The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-04-09
Of Washington, head Of the Na,iona,

OF Washington head Of the National
x Bureau OF Mines. who was on the scene
q few hours after the first report OF
; the disaster, directing tho work or tho
government rescue squad,
He. too. has gone into tho mine aud
declares that he will cause a minute
investigation Of tho causes loading up
TO the loss OF life. James T.. Saltry.
coroner of l.ackawannu county. with
County Detective NJ. A. Rafter, repre-
senting the district attorneys Office.
also entered the mine to-day and be-
san an investigation that may lead TO
criminal prosecution in the local courts
Insist on Prosecutions.
The local officials of The United Mine
Workers were also OH the ground to.
day. and while they would give out no
statements, II was learned tonight that
the labor organizations Of I.ackawanna
county will insist on criminal prosecu-
ton Of those guilty of permitting tho
men to remain Mt work for hours after
the fire was first discovered. without
giving them any warning until the
clouds OF smoke and Sns-ladcn air
blinded and overcnme them at their
work.
stephen j. MCDOOalO, president OF the
Scranton Central Labor Union. who
himself worked in the mine for Years,
whca interviewed this evening declared
that the accident was the result of
.'mclcrnized greed" and declared that
organized labor would make an effort
10 send officials TO jail MCDONALD
said
THE accident was the result os
greed. The company employed q man
n VIZ
about 200 feet from each other. This
saved the company $3.50 per day. |,
cost sevcntE-two human beings thcr
lives, leaving hundreds OF orphans and
dozens OF widows. The Pancoast Mine
1 has been All Industrial slaughter house
for the past twenty years The town
Of 'Throop Is 80 situated geographically
that ii is rather hard to get news from
81, Thousands have been manned and
commercials murdered in It's depths
Ynce II commenced operations twenty
seven years aEo.
"lIuman beings arc compelled to
work In It's depths for less than $40
Ber week, but This need not occasion
much surprise when the fact is taken
into consideration that | worked In
the mine for eight years when a boy.
and never saw a dollar of tho money
j earned. IT was stopped In the
rluckmc store
tsSCHVC luNOSSIUlC. .
1T was impossible for the poor VIC.
Tins TO make their escape. There
was no means of escape The fire WAS
discovered al o'clock In the morn
ing, and operations in the mine and
breaker were not suspended until II
o'clock Some of tho officials tool
ishly thought they could get the fire
under control. and the safety or the
men was the last thing thought OF.
Cl,S ie nrn l,>- n,f lint Ina
Gall, who escaped from the mine, told
those who met him nj the surface that
ono Of The officials said about That
,iuic I'll oclock) lie would Issue or
Gcrs to suspend work. Poor old men,
those in the prime OF life and little
buds OF humanity known rs 'nipo,
boys were sacrificed upon the altar Of
greed, and UP till midnight not one
Of tho mno owners had made their
appearance upon the scene. An III
Scstigation Will prove that tho men
worked in death trap. that there was
not one chance in a million for them
tn escape
victims shows forty-nvc widows and
13I orphans.
DisErncrful scenes.
As fast as tic bodies OF the victims
were identified they We're tagged and
IL relatives did not come 10 claim them,
they were turned over 10 one under
takc! or another, according to ma
1ionalitN, 10 he prepared for burial and
taken home. The undertakcrs fairly
fought for The bodies. believing tina
The company would stand for Il good
round charge. and scenes that were
tisEraccful resulted. Police authorities
had 10 interfere TO preserve some
aspect of dccency.
About every other house In the Vii
laEc OF T'hroor. !: typical mining set
Element had crepe OF its door, and in
some houses there arc more than one
corpse. John Stoyak and his two sons
and a cousin lie III row in his humble
home. In one foreigners house, seven
Is children arc made orphans The eldest.
Is ten years old. Another foreigners
body was taken to Il home where one
chiId IS III Of scarlet fever. and an
other OF typhoid. The funerals prob-
ably Will he held Monday
IN the matter OF the number Of VIC
tins this is tile worst mine horror that
has ever occurred in the I.ack;,wanna
Valley region. and TIE worst IN the
whole anthracite coal felTs since the
NNondalc disaster OF September 16
1903, when so mon lost their uyes
by suffocati ton This cntastronhc 20
suited IN the state mine law rcuuirinp
q second opening in all workings. and
1nat ms opening should he more than
lao fcct from tho nrst opening trhc
,Win shaft disaster Of June 26 1896 in
huston, claimed Il5 victims. Thcsr
men were cntrapped by q cayc-tn
,wh'ch theE were working TO prevent
~ me erection of pillars. Not one Of
'Hc'F pon'rS was ever recovered l4