Perth Amboy evening news. [volume] (Perth Amboy, N.J.) 1903-1959, 1911-04-08
TAKING BODIES
THE MINE
Rescuers Give Their Lives
in Effort TO Save Men
Caught Below.
MANY HEROIC ACTS
Women and Children Hys-
tericaI as Body Alter Body
Brought to Suriacs.
spscial ~ Uatted Press w.


bodies had been taken from the Pan
coast mine, at Throop, at 10 o'clock
this morning and FIVE others have
been taken from the lowest levels
where the deaths occurred to the
bottom of the shaft. This brings
the death list of the fire up to seven
ty-one, and it may go even higher.
Most of the victims died from suffo-
cation.
Among the dead forty-fve of
whom have been identified, lie Joseph
Evans, foreman of the United States
Government Mine Rescue Corps,
who became martyr in the first
rescue work. He had been called
upon to leave since he joined the SER
vice. Another hero was John Gray,
rope cleaner, who forfeited his life
to spread the alarm OF fire among his
comrades when he might have saved
himself. Several other members of
the rescue party have also been kill
ed, or seriously overcome by the
fumes in the shaft.
About the mouth of the mine there
are hundreds of hysterical women
and children and as the bodies are
brought to the surface their grief
becomes uncomfortable.
BY noon seventy bodies had been
taken out of the mine and six more
had been sighted. The condition and
position OF the bodies showed there
had been terrible struggle for life
when the trapped miners saw the
smoke and white damp was advanc-
ing with death in its wake. Investi-
cation by the state and federal gov
ernment has already been started.
The government rescue corps men,
led by Chief Engineer Charles Enzian,
penetrated through the smoke to the
end of the vein In which the men had
been caught and sent out word that
! positively none was alive. They passed
piles of dead bodies, many lying as
they fell, suffocated, in the effort to
/ run through the smoke to the surface.
| Besides the imprisoned miners 10
! seph Evans, assistant foreman of a
| United States rescue car, lost his life.
A defective rescue helmet caused him
to suffocate. Chief Engineer Enzian
was also overcome and may not sur.
yiye. His helmet, too, failed to work.
t---sa-->r---s-. r.---,-ss,v---y1 .,s-
government rescue corps to sacrifice
| his life In his work John r. Perry
| councilman of Scranton, also lost his
/ life.
The Dunmore vein of the mine is $50
| feet below the surface, making fire
fighting difficult. The colliery is owned
by the Scranton Coal company, af-
fliated with the New York, Ontario
and Western company.
The fire which caused the mine hor
ror broke out from some unknown and
mysterious cause In the engine house
at the foot Of the shaft. Many attrib-
ute It to spontaneous combustion. All
the time there were 300 men and boys
in the various veins and chambers OF
the mine. The flames set off accumu
lations Of gas, which increased the diff
iculty and doubtless increased the
| loss Of life.
The scene of the mine Is seethine
! with excitement. 1t is difficult to OBJ
tain a coherent statement from any
one. About the head of the shaft are
gathered thousands Of people, includ
Inc the relatives and friends of the
men entombed. Ropes had TO be
stretched to keep back the crowd an6
to prevent a stampede when the three
bodies were brought out. The com.
pany officials acted with the greatest
| promptness when they learned the ex'
tent Of the disaster, but, once started
the fire spread with remarkable rapid
ity. 1t caught on the timbering of the
shaft and spread along the gangway
1t seized upon everything 1t could de
your and with a wall OF fame sepa
rated from safety the men who wert
| 1: distant chambers of the Dunmort
vein.
AS soon as 1t was seen that the fire
WAS battling efforts to subdue 1t WORD
was sent for the government rescue
car at Kingston, sixteen miles from
here, and this responded, bringing fouI
mel equipped with apparatus. includ
ing fire helmets. This was the frs
test of the rescue car and its crew
The helmeted men were the only ones
that could penetrate into the affected
gangway, and they recovered the bod
les found
The only man brought out alive from
the zone of the fire was Joseph Wick
ers, a fire boss. Vickers, finding the
fire was becoming dangerous, accom-
panied by a companion. ran down the
Yangway to give the alarm. Before
they had gone far their lights Wen
out Vickers realized his danger ant
started back. He missed his compan
ion. He told the mine officials there
was absolutely no hope for the othel
men In the mine
'They perished hours ago." he said
Nobody could live many minutes il
such a place. The workings are filled
with smoke. and there Is no way fol
the entombed men to get air"
The three bodies recovered wer,
found only a short distance from tn,
fire, showing that the men who wer
driven to the end Of the workings +,
escape the smoke have absolutely IA,