The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1911-12-15
find DEAD MINERS
UPRIGHT IN CARS
Sixteen in All Recovered at
BryCevilIe CoIliery.
Hope That Any of the 100 or Mere
Entombed Men Will Be Taken
Out Alive Has Been Aban-
doned by Officials.

At Bryceville, Tenn, eight lifeless
miners recovered late in the night sit
ting upright in a train of mine cars
in cross entry No. "a, two miles from
the mouth of the Cross Mountain mine,
brought the list of known dead from
the explosion in the Knoxville Iron
company's mine Saturday morning up
to sixteen.
Eight of the bodies are still in the
mine, the other eight having been
brought out and identified by relatives
Wnistling of the special train
bringing collins at 2 o'clock in the
morning brought another horror to the
little town. The special brought 175
boxes, and they were piled near the
mouth of the mine.
1t is apparent that the seven men
were on their way to work in the mo-
tor driven cars when thee death blast
overcame them. Among them were
father and son sitting side by side.
Rescue work was continued by two
crews Of twelve men each, who worked
in two-hour shifts before midnight.
A great fan which has been rugged up
at the entrance forced much Of the
after damp out of the main entry and
the workers were able to proceed more
speedily and with greater results.
Though the list of known dead dur
the night placed at sixteen, hope that
any of the 100 or more men imprisOn-
ed will be taken out alive was aban-
doned.
A pail of sorrow hung about the
mouth of the mine, as thousands con-
gregated, some standing for hours and
others moving momentarily from one
point of vantage to another.
Three men live to tell the tale Of
underground horrors following the dust
explosion which last Saturday entomb
ed 100 or more miners employed at the
Cross Mountain mine of the Knoxville
Coal company.
Will and Milton Henderson. father
and son, and J. E. Smith are the men
rescued after having been captives in
were found in cross entry No II, in
chamber where they had bratticed
themselves in from the deadly after
damp. All three were conscious and
able in a few minutes in the fresh air
to walk to their little homes and re-
jOice with their families
BILL Henderson, the oldest of the
rescued men, came out of the mine
smoking his pipe and resisted efforts to
carry him home.
The explosion occurred at 7:30 a. m.
soon after the day force of miners had
entered the pit Nearly all the men
were at work in the vein where the ex-
plosion took place, or in rooms ad-
jacent thereto. No one had chance
to escape.
Those above ground were given their
first intimation of the explosion when
the earth trembled An instant later
a sheet of fame shot out of the shaft.
followed by a tremendous BOOM
The inhabitants of the town about
the mine knew instantly what the
sound meant Women and children.
the families of the miners, ran toward
the shaft, some in tears and others
screaming. All feared their relatives
below the ground might never escape
alive.
The officials at the mine assembled
a force of men at the mines entrance
as quickly as possible to ascertain
whether rescue work could be accom-
plished They were compelled to turn
part of this force into guard to pre-
vent frantic women from hurting them
selves into the shaft in their determi-
nation to learn the fate Of their hus-
bands.
Women and children clamored to be
allowed to make their way inside the
mine to aid in the rescue.