The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1912-03-23
BIames Lax Methods for the Dis
aster at McCurtain Orders
Other Mines Closed Until
Conditions MadeSafe
FAMINE MENACE
TO THE SUFFERERS
Food Supplies are Consumed
Sixty-Nine Bodies Recover
ed Difficult to Identify
Victims Funerals Held
Telegram by United Press.

Telegram by United Press.
MeCurtain, Okla, March 2S.-State
Mine Inspector Boyle declared today
that all three Of the mines belonging
to the San Bois Coal company here
will be kept closed until they are
placed in safe condition He was bit
ter in his denunclatlon Of the lax
methods Of the company and told the
mine bosses that the laws had to be
obeyed or that he would close every
mine in the state, IL necessary, as
means Of protecting lives.
Boyle declared Frank Creeks, the
first boss. knew the mine was dan
gerous. Creeks told his wife that lt
was full OF gas. Creeks was among
the killed.
Boyle believes the gas moved down
on the men working with open lamps.
sixty-nine Of the dead have been re-
covered. Eleven bodies are buried
under tons Of rock and won't be reach
ed for weeks
Famine stalks in the path Of the sor-
row left by the Sans Bois mine hor-
rors. The town is practically without
food There is extreme suffering. Be
tween 500 and zoo men from neigh
boring coal camps have hurried here
to search for friends and relatives and
to assist in the rescue work The it,
| tie stores in the town have sold out
their stocks and nothing but empty
shelves remain. In some instances en-
tire stocks OF groceries have been pur-
chased outright and distributed among
the families Of the victims, The Fort
Smith and Western Railway com
pany's general offices at TT Smith was
wired Friday afternoon asking for i'm
mediate relief Two cars Of supplies
were sent by special train They ar
rived here Friday night. Citizens
there raised a RELIEF fund Of more than
$500 for the benefit Of the victims
and this amount is being used to fur
nish food for the town
Recognition Of the bodies recovered
Friday was only gained BY the metal
check numbers found beside the bod
les Each man checked his car with
one Of these after he had dug it full
4 Of coal.
They were curious eyes which look
ed up at Antonio Oyasis when he came
sauntering uD to the mine Friday.
Some at first shrank from him.
Where did you come from?" an Ital-
ian miner asked him. Il have just
come from home, he replied. But
they have got you numbered as one
. of the men still in the mine. how did
/ you get out" Oyasis then explained
= that he was one Of the party Of four.
teen who was rescued alive Thursday
Il morning When the top was reached
2 Oyasis jumped over the side of the
= car Onlookers thought he was one
= of the rescuers, while the reseuing
j party thought they had been mistaken
y IN the number brought up 0yasis
s went home Immediately He said he
u dreaded the sight Of the mine.
y Attention was turned Friday to de-
termining the cause Of the explosion
and its origin The bodies Of the three
men who made up the surveying crew
e and the bodies Of the two gas men
st were found in the north eleventh en-
try They were horribly mutilated
and 1t IS generally supposed they were
+ near the explosion when it occurred.
= Funerals, burials and general sus
pense we're the chief features Of tbs
third day Of the mine horror. sus
pense. however, was not due to de
ferred hope that more men we're Il
come forth from the tomb alive. bu
rather to the seeming slowness OF ths
eeaseless effort Of the brave voiun
| teers to bring forth the dead. Tn
/ hope that there may yet remain alivl
/ Others who found themselves wrappel
about with a winding sheet 81 fIaml
was entirely abandoned when TIL
l dark day dawned.
/ McAlester Okla, March 2a AIayn