Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-04-11

as the result Of the fire in the Pan
coast mine at Thrope yesterday, 10
"a. seventy-three bodies had been
brought to the surface before !
o'clock. The origin Of the fire has
not yet been learned.
Scranton, Pa, April S.-Firty-four
bodies have been recovered up to
a. m. today from the Pancoast mine
at Thorpe where yesterdays fearful
disaster occurred. Mine officials admit
that 20 or more men are still IN the
mine The fire which started in one
Of the hosting engine rooms in the
China" vein, $50 feet beneath the sur
face, the lowest working in the nine,
did not, do as much damage as has
been believed. The fire did not reach
the entombed men and the condition
of their bodies shows that death was
due to suffocation from smoke or as
phyxiation from the accumulation OF
gas. Not one of the bodies which were
found in heap in the blind gangWay,
was in the least mutilated.
Forty-four of the dead have been
identified. Many of the victims were
foreigners and known only by num-
Der or nickname, their identification
was therefore difficult.
Heading the list of victims is Joseph
E. Evans of West Scranton, who was
foreman of the United States rescue
car which was hurried to the mine
from it's station at Wilkesbarre. He
was 35 years old. DR.. j. A. Holmes,
| director of the United States bureau
| of mining. who arrived during the
night, accompanied by D. w. Roberts,
of the instruction department OF the
bureau, paid high tribute to the hero
ism of Evans who was leading a res
cue gang into the smoke-laden mine
filled with deadly black damp.
Evans First Rescue Victim.
There are martyrs in every
cause" he said. ours has poor
Evans for it's FIRST victim" 1t was the
first time that the federal rescue sys-
tenn was brought into action in the
anthracite coal region and Evans is
,, regarded as the real hero of the day.
1t has not yet been definitely estab-
lished how he came to his death. One
theory is that in adjusting his helmet
after humping it against the low ROOF
of the smooke-filled gangway, he re-
leased 1t slightly from his head and
in doing so inhaled the black damp.
Another theory advanced by DR..
Holmes is that Evans may have dies
from carbon dioxide poisoning. He
said the air exhaleds in the helmet is
! generated by the oxygen and breathed
again. A wearer of the helmet who
over-exerted himself might meet the
! fate that befell Evans, as there was
much gas in the mine.
1T is like man running up hill,
said the doctor, 1.-The supply of fresh
air is not sufficient and man wearing
a helmet dies from carbon dioxide.'
Partial List Of Victims.
The revised list Of the English
speaking victims Of the fire in addition
to Evans is:
WALTER KNIGHT, mine foreman,
married. five children.
ISAAC DAVIS, fire boss, married,
four children.
JOHN PERRY. miner, married, one
child. He was a Scranton city coun=
Gilman.
JOHN MAY, company hand, married
three children.
JOHN ERICSSON, company hand,
single.
EDWARD HART, tender, married,
| three children.
JAMES WALLACE, company hand,
! married, six children.
THOMAS MAY WALTERS, miner,
married five children.
MICHAEL GALL. miner. married.
HARRY ROCKWELL, miner, married.
LAWRENCE RITZ, doorman, mar
ried, one child.
Others among the victims are:
JOHN STROYAK, who had five chill
dren; two sons. one doorboy, the
latter persisted with him.
VICTOR WASDEMIK, and his two
brothers, Emil and John, all miners.
! were also among the victims.