The Sentinel=record., 1912-03-21

fOrt Smtn, ATk., March 2O.-Out or total of 116 men who entered mine No. of the Sans Bois Coal company at McCurtain, Okla, 37 miles west of Fort Smith, at o'clock this morn ing, only n were known to be alive at 10 o'clock tonight and absolutely all hope has been given up for the others.
 gas explosion at 9:05 this morn. ing wrecked the mine, piled hundreds Of tons of wreckage in the path of the hall hundred rescuers who are now at work searching the ruined entries for the entombed men.
 The explosion was the most terrible in its horrifying results that has oc- cured in the mining history of fine southwest, and the 5000 people at the little mining camp nestled among the sans Bois mountains are dazed to such an extent that they scarcely re- alize the extent of the disaster.
 At S:30 o'clock tonight Superintend- ent A. A. Brown, who was one of the first to reach the mouth of the main slope following the explosion, gave mp all hope of seeing any of his min. CTS still in the bowels of the earth alive again, and the special train which rushed doctors nurses and of. ficials from Fort Smith over the Fort Smith and Western railroad this morning returned to this city again tonight A medical staff of five phy- sicians was left at the mine to be ready for further rescue work should any of the entombed miners be found alive. Superintendent Brown stated that the force and extent of the ex. plosion was such that only by the re- motest possibility could any of the entombed men be alive.
 The mine machinery is operated by compressed air and there are three small pumps in different sections of the mines. These pumps exhaust pure air. If the force of the explosion and flames did not kill all of the men there is a remote chance that some of them are being kept alive hy fresh air currents providing the pumps are not out of commission To this one slim chance the relatives and friends of the entombed men cling with pitiful hope and pray for the lives of their loved ones.
 Practically every humble home in the camp has one or more members buried in the mine. Hundreds of moaning and wailing women and chil- dren and grim vlsaged men are gath cred about the mouth of the main slope The scene is one which can never be effaced from memory.
 About o'clock tonight the rescu- ing party brought four bodies out of the mine and they were carried toI the wash house and laid out upon the floors The bearers of the bodies passed between rows of grief strick en relatives who clamored for a view of the dead The bodies were black ened and burned and practically un- recognizable. and the confusion was so great that 1t was impossible to de termine definitely their identity.
 At S o'clock 1t was reported that the rescuing party had found $ more bodies which would be brought out by midnight. This would be the last trip of the rescuing party in the mine tonight although explorers in relays will continue to work,
 The explosion was accompanied by faint rumble and there was but slight jar of the earth. dense
  of the mouth of the main slope. Stu perintendent Brown, George Hutchlh- son and Ben Farriman ran to the mouth of the mine and waited TOT a short time. The thought that the explosion was a minor one ana knew if such was the case the men would come forth in few minutes. but only one lone man staggered forth Frank Fields, who dropped utterE exhausted at the mouth of the mlhe'
 Fields said he was walking m ah entry when he heard the explosion. Then came a puff and Fields hait jumped. half staggered into slde room and let the explosion go ruhu, ling down the entry. After It passeo he staggered to the entrance.
 Shortly after Fields came out nine miners came across from the south entry a quarter of a mile away. l hey had been working in the seVeh,n north entry. an old and practlcaily isolated part of the mine, when the smoke reached them They eseapeo through what is known as man way by climbing ladder to the s"i face. ...4a,d
 The survivors. led by Superint,en'ul, ent Brown, entered the man sfopo in a short time and brought ou. oie badly injured miner and the co,pso 1s', of another. The latter was John eolwas A hoy of IT years. rope rider" who was coming to the siope when the explosion occurred also CD caped so
 The force of the explosion was so @ terrific that 1t pushed the cars np ..e sna slope and made so much slack ln .nr nr cable that the engineer thought io'