The Sentinel=record., 1912-03-22
05 MINERS
 KNOWN DEAD
TWENTY-FIVE OUT OF 116 Es. CAPE FROM SAN Rols MINE
 AT M'cuRTAIN, OKLA.
Fifteen Discovered in Small Room Towering over an Air Pump-Re- lief for the Stricken Families
 Is Coming Rapidly.

Fort Smith, Ark, March 21.-The total number of miners killed in Sans Bois mine No. 2, at MoCurtain. Okla. yesterday, is s5, according to a tele- gram received here tonight by Mayor Pagan Bourland from Mayor William E. Ritchie Of McCurtain.
 Mayor Ritchie says 65 of the miners were married and that 250 children are fatherless
 109 Accounted For.
 At 10 o'clock tonight 52 bodies had been taken from the ill-fated mine of the Sans Bois Coal company at Me. Curtain. Okla, where more than 100 men were entombed yesterday by an explosion of gas. Twenty-Five men have been rescued alive. Twenty. nine bodies were tonight located in the north twelfth entry Three bod les were discovered this evening un- der mass of wreckage in the main slope. This makes 109 out of He men who entered the mine yesterday morning accounted for. Reseuers had been tramping over the mangled forms of three men since yesterday without knowing it.
 After-damp is greatly retarding the work of the rescuers. No hope is held out that those unaccounted for are still alive, owing to the increased volume of after-damp that is now flooding the mine. The body of w. D. Roper, civil engineer of the com pany, who was killed with two com panions, was recovered tonight. The head of Ropers body was almost sev. cred from the trunk Owing to the nature of Ropers body 1t is believed that he was close to the explosion Edward Boyle, state mine inspector is directing the rescue work Peter Hanraty, mayor of McAlester, ane former state mine inspector. was ov ercome today in the rescue worn It was several hours before he re covered. Twelve mules were in the mine at the time of the explosion Three were found alive today.
 W. M. Bushnell. general manager of the Fort Smith and Western Railway company, owners of the Sans Bois Coal company of McCurtain, Okla, in whose mine an explosion entombed more than no men yesterday morn ing, issued a statement at o'clock tonight, saying 55 bodies had been recovered from the mine, 26 men had been rescued alive and 35 men were still unaccounted for. Fifteen men were rescued alive this morning.
 Relief from all parts of the United States began pouring into McCur- tain today The United Mine Work CTS of America, district No. 21, voted $5,000 for relief work Subscriptions are being taken i'll this city and to- night thraa carloads of provisions leave for McCurtain.
 The men rescued this morning were found about 9:S0 o'clock They were in the thirteenth entry, south, in a room eight by ten feet, hnddled about an air pump. When the res cue party entered the mine tihis morning they heard constant rap ping on the ailn pipe leading to the room. Although there was no fur aher proof this indicated that some of the men were alive. Word was quickly sent to the little band that stood huddled about the mouth of tn main slope of the discovery, half hour later the 15 entombed men were brought out alive.
 The men had saved themselves by taking off the top of the pump and building a curtain in front to shut out bad air and gas. Then they piled on top of each other, placing their heads near the top Of i!he pump. Every few minutes one of the crowd became faint for lack of air and he was immediately placed on top Of the pile of humanity until he recov- cred.
 It was a pathetic scene when the 45 were brought out of the slope. Distracted mothers, almost insane from grief. rushed to them and clasp ed them in embrace, begging them for news as to the safety of others. One mother with two small children tugging at her skirts. was seen to reel backward with a shriek. She had inquired for her husband, and receiving no news fro mthose res cued, she collapsed.
 Four of the Is brought out alive this morning were so overcome thal they had to be carried. Their condi- tion tonight showed considerable i'm provement, but two are not entirely out of danger.
 We had almost given up hope, said Tom Farrimond, one Of the res cued men, tonight, How we ever met I don't know. As soon as we fatf tha axnloaion we rushed to the nearest pump. knowing that We were too far from the entrance to escape death if the explosion was very se- we're. We had just put ID the cur tain when asbig sheet of flame. trav- cling with great speed. passed our room and sent q small puff of its deadly breath at us. The minutes seemed like hours to Us as we clung to the pump, straining every effort to inhale every particule of the fresh air as 1t left the pump. We hardly spoke, We did not discuss the pos