the creation of a new cemetery. Land was staked out today and preparations made for excavating graves in which to bury the explosion victims as fast as they are brought out, identified and pre- pared for burial The first of the inter- ments were made Sunday afternoon in the graveyard situated upon command ing elevation in the rear of the little chuch opposite the Briceville depot. The bodies laid to rest are those of Lee Pos- ton, Taylor and Eugene Ault. The Rev. w. H. Riggs, pastor of the Baptist church at Briceville, offered brief but lervent prayer in behalf of the victims, v their surviving loved ones and friends, and also petitioned the divince throne that the rescuers might yet find men in the mine still alive. The prayer, earnest and appealing, was the extent of formal religious ceremonies here over the re- mains.
 Alone With the Dead
 At midnight Briceville has fallen asleep with it's dead. Where thousands were gathered around the mouth of the Cross Mountain hine during the day. the crowds have dispersed and those who had friends s,nd relatives buried in the mine have gone home to mourn their loss or to grieve for those whose bodies have been re- covered and buried in the special ceme- tery staked out for those who lost their lives in the catastrophe. The engineer in charge of the temporary fans which are clearing the mine of black damp are on duty, the rescuing party has given up its labors for the night.
 pr. Ruthedge, mine rescue expert in charge of the Pittsburg station, arrived in Knoxville tonight and word has been received that ne will reach here tomorrow morning to assist and direct the work.
 Bricevi,le has been notified that relief funds have been started in several Ten nessee cities. Tomorrow Gov. Ben w. Hooper will issue an appeal to the peo- pie of Tennessee to aid the helpless ones Knoxville has been active and contribu- tions from other cities are expected.
 l75 COfflnS Arrlve
 When the "cofiin train reached Bricc. vile Sunday morning at o'clock bring ing 175 burial caskets from Knoxville, its advent was a signal for renewal of the manifestations of grief in the many new made fatherless and husbandless homes. These were intensified as the gruesome pine boxes containing the cof- fins were piled high, one upon the other, in front of the improvised morgue, and at the top house near the mine where the explosion occurred Only eight of these coffins were opened during the day. the others stand as sentinel of the grim monster, silently awaiting the assignmenf that each is sure to receive for its final sleep in the newly made graveyard The relief work has been effectively or ganized under the direction of George lP Chandler, president of the Tennessee Goa company Volunteers from every minef ir the Coal Creek and Briceville districts reported to MT. Chandler Saturday Ilighl " and Sunday Others also came from itnine: at Jellico Oliver Springs. Middle5boro knd even from up in the soithwesi vir 9(F ginia coal belt. Early Sunday mPrnini 
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